A recent article on The Simple Dollar discussed an issue dear to my heart: computers. Specifically, the author discusses various ways to fix up your computer in order to rescue it from the slow, lethargic death that many PCs seem to go through. You can find the article here: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2011/01/11/you-dont-need-a-new-computer/

I wish I had thought of the article, of course. Computers, technology, those are the sorts of things that intrigue and fascinate me. I spent 4 years in college doing a work study at the Tech services center in my school. I find I’m on my computer nearly all the time, and so, as a result, I’ve tended to pick up habits and knowledge for keeping it in tip-top shape. Of course, the better you take care of your computer in the first place, the less you have to do later to rescue it. I’m actually rather forgetful on running my virus scan. However, when I do, it turns up nothing, because I don’t do risky, dangerous stuff in the first place (still, I should run it, because you can get infected even when you’re being safe).

Anyways, the point of all of this is that with proper maintenance and effort on your part, you can avoid dumping all sorts of money into a new computer by simply doing the proper things to your current one. Even when hardware becomes an issue, PCs are remarkably interchangeable and you can plug in quite a few things to help out its speed or get it up to par for that latest program you’ve been wanting to use. It’s about the little things. Little things save you money. Spending a couple hundred to keep your current computer up to the current standard is significantly cheaper and more efficient than spending over a thousand dollars on a brand new computer. This doesn’t mean that getting a new computer is always bad, but the choice must be tempered by a thoughtful decision over whether or not it remains cost-effective. At some point the majority of its parts will run out and then maybe getting a new one is in your best interest.

This sort of thinking carries over well into other areas of life, and perhaps a future blog will aim at a specific topic to help you save money by looking at a common item that we put money into replacing when we could put less money into fixing it. I often mention my father, and for good reason, he’s an excellent role model for how one can save money. My father rarely hired someone to do something he could do. Oil change? He did them himself. He repairs and maintains his cars, something that might be a bit beyond most of us, but simple things like oil changes are something that all of us can do and save a bit of money in doing so.

When my brother and I would fight and punch holes in the walls, he fixed them. If something required a bit more than he had, such as steam cleaning the rugs, he’d rent a steam cleaner himself and do it, rather than hiring a crew of professionals to come in. Over the course of the two decades that I’ve been alive and seen him do such things I know he has likely saved thousands, possibly tens of thousands, by simply being handier and doing things himself.

The point? Buying new to replace the old isn’t always the best solution. Taking the time to learn how to fix things, maintain them, and keep them lasting longer will save you more money in the long-run than almost anything else.