My computer is now blazingly Fast! I am a very frugal individual when it comes to purchases, where I really weigh in on the value and impact a purchase has on my life, not just today – but going forward. The last 6 months to 1 year, my computer (aluminum Macbook I bought in 2008 – the first one to have a unibody aluminum casing, which I bought for less than half of what it cost when it first came (I did a few things to make this happen.. haha)) has been acting very slow when it came to multi-tasking. Multi-tasking activities such as: Word Document, Excel, iTunes and web browser – all open at the same time. I almost went and bought a new tablet or a new computer, but didn’t. This is where the Frugality of me comes into play. I began my thorough research on my Macbook. It has treated me so well since I bought it in October of 2008 – I know, almost 6 years and still going strong. Nothing was really wrong with it, I still have over 50gb of space free, the batter still lasts a very long time (1.5-2 hours easily), the screen is amazing and the no-virus mac has been phenomenal. To buy a tablet or a new laptop, I knew I would probably shell out between the $250-$500 mark on this item. I care a lot about what I can do on my computer – blogging, watching videos, listening to music, reading articles – that it is an extremely important piece to what I enjoy doing in my life, that I concluded – something had to be done. Something had to be done to ensure I can keep doing what I love to do, with my top 3 things: Blog about finance/frugality/investing, reading and music/videos. I had a decision to make, but similar to buying a dividend stock, I wanted to research and then see ALL of my options.
To my next point – I knew I only had 2GB of RAM in my computer. Apple specifies that you can only upgrade this current Macbook to 4GB of RAM. I thought – okay, I could double my RAM and then have better speeds in the multi-tasking realm. However, I came across a few articles. One article in particular caught my eye as it said “‘Secret’ Firmware lets late ’08 Macbook use 8GB“. I knew that I came to the right place. When reviewing the article, my Macbook in fact could hold this 8GB RAM kit – also known as – 4X the RAM that I currently had. From reviewing items at Amazon, I could have upgraded to 4GB for about $34.27. OR – I could take the chance and go for the “secret” 8GB bump for $72.99. I knew I had credit card perks for Amazon in the amount of $9.32, which would reduce this price.
Decision time. I had 3 options. I could spend an average of $375 on a new laptop/tablet that could do what I wanted to do and be happy with a device that would last me 3-5 years, at a minimum. I could upgrade to 4GB of RAM that would last a year or two and slightly bump the speed for $35. Lastly, I could go for the outside the box play and upgrade to 8GB of RAM, as it would be snappy as heck with the multi-tasking that I do, keep up to speed with new programs that come out and also extend the longevity even further than the 4gb update. Needless to say – I went with the 8GB. To me – this will last at least 3-5 more years with how snappy this feels. I truly can say that I don’t think I’ve ever felt something run so fast with different programs going on in the 6 years I’ve owned this Macbook. This falls inline with me saving money as part of me Aiming to Achieve a 60% Savings Rate as well, but not delving out hundreds of dollars on a NEW device.
Another pro – I don’t have another item/material thing in my house. In fact, I am going to sell my previous 2GB of RAM online to someone who needs it. Therefore, this further reduces the cost of my purchase and I can move older items out of my space. With the way we are as individuals in Society, once we are “done” with something, “tired” of it or the world says its “outdated” – we rush to buy the “next” hot item or big thing, only to continue the cycle again… and again… and again – I think you see my point. Something as small as this item/purchase goes even further – when you go to purchase something ask – do you NEED it, is it a WANT out of life than a need? Will this impact you for 30 seconds or for years and years to come? Have you outweighed all options? If you can say that something you are about to buy truly means something to you, will impact your quality of life for a long period of time and it is truly the best value option in your decision, then you have done your homework or more homework than we typically do on average. Personally – I am done buying one time one minute satisfaction items. Experiences and increasing the quality of our self being so that it positively impacts others is what I’m after. How about you, the readers? Come across anything similar to this? Are you making the right purchase decisions to improve your quality of life? Would love to hear from you, thanks for stopping by and talk soon!
-Lanny B