Maybe buying a Wii was frugal
June 22nd, 2008 | by mbhunter |If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
I’ve created a monster.
The monster is my mother-in-law. (I know. You’re thinking, “And?”) Actually, she’s hooked on the bowling game in Wii Sports. She has a really, ummm, unconventional way of launching the ball down the lane, but who am I to argue when she wipes the floor with me? She bowled six freakin’ strikes in a row, and now my father-in-law is a little worried that she’ll want to get one.
My wife commented that the Wii — even though I paid more than retail for it and a Wii Balance Board in the middle of a scarcity — will probably pay for itself just in terms of entertainment money saved on going out for bowling. When we went out a few months ago to bowl, it cost $38 for shoe rental for me and my wife, and two games apiece for me, my wife, and my daughter, not to mention gas to get out there.
We all had a good time, but frankly I have just as good a time bowling on the Wii, my wife likes that her arm doesn’t get wracked out, and my daughter will be able to figure it out soon enough. I’m really impressed with the physics on this game and how well swinging the remote mimics the real thing (minus of course the 14-lb. bowling ball).
Alan Corey, author of A Million Bucks By 30, shelled out $300 for a Playstation in order to cut down on his entertainment costs for much the same reason: going out to the tune of $50 or more a night would work against his financial goals. This purchase wasn’t the sole reason he reached his goals, but it certainly didn’t work against them.
Cutting our entertainment expenses wasn’t the reason we got the Wii — we got it so that I could stick with an exercise program — but it certainly is a nice fringe benefit.
4 Responses to “Maybe buying a Wii was frugal”
By Christy on Jun 22, 2008 | Reply
We got a wii right after they made their debut. We have had a fantastic time playing it with the family…but we’ve had an even better night taking it with us to parties! Instead of having “djs” or other entertainment, we hold tournaments!
By Clever Dude on Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
I gotta say that I didn’t leave the house for entertainment much before getting the Wii, so I don’t know whether it’s made an impact on our lifestyle. However, I know getting the Wii Fit was a good investment after the rivers of sweat running off my body after doing 30 minutes of various activities (strength, yoga, fitness, etc.). It didn’t help that I had to turn the ceiling fan off to do some routines, but I’m sore today!
By Adam on Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
While I don’t know if my Wii has been a net saver in my entertainment budget, I did pretty much the same thing a few years ago when I was on exchange in Japan. At the time, it would cost 15-20 dollars to buy an English novel, and I’m normally a voracious reader.
Instead, I bought a Gameboy Advance, and a few games. Spent hours on that, and probably saved me from buying a few books as well.
Even now, my DS has been nice for much the same reason, though it’s also been great for the amount of business travel I do. Not having to bring 3-5 novels when I’ve got long flights, instead just bringing 1-2 and my DS, has also been nice on my shoulder.
By john on Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
You need to spend to save sometimes. And you need to have fun without worrying about money even more. Plus the Wii is the cheapest of the consoles today, and its the most fun!