More Modern Gadgets We Can Live Without

A few weeks ago I ran a letter from a reader who purchased a bread maker that ended up being more trouble for her than it was worth. I asked readers to share their own encounters with other so-called convenience items.

I received many wonderful responses, several of which I’d like to share with you here over the next few weeks because I believe these are experiences most of us can relate to. Learning from these transactions can help us become more aware of our buying habits--not only what we purchase for ourselves, but what we buy for others. As we become more conscious consumers we can cut back on a lot of the stuff--and the expense and often the accompanying debt--that complicates our lives.

Dear Elaine: In reply to your conveniences column recently, here are a few of my own:

Bicycle chain cleaner. Every few months I get the urge to get my hands dirty and do a household or backyard chore just like the good old days. I bought a fancy bicycle chain cleaning gadget that included three different liquid solutions and see-through gears in the plastic mechanism. I thought I’d save the 30 bucks I’d spend at the bike shop. Well, the project took a few hours, and I made a mess in the garage, on my hands and on the bike. I also worried that I was probably not being environmentally friendly, since who knows where those spilled fluids go eventually. So that was clearly a foolish buy that started with good intentions.

Home alarm system: I bought one of those electronics store systems that costs less than $200. Aside from the time it took to install and the difficulty of placing the wires and other elements, I used the alarm for about a month. It was too unpredictable, sometimes going off for no reason. Also, I often forgot it was on, so I would accidentally set it off in the mornings. I thought it would reduce my worries about home burglaries. Truth is, home burglaries in my neighborhood are highly unlikely and I don’t seem to lose any sleep over it anyway. In any event, that was another wasted purchase.

Hand-held message recorder: I was given this as a gift and thought it was pretty cool. However, I found myself too self-conscious to use it on a business flight or during normal business interactions. The gadget cost about $150 and was touted as the new hot thing. Today, it goes for less than $50, but I still wouldn’t recommend it. Even if you did use it conscientiously, it takes time to then sit and play the messages back, and you still have to have that quiet time to listen carefully and transcribe the important things. A basic planner does the trick for me. I also know folks who swear by those watches and the newest palm devices. Trouble with these is that batteries go dead and all information is lost.

Please don’t ask me for more of these stories; I’m embarrassed by how many I could come up with.

--LUIS CONTRERAS

Dear Luis: Thanks for your letter. Many of us have been seduced into buying the pasta makers and the rowing machines and the hottest fashion colors that are out of fashion by the time we get them home. But the items you mentioned considerably broaden the range of products we might want to think twice about before plunking down our hard-earned cash.

Next week I’ll share a few more letters on some of the impulse purchases we often unwittingly succumb to. I’ll also pass along a few comments from people who love their bread makers and microwaves, and some thoughts on how to figure out what might be a convenience for you and what probably wouldn’t.

Elaine St. James is the author of “Simplify Your Life” and “Simplify Your Life With Kids.” For questions or comments, write to her in care of Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64111, or e-mail her at estjames@silcom.com.