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knitting circle · Jul 22, 2003, 01:34 AM

Well, after my first year of college, and getting ready fo the second, I have spent some time participating in lustful consumerism for a PB.

But I have come to the conclusion I don't need one.

What I will be getting is GREAT. I'm "investing" in one of those keychain memory storage gizmos, and I bet that is all I will need (I got by great without out a notebook last year).

Any college student strapped for cash should think about this for a second. Almost all colleges have computer centers. Many have Mac, and PC labs. I will pick up some old box for $100 and call it a day. I can just write my paper at home, put it on my keychain, and off I go to print it at school. I can't afford a notebook, but I will be walking tall, and have a silent laugh in my head as I think about my "notebook" on my keychain.

NewOldbie · Jul 22, 2003, 02:08 AM

You are one of the few that do not let revolving credit consume you

I remember helping my neighbor's kid set up a Macintosh SE for school (yes, it was a while ago) and she was complaining she couldn't print on a laser printer. At the time I was thinking "what a spoiled brat."

You are paying hefty fees for resources that the school is suppose to provide. Take advantage of it. My only advise it to stay away from the computer labs near midterms/finals as procrastinators often flood the print centers and you can wait a couple hours for your paper to print. But then you know that by now don't you.

Best of luck to you.

DigitalEl · Jul 22, 2003, 02:52 AM

Well, after my first year of college, and getting ready fo the second, I have spent some time participating in lustful consumerism for a PB.

But I have come to the conclusion I don't need one.

Very mature decision. Your parents obviously did something right.

juanpacolopez · Jul 22, 2003, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
[B]Very mature decision. Your parents obviously did something right.

So someone who actually BUYS a powerbook for school has parents who did something wrong?

Granted it IS a mature decision to save some cash where you can, but I don't see what's wrong w/ scoring a PB if you need/want it and can afford it without sending yourself into a debt spiral.

melman101 · Jul 22, 2003, 05:40 PM

Well, I've been in debt, and so 2gs more wasnt that big of a deal, and i really wanted it, so i bought it. But im paying it off, is that so wrong? you only live life once. enjoy it! get what you want.

Link · Jul 22, 2003, 05:58 PM

Wow. Smart move

If getting a computer means going into debit, don't do it.

If anything though, avoid credit at all costs. You'll be paying that laptop off for 6 years lol... definately not worth it.

Fyre4ce · Jul 22, 2003, 06:41 PM

For me, it's not so much a question of whether or not I'll be in debt, but how much. I'm going to have to take out loans up the rear end in about a month anyway. So if I drop $3000 for a new G5, which I'm considering, that will just be $3000 more I'll have to take out in loans.

I could definitely "afford it," it's just a matter of how much debt I want to have once I graduate. Some of my loans don't start accumulating interest until after I graduate, so I'm thankful for that.

Alternatively, for about $500 I could upgrade my Pismo. I'm about to post another thread which deals with precisely this issue.

LfGrdMike · Jul 22, 2003, 07:24 PM

For me it is a lot different. I have a great computer that is serving my needs well. iMac 600mhz with Jaguar and Office. My problem is I will need a laptop for taking notes and stuff in my classes. I don't have the best handwriting in the world, and I do better with a computer so I need to buy one so I can do my best, Otherwise I would do something like buy a keychain. I got away with it in high school by taking notes but then getting a better copy from a friend. That way if I couldnt for whatever reason get a copy from a friend I still had my own copy.

Earth Mk. II · Jul 22, 2003, 07:55 PM

Originally posted by melman101:
Well, I've been in debt, and so 2gs more wasnt that big of a deal, and i really wanted it, so i bought it. But im paying it off, is that so wrong? you only live life once. enjoy it! get what you want.

But why pay more than you have to for it? Just because you want it doesn't mean you need to have it, or can even afford it.

Seriously, with interest you can end up paying over twice what the amount of what your debt originally was. Avoid debt whenever you can!
(Student loans excepted - get whatever you need there)

If you don't need a new computer and can live with the inconveniences of working in a lab (because it can be rather inconvenient at times), it's a rather smart decision.

For others it's a smart decision to buy a brand new laptop, and it'd be rather foolhardy to depend on computer lab availability. It all depends on your situation and what you need.

Just know that your profs probably won't take "there wasn't a lab computer available" for an excuse. That's up there with "My computer HD crashed! ... again!"

knitting circle · Jul 22, 2003, 08:27 PM

I posted this after I got excited about the new Apple educational pricing with deffered interest loan, ect. BUT when I applied for the Apple loan (I know it is third party) it was at a rate of 27%. Yikes! I know I would be able to pre-pay, BUT I refuse to take any loan at 27% (I have excellent credit history, and I understand the risk/rate is associated with the fact that I have a low income and most of my money comes from financial aid), but still. I could use a credit card at 9.99% myself or take out a Stafford college loan at a really low rate.

All I'm saying is that I feel it is best for ME (and too each his/hers own, if you can afford a notebook, by all means do what you want), and right now, being in college, I don't see a reason for me to pile on that debt.

Besides I plan on publishing all my lecture notes for historical reference (just kidding, been watching the Paperchase lately).

Commodus · Jul 22, 2003, 09:10 PM

In December I was seriously debating whether or not I should get a PowerBook or an iBook, and back then I still had a term to go before I received my B.A. (which I now have - whee!). Obviously the laptop would only be immediately useful for half a term, but that's when I started considering the long term.

In my circumstance, I knew that I might need a laptop in the future (I'm contemplating going for my Master's or else going into the IT field) and that I might not be able to get an educational discount again. So, knowing that I could afford a PowerBook, I bought one. It (hopefully) wasn't crazy at all, just a serious decision.

I don't really regret the decision. While it would have been nice to get a 12" PowerBook and save some money, I'm not in dire straits or anything. In fact, I actually got a scholarship that unexpectedly offset some of the cost!

I wouldn't say that getting a USB keychain drive is a bad idea either, but there are definite benefits if you're looking at a laptop. You don't have to compete for a terminal in the library or computer lab; you can work when and where you want; you don't have to worry about dealing with guest logins and can listen to music on your own computer.