Looking for creative ideas to spend work $$

[tsavvy]

I need help in figuring out some fun things to buy. Through work, I have $1,000 to spend on accessories/electronics that bear some general relation to work. New computers and phones fall under separate budgets, so this is more for camera, ipad, and other things that are not necessities for me to do my job, but are nice to have. I work from home most of the time, but occasionally travel for work and I do have a fair amount of off-site meetings and presentations.

I'm trying to come up with some ideas of accessories that could be work-related -- there is a lot of leniency with this budget. My ideas so far:

- A new camera could be nice, but I don't take a ton of pictures.
- An ipad would get some use, but DH already has one.
- A nice large purse/bag which could also serve as a laptop carrying case.
- Fun chair for home office (aka living room)

My budget carries over, so I can wait until January and have $2,000 to spend.

Any good ideas out there?

 

[ame]

Would a good projector be beneficial? One that you can bring for your presentation?

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I think good furniture for your home office would be a good idea, specially one of those fancy, ergonomic chairs. Or a great light fixture or desk.

 

[tsavvy]

Would a good projector be beneficial? One that you can bring for your presentation?

Great idea, but I already have a decent projector! I cannot think of any thing that I truly need for work. This budget can be used for purchases that I benefit from personally, as long as the purchase has some general nexus to my work activities. Does that make sense?

 

[tsavvy]

I think good furniture for your home office would be a good idea, specially one of those fancy, ergonomic chairs. Or a great light fixture or desk.

I like the light fixture idea! My DH and I both work from home (completely unrelated jobs, though) and have a very unconventional set-up, with our living room serving as our home office.

 

[VRBeauty]

Aeron or similar quality chair. Looks good, wonderfully comfortable, and justifiable as a business expense.

 

[tsavvy]

VRBeauty - The Aeron looks like a fabulous chair. I hadn't thought to check out the Herman Miller website. There is only one HM dealer locally and, strangely, it is a lighting shop. I'll see if they have an Aeron chair when I go downtown for my afternoon hot cocoa.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

what about something like a nice humidifier/dehumidifier or an air purifier?

 

[QueenB29]

I would get an iPad, complete with a stand and keyboard. I wouldn't want to borrow DH's all the time.

Depending on whether your job also involves taking lots of notes (mine does), I would also get one of those live scribe pens that record where your notes leave off. You can basically jot down a keyword and then touch the keyword with the pen to hear that section of the recording. They're really cool.

 

[kenny]

Okay, you know I'm a camera nut so you know what I'd pick.
You'd like a good camera but say you don't take many pics.
Well, maybe if you had one, you would.
This is arguably Nikon's best DSLR, short of their metal-bodied pro and semi-pro models.

I'd wait till January and get this.
It is really nice to have ONE lens with that wide zoom range, instead of carrying around two lenses.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11626926&search=nikon%20d7000&topnav=&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=nikon%20d7000&Ntt=nikon%20d7000&No=0&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial

 

[tsavvy]

Davi el major - Too funny - my DH is fascinated with fans, humidifiers, and air purifiers but the hum of the motors makes me completely buggy! Perhaps there is an ultra-quiet warm air humidifier out there, though.

QueenB29 - Oh my goodness, the livescribe pen looks incredible! The record feature looks really cool since I can't always jot everything down fast enough during meetings. I'm definitely getting one of these - thank you!!!

Kenny - Cameras befuddle me and the one you've linked to looks intimidating, but it would be neat to be able to take great pictures. This seems like a fairly expensive camera, though, given my lack of talent in picture taking. Would my photos look better just because they are taken with this camera/lens? That was not a facetious question. Also, would this camera be good for close-ups of my gemmies as well as for my work photos, which involve lots of pictures of land, architecture, and community gathering areas?

 

[kenny]

Up to a point, taking great pictures is more about the user than the equipment.
This camera is overkill for most.

You can get superb results with a much cheaper camera.
However, if over time your interest grows and you put increasing creative demands on your equipment, you may end up upgrading a lesser DSLR.
I doubt a non-pro would ever outgrow this one.

What I'm trying to say is sometimes for some people it is cheaper to buy their final gadget first, instead of a series of upgrades.

I am the type of geek who LOVES to push equipment to it's limits.
Then I lust after the next best lens or camera body.
Most people are not that way.
People vary.

 

[tsavvy]

Up to a point, taking great pictures is more about the user than the equipment.
This camera is overkill for most.

You can get superb results with a much cheaper camera.
However, if over time your interest grows and you put increasing creative demands on your equipment, you may end up upgrading a lesser DSLR.
I doubt a non-pro would ever outgrow this one.

What I'm trying to say is sometimes for some people it is cheaper to buy their final gadget first, instead of a series of upgrades.

I am the type of geek who LOVES to push equipment to it's limits.
Then I lust after the next best lens or camera body.
Most people are not that way.
People vary.

Thanks, Kenny. There are definitely areas where I've learned that I should have bought better equipment to begin with (thinking of my entry-level faceting machine....) but I don't think I would ever get the full use out of a really nice camera. I'm going to look for a nice, but less expensive, camera in the $1,000 range so I can stretch my budget to pick up a few more items. I know there have been a lot of PS threads on cameras, so I'll take a look at them and other reviews.

 

[TristanC]

VRBeauty - The Aeron looks like a fabulous chair. I hadn't thought to check out the Herman Miller website. There is only one HM dealer locally and, strangely, it is a lighting shop. I'll see if they have an Aeron chair when I go downtown for my afternoon hot cocoa.

If you and your Hubby don't have this, I would second the Aeron chair. I've not used the Embody chair, but I really liked it (except the shoulder support was a bit lacking). It seems pricey but if you work from home, the long hours spent in any chair would be best spent in a good supportive one. Makes damn good sense in the long run... and although many say it is overpriced, the build quality is superb, and they just last forever.

Do your spine a favor and get a pair

Oh, and as a tip, try to get one size smaller than seems immediately comfy, and sit in it for 20mins or so at the showroom before you decide? I was advised to do this, because it seems when you have less leeway in the chair, your posture will be less likely to screw up. Snug fit and all. I spent 2 hours sitting there reading a book before I picked the type/size to buy. And that's what the sales people at my local advised me to do.

 

[QueenB29]

QueenB29 - Oh my goodness, the livescribe pen looks incredible! The record feature looks really cool since I can't always jot everything down fast enough during meetings. I'm definitely getting one of these - thank you!!!

Glad I could be of assistance!

 

[swimmer]

Not a fun item, but projector bulbs. Or just one. Mine popped during a flight and $780 later I had a new one. I hope yours is not that spendy so this post is pointless, but man that was not in my budget.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

What about a really good Touch screen GPS that can play movies etc on in your car?