technology upgrade

[Amys1st]

Being frugal minded, we use our technology until it literally melts in our hands (well not really) but we use it until it breaks.

We are in need of upgrades for:

The laptop I am typing on is 4 years old and it looks like its 10 yrs old. We are looking into a new laptop and this one will be for our girls to use for webkinz, nickjr,com etc. Or "typing" as dd2 likes to do.

music storage- ipod, etc. We already use itunes to manage music but also still use our 10 plus year cd player. cds stored in binders so that dosent take up space. But cd player is on last leg so time for ipods.

-tv viewing. Time for the flat screen on the wall. Our current tv is from 1997 but works fine. We will not have a huge screen just like the one we have now is not huge. The one and only and when we buy our new tv, the old one will be freecycled or given to a school to take apart etc. The problem we are having with the old tv= lots of programming such as pbs and sports is all done in wide format. It drove us nuts during the olympics. Its time and it also makes better sense in our layout if the tv is up on the wall, creating space etc.

cell phones. DH will need a black berry with his new work, so will be reimbursed. We would love to do att for the better selection of phones such as iphone, but the service in this area is lousy. My phone is up from contract next month and dh is up for a free phone. So is it worth it to have a data package?

We do upgrades on things every 2-4 years so for about 6 months every few years, we are state of the art LOL. Then it works and we keep it until its time.

We are wondering if we should check out other options for tv viewing as well.

So give me some ideas...

[FillingMyQuiver]

I have no suggestions right now just commiseration about making these decisions. This past Black Friday we finally bought a new laptop to replace our 7yo Dell. Dh was holding out for Windows 7 b/c he REFUSED to get Vista.

We made the decision that it wasn't worth it for us to have data packages for our cell phones. DH likes having the excuse that he can't check his email while we're out and about, and quite honestly, I spend so much time at home, I don't have any "need" for a data package.

[K1329]

Check for better rates through your dh's employer, or service discounts. We get 12% discount on our cell plan and also got a price on a Dell that we couldn't beat elsewhere.

[Drummer's Wife]

What about a netbook? It's what I use 90% of the time (I have a 10" Acer Aspire One), and I love it. Much more portable, and cheaper than a full-size laptop (I had a 17" old one that was heavy!).

I have an iphone that I love, but since you can't do at&t, what about a Android for your DH? Mine just got one, and it seems (to me) to be better than a blackberry.

We have a Sony Bravia LCD TV that we are happy with - about to get another one for upstairs, but smaller. We don't have cable TV (or even PBS anymore), but get a few broadcast channels and rely on Netflix and the internet for everything else. IME, once something has aired (and even during if you can stream live), someone, somewhere, uploads it to the world wide web - so we have no problem finding our favorite shows/movies, as long as we can wait until the next day. If you get a netbook (or new laptop) you can connect that way (or if you have a wii, netflix is coming very soon to it).

Ipods - your DH can keep music on his new phone, but if you want something compatible with itunes get a nano, shuffle, etc. Or an ipod touch if you can swing it. Super cool, and comparable to an iphone.

[amyamanda]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

What about a netbook? It's what I use 90% of the time (I have a 10" Acer Aspire One), and I love it. Much more portable, and cheaper than a full-size laptop (I had a 17" old one that was heavy!)

Just another perspective on this: I use a desktop and DH uses a laptop, and I will need a laptop for working while traveling this summer. I was considering buying a netbook because they are cheaper, but DH and I decided to buy a full-featured laptop instead, so that it can be used as a backup computer if/when ours need repairs. We both rely on home Internet access for our jobs. I was able to get a full-featured one for a lot less than I expected - prices are relatively low right now. And they're not as heavy as they used to be. I guess it depends on what it will be used for. I was surprised to find myself going in this direction after I had assumed I would buy a netbook to save money, but I think in our case this will be the more frugal choice overall.

[EmsMom]

I am in the same boat. Except for the tv. Mine is fine for now. I will wait until i can get the flat screens at yard sale prices.... I bought a new laptop for grad school. but I don't llike my kids to use it so I really need a new desk top and a wireless printer. The music situation is a problem, too. I have a cd player but my cat ate the antenna wire so I don't get my favorite radio station. I decided to get a reconditioned ipod touch so it could pick up the wireless connection to my radio station that streams. I am waiting, though, until I have enough points on my credit card to get a $100 gift card. Then I will get one so I can check e-mail while at school, listen to my radio station, and store music on it. And no mnthly fee. When my cable deal is up (phone, internet and cable were bundled) - I will go down to basic cable and when my cell contract is up I am going prepaid. Just don't use it enough to make it worth the $$, even though I have a very cheap. Probably buy a new desk top comuter with a large flat monitor at the end of the summer.

[FillingMyQuiver]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

What about a netbook? It's what I use 90% of the time (I have a 10" Acer Aspire One), and I love it. Much more portable, and cheaper than a full-size laptop (I had a 17" old one that was heavy!).

FYI~ There was a reliability study done by SquareTrade (a warranty company) that found 1 in 3 laptops fail in the first 3 yrs and netbooks have a projected 20% higher failure rate than standard laptops. Also, Asus, Toshiba, and Sony were the most reliable, while Acer, Gateway, and HP rated the worst.

