Sense to Save

‘You traded the Bluesmobile for this?’ ‘No, for a microphone.’

Five years ago, I was getting ready to move from my parents house in West Lafayette, Ind., to Bloomington, Ind. to attend Indiana University. I had a carload and pickup truck-load of belongings, and in that haul was my beloved first major purchase: My computer.

I had a job at Osco Drug, and worked there all through senior year of high school and through the summer after high school graduation. I saved a lot of my money, and spent about $1,200 to buy a computer. $100 of that was for my printer/scanner/copier, which I still have. $400 of that was for a 17″ LCD monitor. The rest was for a custom-built computer, that for its time, was superly top of the line.

It served me well through college and in the time beyond.

These days, my printer still works. The monitor isin great shape, but has depreciated to about…oh, $50.

And the computer tower itself? Whoa. Not worth a whole heck of a lot at all. Still runs fine, but it’s so outdated that I don’t think anyone would pay me much of anything for it.

Shane is going to take the hard drive out of it and put it in a case so that I can use it as an external hard drive with my new laptop that I got a short time ago.

We’ll take the memory and upgrade my parent’s desktop.

The other parts are so worthless that there is no market for them, and I’ll just take it to a computer parts recycling place or Goodwill or something.

So we’ll give my old monitor and the memory to my parents when we see them next week. As a trade, we’re in negotiations for having my dad wax my car and vacuum the insides.

Lol!

This trade reminds me of the line in the Blues Brothers, where Jake discovers his brother Elwood has traded in their Bluesmobile for a microphone.

Was spending $1,200 on a computer worth it? At the time, yes it was. Computers were really expensive, and I wanted something that would be really good and would last me all through college. Laptops were even more pricey at the time.

What’s even better–we’ll be able to get rid of a large desk (got it for $10 at a yard sale or thrift store in college) and we’ll have a lot more room.

If you told me five years ago that I’d be scrapping my computer for parts and trading it for a car waxing, I would have probably fallen over laughing. And then I’d start singing a song from the Blues Brothers.

How to know if you’re getting a good deal on eBay

I’ve been shopping on eBay lately to find deals on maternity wear and baby things. But how can I know if I’m actually getting a good deal?

Before bidding, I check “completed listings” similar to the item I’m seeking. I’ll be able to see how much an item did (or didn’t) sell for, as well as how many bidders are typically interested.

Another way to figure out if you’re getting a good price is to visit Honesty.com. I found this web site in Redbook or Good Housekeeping (or something like that).

The site has some kind of formula to draw upon past and current auctions, and will let you know the bargain price for your item.

This tool will also be useful for prospective sellers, so you can know a ballpark range of what to expect for your item.

Frugal home maintenence and repair (guest post)

This is a guest post from Kyle at Rather Be Shopping. Thanks, Kyle!

A few weeks ago, my 3-year old daughter decided to see how much toilet paper she could stuff down our toilet. I plunged and snaked the commode for what seemed like hours, all to no avail. But I was not about to call a plumber! Instead, I researched the problem and was able to pull the toilet, remove the HUGE softball sized blockage, and put the toilet back with a new wax ring all by myself. Toilet is good as new!
A plumber would have charged $65 just for the service call, then factor in labor costs, and I probably saved close to $100 fixing the problem myself. I am a big proponent of learning, and doing, small home repairs and maintenance yourself in order to save money. Here are a few tips for those do-it-yourselfers out there.
~ Seek Free Advice. – While many employees at your ‘big box’ home improvement stores know very little more than how to tie an orange apron around their waist, there is always at least one expert in each department. Find out who they are and get to know them by name. They will be a great ally! Invite them to dinner, buy them a hot dog, whatever it takes. They have always given me great free advice.
~ Find a Great Resource Book. – I have one book for the do-it-yourselfer that I carry around like a bible. It is the Readers Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself manual and it is fantastic. It has big ol’ pictures and great diagrams for those out there like me, who would prefer to look at a picture than actually have to read! Worth a look, and not very expensive.

~ Be a Good Neighbor. - In every apartment or home that I have lived in over the years, I have always had at least one very handy neighbor. I immediately befriend him and give him a cold beer! I have learned more from handy neighbors than from any book. I typically reciprocate his/her help by offering my brawn for any projects he or she may be working on at their house. Works out great, their brain for my brawn! Read more »