Update on computer woes
Took my laptop to the Mac store this week, to check out what is wrong with it. They came back the next day and said that the logic board was bad. They said my files were fine, but the logic board is basically what makes the computer work. They said they could replace it for $730.
Apparently a bad logic board is like a terminal illness/death sentence. My laptop might continue to function for email/essay writing/basic web browsing for who knows how long. Or, more and more functions will suddenly stop working, until it no longer functions at all. Or, tomorrow it might just never turn on again.
So here's the thing. I have an emergency fund that I am basically not allowed to touch, except to add to it (generally, I can only afford to do that at xmas, birthdays and when I get bursaries). When my fridge broke and I had to buy a new one, that's where I got the money to do that. otherwise, there would be no way I could ever have afforded to replace it. Right now, thanks to xmas and that $500 bursary I got, I have about $2100 in there.
My idea was to spend it all... and somehow find a few hundered more dollars. I've looked at dells and Macs, and basically the ones that I want come in around $2300, plus taxes. These aren't top of the line by any means, but what I consider good and awesome enough to buy.
My dad thinks its a bad idea to wipe my emergency fund clean. He suggests paying them the $730 to fix it, OR going to staples or future shop and buying a new PC -- he believes I can get one for about $750. Even though when he got his over xmas with the same idea in mind, it ended up costing double that with all the additions, warrenties, better moniter and taxes. His idea is to spend as little as possible and just get something that will work OK for now, and then in a few years time buy a better computer.
My thinking is that it's a waste of money to buy a so-so computer just to have to get another one in 2-3 years. As for my laptop, the disk drive doesn't work (they told me it would be $500 to replace it), the track pad often doesn't work, the processor, ram and disk space are minimal bordering on unacceptable (for today's world - 5 years ago, for a laptop, they seemed pretty awesome). If I tried to fix/update everything, it would probably cost as much (or more) as the new computers I want to buy.
Anyway, my dad does make a good, practical point. If something else were to go wrong (since I am kinda a home owner), I'd be in trouble. Am I too greedy, since I've been drooling over new computers for the last year, even before my current troubles? I did the exact same thing when I got my laptop 5 years ago. I got the best one I could afford and wiped all my accounts clean. So the money I have now has taken all this time to save up.
What should I do? Blow everything (and then some) on a luscious, fabulous new computer? Buy a new computer, but just a cheapy one on sale somewhere? Pay the $730 and keep my poor laptop for a few more years? Arg, I just don't know! :(
Any advice appreciated. For now I'm not doing anything and just thinking. Hopefully so long as I can still use my computer for basic functions, I won't *need* to do anything immediately.
Apparently a bad logic board is like a terminal illness/death sentence. My laptop might continue to function for email/essay writing/basic web browsing for who knows how long. Or, more and more functions will suddenly stop working, until it no longer functions at all. Or, tomorrow it might just never turn on again.
So here's the thing. I have an emergency fund that I am basically not allowed to touch, except to add to it (generally, I can only afford to do that at xmas, birthdays and when I get bursaries). When my fridge broke and I had to buy a new one, that's where I got the money to do that. otherwise, there would be no way I could ever have afforded to replace it. Right now, thanks to xmas and that $500 bursary I got, I have about $2100 in there.
My idea was to spend it all... and somehow find a few hundered more dollars. I've looked at dells and Macs, and basically the ones that I want come in around $2300, plus taxes. These aren't top of the line by any means, but what I consider good and awesome enough to buy.
My dad thinks its a bad idea to wipe my emergency fund clean. He suggests paying them the $730 to fix it, OR going to staples or future shop and buying a new PC -- he believes I can get one for about $750. Even though when he got his over xmas with the same idea in mind, it ended up costing double that with all the additions, warrenties, better moniter and taxes. His idea is to spend as little as possible and just get something that will work OK for now, and then in a few years time buy a better computer.
My thinking is that it's a waste of money to buy a so-so computer just to have to get another one in 2-3 years. As for my laptop, the disk drive doesn't work (they told me it would be $500 to replace it), the track pad often doesn't work, the processor, ram and disk space are minimal bordering on unacceptable (for today's world - 5 years ago, for a laptop, they seemed pretty awesome). If I tried to fix/update everything, it would probably cost as much (or more) as the new computers I want to buy.
Anyway, my dad does make a good, practical point. If something else were to go wrong (since I am kinda a home owner), I'd be in trouble. Am I too greedy, since I've been drooling over new computers for the last year, even before my current troubles? I did the exact same thing when I got my laptop 5 years ago. I got the best one I could afford and wiped all my accounts clean. So the money I have now has taken all this time to save up.
What should I do? Blow everything (and then some) on a luscious, fabulous new computer? Buy a new computer, but just a cheapy one on sale somewhere? Pay the $730 and keep my poor laptop for a few more years? Arg, I just don't know! :(
Any advice appreciated. For now I'm not doing anything and just thinking. Hopefully so long as I can still use my computer for basic functions, I won't *need* to do anything immediately.