Scrimp: Keep using the very-heavy 27″ CRT television that I got for only $50.

Cost: $50 one year ago

Maybe the next time I move I will ditch (sell or give away) this TV for a lighter flat-panel. Since the TV made it through my most recent move and is a good size for my living room, I will keep using it.

Splurge: a beautiful 42″ LCD television

Cost: $800-$4,000

Recently, I watched a movie on a friend’s new 42″ LCD TV. The picture was perfect, and it felt like being at the movies. Note that this was in a very large living room, with seating at least ten feet away from the screen. In a smaller room, the screen would be overwhelming.

Scrimp: “Momstar”

Cost: free with a cell phone

If my mom had a nickel for each time I called her for directions, she would be rich. Several times, I have called her with vague information: “I am in Princeton, and I just crossed a bridge. I do not see any street signs. How do I get home?” [This happened my first night in Princeton. To this day, I have not been able to figure out where I was that night. There are three bridges in town and many more a little further out] My mom calmly finds me on Google Maps and gives me directions to get home.

Momstar also offers directory assistance services. Last week my best friend called because she was on a lunch break with no access to a computer. She wanted to call her cable company to resolve an issue but did not have the number. That is where I come in as directory assistance; she called me and asked me to look up the phone number. Despite being on a walk and away from my computer, I opened up Safari on my iPhone and found the number in 1-2 minutes.

Splurge: OnStar by GM

Cost $299/year

OnStar is an in-vehicle service offered by General Motors that allows you to talk to a real person in the event of an emergency or if you are lost and need directions. OnStar can only be installed and used in certain vehicles.

This could be a great service for some drivers: a nervous driver who feels more secure with OnStar; a teenage driver who gets lost a lot; anyone driving in remote areas with poor cellular service and few cars on the road.

Thanks to a reader, Melanie, who told me about “Momstar.”

Scrimp: Open-source and free software

Cost: $0

My favorites are those by Google — Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets. In school, I kept all of my research notes in Google Docs. A great feature is that it is possible to search within a single document or in all documents. Another great feature is “sharing” files. When my brother got married, we used a Google Speadsheet to keep track of invitations for relatives (my mom and I entered the addresses and phone numbers, and my brother sent them invitations). We also used a shared Google Doc to coordinate information about travel plans with the extended relatives.

Downsides to Google Docs:

• if Google goes down, you lose access to files you have not backed up
• I have trouble with the formatting sometimes
• Google has access to your files (a privacy concern)

A commonly used open-source office software suite is Open Office.

Splurge: Microsoft Office Professional

Cost: $499

If you need professional looking documents or need to share files with business-types, consider the full version of Office.

Note: The student and home versions cost less.

Scrimp: Google Calendar

Cost: free

It goes everywhere I go (with internet access).

Splurge: a Franklin Covey planner

Cost: $76.42 for and

These are beautiful, but bulky/heavy and more work to keep up than an online calendar.

Scrimp: Checking out books from the public library

Spending at the library in 2007: $0.15 (a late fee)

Splurge: Buying everything new on Amazon

Spending at Amazon.com in 2007: $962.02 (that includes a few gifts and an extra Wii remote for myself)

Lots of people raise eyebrows when I say I buy most of my books new from Amazon (especially in my book club, where almost everyone else uses the library).

I love looking at my books. They tell the story of my life — where I have lived, where I have gone on vacation, my hobbies, my academic interests, my career interests.

I love loaning a book to a friend. It is so much fun to say, “I just read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book The Last American Man. I really liked it, and I think you will, too. You can borrow my copy and give it to Nathan when you finish because I want him to read it also.” Maybe I am being bossy by shoving books on my friends, but no one seems to mind.

I love giving books away. If a friend is visiting on a trip and needs a new book to read, I send him off with one of my favorites.

All of this cumulative pleasure (reading, looking at, and giving) is worth more than the price of a paperback.

Scrimp: $5 wine from Wegmans

Because the profit margin on this wine is so low, Wegmans markets it as a cooking wine. Both the red and the white varieties, though, are as good or better than most $20 bottles I have tried.

Think I am crazy? Read this and this.

Splurge: $3 Tall Chai Tea Latte at Starbucks

I get free soy when I use my pre-paid Starbucks card.