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Having just been back from a week-long vacation at walt Disney World near Orlando, and returned with more than we expected. My wife and I did all the WDW things and had a Saturday left over to leisurely relax. That is until we visited a kiosk on one of the properties that talked about the DVC or disney vacation Clubs. We arranged for a one hour tour of Saratoga Springs, a timeshare on the lake across from downtown Disney. We had no intension of buying anything, but we did have some time to kill.

Now, first a brief word about our situation. We are semi-retired and run a web-based business out of the home. I have stock investments and three grown children, one still in college. We have seen other timeshares and agreed they are usually not good investments. Typically, they have many restrictions, are over-priced and more often than not offer properties in places you might never visit. For example, they are miles away from the beaches or main towns. Anyway, we did the tour out of morbid curiosity and the fact that it was a disney resort.

They sent a van to our resort and drove us over to the sprawling 1000 room resort. Once we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised. The massive project composed of three-story buildings was very well designed. There were several pools, restaurants, fitness center and spa and buses and a ferry to the rest of walt Disney World. Once we finished the tour, the representative went over the details.

The timeshare system is simple. You buy a bunch of points beginning at 150 for around $15,000, give or take a bit. Then you get a brochure of properties that are grouped by collections. The best value and most flexible choices are those in Florida and one in Hilton Head, SC. Based on the time of year and size of room, you could get anywhere from a few days to a few weeks on the property. Disney also partners with a company called Interval International to add foreign destinations to the plan. There are restrictions like a minimum of a full week and other rules for those pieces of real estate. But disney also provides complete travel packages like escorted tours and of course, their cruise line.

So what did we decide? Well, the most endearing feature is that it is a disney timeshare, which means they do have high standards. Even the partners must adhere to the disney tradition of excellence. But the downsides would be familiar to most timeshare buyers. There is an annual maintenance fee that begins around $850 after your have paid the $15,000, plus closing costs. That fee can go up every year and does, even if it is as little as 5%. Then there is a booking fee from $75 to $95 for every arrangement. If you book 5 separate, 2-day stays, you would pay 5 separate booking fees.

The good news is that there are no blackout dates but you need to book far enough in advance to secure the room at the property of your choice. Another plus is that you use one agent and one phone number for all arrangements, even for restaurant and transportation reservations. The locations for most of the timeshares are good; some are four and five star resorts, but those use the most points, of course. Also, the more popular times of year require more points as well. Okay, so whats the bottom line?

You could do worse than buy a disney timeshare. If you plan to go to disney World on a regular basis, then this is for you. There are numerous member discounts from park fees to souvenirs and restaurants. The Saratoga Springs timeshare lasts 47 years. You can pass that onto your children, without any penalties. Or have them use the points while your still around. Its all up to you. There are also DVC timeshare re-sales available at a lower cost, but I cant endorse them because they are not connected to disney. Do your own research online. But the discussion forums Ive visited have nothing but praise for DVC and all the various properties. If you have ever considered a timeshare but were as skeptical as us, look into DVC. We are thinking of buying three, one for each child and their future children. They could still be using it 47 years from now and they would have already been paid for. And who doesnt love a disney vacation?

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, "Pursuit of the Phoenix." His latest book is, "inside the Yellow Pages" which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com Currently, he is the Marketing Director for http://www.thenurseschoice.com a Health information and Doctor Referral site.

Do you want to buy an Xbox console but don't have a fortune to spend? Do you want to know where to shop to save money? And what to buy with the console to get the most out of your investment? Below are 8 tips to help save you money buy shopping for an Xbox console.

1. Buy the Xbox Used: Xbox's are not longer being manufactured so you pay a higher price for a new console. Buy a used system that has been cleaned and tested. A used console will usually work just as well, but will save you about $50.

2. Buy online: The best prices on Xbox consoles are online. You might have to shop around to find the best prices, but they are out there. Price comparison websites are great place to start the search. Plus, when you shop online you usually won't have to pay sales tax. But watch out for high shipping! It can eat into a lot of the savings if you aren't careful.

