Thursday, March 16, 2006
Finishing what I started
I'm not one of those people who participates in free trial offers. I figure that either I'll forget to cancel whatever it is after the free trial offer ends and wind up with something I both don't need and can't afford, or that it just won't be worth the hassle if I do remember. My friend Francesca, however, is just the opposite. She is the undisputed Queen of Milking Free Trial Offers or, as she puts it, "working the system." Seriously, this girl got Entertainment Weekly for free for like three years by subscribing and canceling every time it was offered at Best Buy. She's a pro.
Under her tutelage, I, too, have begun to embrace the joys of "working the system." Her mentoring has been quite helpful, really, because Francesca will attempt the free trial offer first and then pass on the tip to me if it's worth the effort. My first experience was with eMusic's 50 free downloads offer, through which I got four whole albums (Cat Power's You Are Free, Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker, Neko Case's Blacklisted, and Iron & Wine and Calexico's In the Reins) without paying a cent. Now we've moved on to the Netflix two-week trial, which is one I'd considered before but chickened out on when it came time to input my credit card information. However, with Francesca's encouragement, I felt brave enough to take the plunge.
Here's the thing: I think Netflix is a fabulous concept. I will most likely fully join Netflix eventually, but right now, when I have a conveniently located library that stocks plenty of good mainstream and independent movies that I can check out for free, it just doesn't seem worth it. In fact, the only reason I had considered the Netflix trial in the past was for the opportunity to catch up on TV shows that I had missed crucial seasons or episodes of, either because I joined the party a little too late (The O.C., Lost) or because I no longer get the channels they're on (Sex & the City, Coupling, the British Office). When I backed out of the trial last year, I reasoned I'd just do my catching up later, when I was ready to actually join Netflix. But that was a year ago, and here I am, still behind. Clearly, it was time for action.
I realize this is a lofty ambition. I have, by my estimation, approximately 33 hours of television to watch in just two weeks (in addition, mind you, to the spate of current TV shows I watch each week). And ideally, I'd like to accomplish this without neglecting my jobs and relationships and sacrificing things such as sleeping, eating, and bathing. Which is why I spent part of this afternoon working out a schedule for my DVD viewing. (I'll pause momentarily so you can all contemplate what a complete and utter dork I am.) It's not going to be easy. I may have to let a few things slide, and I may have to set my sights just a little bit lower (possibly foregoing my three remaining episodes of first-season Lost). But with God as my witness, I am going to try valiantly to get it all in. Wish me luck, friends. Wish me luck.
I'm not one of those people who participates in free trial offers. I figure that either I'll forget to cancel whatever it is after the free trial offer ends and wind up with something I both don't need and can't afford, or that it just won't be worth the hassle if I do remember. My friend Francesca, however, is just the opposite. She is the undisputed Queen of Milking Free Trial Offers or, as she puts it, "working the system." Seriously, this girl got Entertainment Weekly for free for like three years by subscribing and canceling every time it was offered at Best Buy. She's a pro.
Under her tutelage, I, too, have begun to embrace the joys of "working the system." Her mentoring has been quite helpful, really, because Francesca will attempt the free trial offer first and then pass on the tip to me if it's worth the effort. My first experience was with eMusic's 50 free downloads offer, through which I got four whole albums (Cat Power's You Are Free, Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker, Neko Case's Blacklisted, and Iron & Wine and Calexico's In the Reins) without paying a cent. Now we've moved on to the Netflix two-week trial, which is one I'd considered before but chickened out on when it came time to input my credit card information. However, with Francesca's encouragement, I felt brave enough to take the plunge.
Here's the thing: I think Netflix is a fabulous concept. I will most likely fully join Netflix eventually, but right now, when I have a conveniently located library that stocks plenty of good mainstream and independent movies that I can check out for free, it just doesn't seem worth it. In fact, the only reason I had considered the Netflix trial in the past was for the opportunity to catch up on TV shows that I had missed crucial seasons or episodes of, either because I joined the party a little too late (The O.C., Lost) or because I no longer get the channels they're on (Sex & the City, Coupling, the British Office). When I backed out of the trial last year, I reasoned I'd just do my catching up later, when I was ready to actually join Netflix. But that was a year ago, and here I am, still behind. Clearly, it was time for action.
I realize this is a lofty ambition. I have, by my estimation, approximately 33 hours of television to watch in just two weeks (in addition, mind you, to the spate of current TV shows I watch each week). And ideally, I'd like to accomplish this without neglecting my jobs and relationships and sacrificing things such as sleeping, eating, and bathing. Which is why I spent part of this afternoon working out a schedule for my DVD viewing. (I'll pause momentarily so you can all contemplate what a complete and utter dork I am.) It's not going to be easy. I may have to let a few things slide, and I may have to set my sights just a little bit lower (possibly foregoing my three remaining episodes of first-season Lost). But with God as my witness, I am going to try valiantly to get it all in. Wish me luck, friends. Wish me luck.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]