Yesterday, I finally took the plunge and joined millions of other people and bought a Nintendo Wii. Like many personal finance bloggers, I’m here to blog about the purchase. However, this is not a post to justify my purchase. In fact, I know it was well worth it, as indicative of me purchasing the machine. This post is about why I think you should buy one too.

It actually took me since Nov 19, 2006 (the day the Wii was released) until yesterday to finally decide that this game console was worth the $249.99 + tax. Since that day a year ago, I have been contemplating whether or not I should get this game console. All this time, I thought it was a luxury purchase. It is $250 that can be put into a savings account, or into investments (like at least 25 shares of ETFC with some $$ to spare) I keep thinking.

The thought of a personal finance blogger buying luxury goods kept me from purchasing the console until a couple days ago when I realized that the machine is not an expense but rather an investment!

Exercise
Since I bought the Nintendo Wii, I have moved around much more than I would otherwise. This is good for me because I basically sit in front of the computer all day now, gathering weight day by day. Although it is not a conventional way of doing exercise, whatever works is fine right? Actually, this is working out so well that my fiancée is offering to buy me another game to keep me interested!

Spending Opportunity Lost
With me playing the Wii at home, it keeps my mind off other activities that makes me spend money. All the time that I’m playing the Wii, I am not buying a drink at Starbucks, browsing in the mall, or going to see the movies. Although the Wii is a bigger upfront investment, it actually saves me money down the line. I know some of you might not agree, but many of my expenses are impulsive. If I’m occupied with something else, I won’t be giving myself a chance to accidentally spend money.

Family Time
This is perhaps the most important benefit of buying the Wii. My fiancée, like most other female, do not really play video games. However, she is very attracted to the Nintendo Wii! We had so much fun playing the game console today that I wish I bought the Wii months ago. This gives us yet another past time that we share, and I’m sure spending more quality time together will indirectly strengthen our relationship even more.

Like many of you, I have thought about the justification of buying Nintendo Wii time and time again. I was focusing my decision on the money aspect of making the purchase. However, the ROI of getting a Wii is not about the money but the indirect benefits! Now that I have purchased the game console, I’m proud to say that I’m very happy with my purchase and that it is the best investment I have made this year.

Thank You Nintendo!