3. bundle Games and Accessories: Buy games and accessories at the same time you buy the Xbox. Many retailers give discounts on bundled items. And Shipping is almost always less than if you bought everything separately. This makes a big difference when it comes to the controllers and other heavy items.

4. Buy Used Games: Buying used games is a great way to save money. They will usually be at least 50 percent less than the game was new and with many games the discounts are more than 75 percent! Be sure to buy games that are in good condition though. If the game has a bunch of scratches it might not load, or might break later in the game. Be sure you see a clear description of the game's condition before you buy it.

5. Read Game Reviews: There are a lot of games and to be honest many of them are no good. Do a little bit of research into the games before you buy them. What are critics saying? Or better yet actual gamers? Many websites like gamerankings.com and gamestats.com give overall rankings for Xbox games. Some good video games to start with are: Halo, Halo 2, project Gotham Racing, ghost Recon, and Medal of Honor.

6. Buy Games that Interest You: Reviews can only take you so far because the critics might have different opinions than you. If you love skateboarding, you will probably enjoy a skateboarding game. If you son is obsessed with Spiderman, he will probably enjoy a Spiderman game. Even if the reviews aren't very good.

7. Buy microsoft Accessories: You will probably want an extra controller, or memory card, or some other accessory to go along with your console. When at all possible, but accessories made by microsoft. They will be more expensive initially but many third party accessories (especially controllers) will break on you. Microsoft's controllers and other accessories will last much longer and be worth the extra money up front.

8. Buy Useful Accessories: There are lots of accessories made for the Xbox, but many of them are not worth your money. The most important extra accessory to buy is a controller. Each console comes with one controller but if you want to play with friends, you will need an extra (or three if you really want to have a good time). memory cards are not as important as other systems because the Xbox has a built in hard drive. You will only need a memory card if you want to bring saved data to another Xbox.

Follow these 8 tips and you will save money and start enjoying your Xbox console, games, and accessories.

What is nintendo Wii?

The nintendo Wii was introduce in 2001 and that is just the same time as game Cube was being released. It was named Revolution initially but it was changed to simply Wii, pronounced as 'we'. nintendo invested a huge amount into advertising for the Wii.

What makes it different from other video Games?

The Wii gaming system comes with a basic controller. This can be used for all of the games and is simple to use. The interaction between the Players and the Games is through the players movement by holding on to the controller such as a basic gesture may be to be pitching a ball. The controller is placed in the hand and the player uses it by rolling the hand forward in the pitching motion. This is a basic controller, but functions very well for the gaming system.

Looking at Wii Boxing - a Fun and Innovative game

One of the innovative interactive game is Wii Boxing. The games are easy to learn but need practices There are also similar other type of games such as Wii Bowling, Wii Baseball, Wii Tennis for everyone to play.

The important part of this Wii system is the Wii controller. The Key of the system is the light weight controller that enable players to interact with the many games, including Wii Boxing. It contains a motion detector that copies onto the game a persons movements. This can vary from game to game.

On Wii Boxing game, player needs to purchase an extra console to play the game. This is the Wii Nunchuk. Wii Nunchuk is needed to control the motion in the Wii Boxing game. Players hold the regular controller in one hand, and the Nunchuk in the other. Plug both controllers in, and then play can begin.

It may seem a little strange at first playing the Wii Boxing, standing and punching in the air, but once the player gets the hang of it, throwing punches at an opponent seems to come naturally.

The Wii Boxing game can really give a great exercise. With all the jumping and jabbing required during the game, many calories can burn up fast. Some players may have noticed that their punches may not be landing very accurately but try to maintain accuracy, and avoid having your own character punched, is a balancing act that Wii Boxing is trying to maintain in its game. Since both a Nunchuk and the regular Wii controller are needed for this game, more practice is required to be able to handle the controllers.

It is a great choice of games for the family at the same time keep you healthy with all the body movement.