If you're in a similar position to where Mrs. Corn Fed and I are, you're probably recently removed from college (say, in the last 10 years) and have been chugging along with the computer you bought during college. If you're a little bit better off, maybe you're chugging along with the computer you bought when you got your first job and your "big" adult paychecks.
Which brings me to my next point: your computer is getting old. Isn't it?
Our was. It was definitely getting long in the tooth.
Most people's reaction to this situation would be to make due with what you have, or to buy a new computer. These were totally our first thoughts. But, they weren't what we decided.
So, why don't you need a new computer?
Reason 1: Your smartphone.
How often do you use your home computer these days? Not often, most likely. Email? Phone. Facebook? Phone. Youtube? Phone.
You might even have a tablet in the house. Now you can watch your Netflix, have a bigger screen for email or other word processing. You don't need to pay for Office on any device, anyway!
Reason 2: You can upgrade. (More than likely.)
Do what we did and spend only 1/10th the cost of a new computer and upgrade your old one! You can make your computer like new without hitting your wallet too hard.
Reason 3: Clean up your computer.
If you've had your computer as long as we did, there is probably a lot of photos, resumes, programs, and other files clogging the hard drive. Back up your files. Then clean your computer up, start from scratch. Erase your hard drives, reinstall your Operating System, and load your files back on the computer.
Now, all that is obviously easier said than done, especially since this is a finance blog and not a tech blog. So, I took the liberty of compiling the best resources on "starting over" for both Windows and Mac computers.
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MAC:
OS X: How to erase and install (Apple Support)
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard: How to Erase and Install (Apple Support)
OS X Yosemite: Erase and reinstall OS X (Apple Support)
OS X Mavericks: Erase and reinstall OS X (Apple Support)
OS X Mountain Lion: Erase and reinstall OS X (Apple Support)
OS X Lion: Erase and reinstall Mac OS X (Apple Support)
WINDOWS:
Stop Trying to Clean Your Infected Computer! Just Nuke it and Reinstall Windows (How-to Geek)
Installing and reinstalling Windows 7 (Microsoft Support)
Stop Trying to Clean Your Infected Computer! Just Nuke it and Reinstall Windows (How-to Geek)
Installing and reinstalling Windows 7 (Microsoft Support)
How to perform a clean installation of Windows 8 (Microsoft Support)
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Most libraries these days are the technological battle fronts in our communities. They offer Internet access, free computers to use, and our local library even offers tablets to families to borrow!
Yes, it stinks if the library is not convenient for your family, and even more, it stinks that you would need to make a family trip any time you need to use the computer.
But, if you are in a place where you absolutely can't afford a new computer, your local library is probably a good bet.
Make the choice that's right for you and your family.
I'm certainly not advocating NOT getting a new computer if you need/want a new computer. These are merely the same roads that Mrs. Corn Fed and I traveled down when we had to make this decision recently. By not buying a new computer, we saved ourselves over $2000 and a bunch of headaches. Not buying a new computer focused our energies and attention on what truly mattered in our computing lives, and not "wanting" the latest and greatest that we didn't need, or more importantly, couldn't afford.
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Reason 4: This is the more drastic route, but it's possible. The library.
Most libraries these days are the technological battle fronts in our communities. They offer Internet access, free computers to use, and our local library even offers tablets to families to borrow!
Yes, it stinks if the library is not convenient for your family, and even more, it stinks that you would need to make a family trip any time you need to use the computer.
But, if you are in a place where you absolutely can't afford a new computer, your local library is probably a good bet.
Make the choice that's right for you and your family.
I'm certainly not advocating NOT getting a new computer if you need/want a new computer. These are merely the same roads that Mrs. Corn Fed and I traveled down when we had to make this decision recently. By not buying a new computer, we saved ourselves over $2000 and a bunch of headaches. Not buying a new computer focused our energies and attention on what truly mattered in our computing lives, and not "wanting" the latest and greatest that we didn't need, or more importantly, couldn't afford.
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