Getting value of select (dropdown) before change

Answer 1

Track the value by hand.

var selects = jQuery("select.track_me");

selects.each(function (i, element) {
  var select = jQuery(element);
  var previousValue = select.val();
  select.bind("change", function () {
    var currentValue = select.val();

    // Use currentValue and previousValue
    // ...

    previousValue = currentValue;
  });
});