Here's a link to it:
http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/S...ility_1109.pdf

Like I said, we kept our old laptop for 7yrs before upgrading, and DH still uses it, just not as our main computer, so reliability over the long term was important to us. We went w/ a Sony VAIO that DH customized.

[orangecanoe]

Well being that this is posted in F&F, my suggestions are skewed in that direction. If the laptop will be for the kids, I would consider getting a netbook. I've had one for more than a year and expect to get another couple years out of it. It is mainly for my oldest, but she shares it with her younger sibs for approved kid sites. Do you and your husband *need* it to be a laptop? I'm much more impressed with the reliability of my desktop and prefer a huge monitor.

I wish At&t had better service in your area. I love that mine functions as an ipod and the bill is $88/mo whereas my husbands verizion w/ data plan/wifi card is over a hundred. I use internet on my iphone a lot more than I thought I would (email, twitter, reading blogs, etc...not to mention finding myself w/ the maps/gps when I get lost!) You mentioned wanting music storage---would an itouch be an option if you have wifi set up at home?

As for the tv? I would wait if your other is functioning just fine. I would plan ahead and keep an eye on prices/specials during the next holiday season and budget/save so you can pay cash for it.

[Selesai]

1. The Laptop. Personally, I despise Dells. But unless your laptop is not reliability functional, I bet it's fine for the kids. I have a piece of junk dell that I let my son play on, and that's fine, because I don't cringe when it gets banged on, or drawn on (thanks to the little one), etc. But if you are going to buy something new, I think the PPs are right about a netbook, unless you can find a laptop for a comparable price. I would think that you can buy the cheapest laptop available and be fine, given the use.

2. I would just get an Ipod of some sort and call it a day.

3. TVs. I am really cheap when it comes to tVs. We have one that is 13 years old and we considered replacing it with a wall-mounted flat screen, but they are just so expensive. For the price for which we could get a 40 inch wall-mounted, we got a 61 inch big screen for the basement. It is not that deep (not like an older TV) and while I thought it was kind of obscene at first, now I really like it. So, I guess I just think the wall-mounted thing is overrated.

4. I have data for work. I don't think it's necessary if you don't need it for work. Also, be aware of whether your DH can choose something besides a blackberry. Even though there are many other types of smartphones out there, some employers only support blackberries because of the additional security measures incorporated into their email systems, etc. I know my work won't let me use my iphone for email. The other thing is, most places now require you to pay for data if you have a smartphone. So, if you buy one and then wish to remove the data services without having to buy a new device, you may not be able to. Just be aware of it.

I don't know if that was helpful... just my two cents. Hope you and the fam are well, Amy!

[Amys1st]

Selesai- back at ya!

Laptop- we have a dell inspirin (?) bought 4 years ago this spring to replace our desktop. DH uses our old hard drive at work. He sees patients all day so he is in his office office maybe 2 hours total during the day. So he uses our old pc for making appts checking email etc or writing up reports. Most of his charts still have to be hand written.

Our laptop is worn down, old and the hinges are falling off. So we are shopping for a new one mainly in case this crashes out. Also, as the kids get older they use the pc, so the one we have now will be the kids pc and like others said, it can be bumped around etc. We are happy the price of laptops have come down over the last few years because we will end up paying 1/3 to 1/2 the price of this one. I would prefer a smaller laptop than this one, so we shall see.


After reading what everyone has posted and thinking, I personally do not need data but DH (who might be changing jobs) would be working in a different scene. He is a partner now and might be going with another group to help them start up in our area. The new office would be much smaller for at least 6-12 mos as he builds up the practice so data would be necessary on his phone since that would be scheduling etc but he would also have a smaller laptop on their network. Most of the data packages are $30 and $10 the basic $10 is for like checking fb etc. He would of course need the $30 one for what he would be doing. I mainly use my phone as a phone, a camera when needed and texting as well as some songs.

As far as tv, our old version is fine for now. But for the way the room would be laid out, we would need it mounted on the wall since we have a smaller space we are working with. So as we get ready to add new furniture etc, we might buy the tv then and that could take longer so the prices would be even better.

We have att in our area, but where I live I noticed the service is spotty for many. I would prefer to just be able to get the itunes from there as well and buy a smaller ipod for our music for the kids. Right now, we are thinking the nano because it can hold all our music and home movies etc.

It seems we do a tech upgrade every 3-4 years or so and then we are cool techies for about 6 mos because we have all new stuff LOL and then use it until it dies or something easier comes along. And repeat!

[nadia105]

We recently upgraded everything you listed except the phones (we only need pay as you go phones) and I am so glad we did!

We have a 5 yo Dell Inspiron that wqas so slow it took over half an hour to get onto the internet (with high speed internet!) that we just upgraded to a new toshiba laptop http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...sSKU-_-NA-_-NA (watch for sales places, we got one at office max for $549) and we love it!

We just got ipods a couple months ago and can't believe we waited so long, they are wonderful. I have a touch which has all the extra stuff like wifi (comes in handy for all the places that have it freeand Dh has a nano b/c it is smaller and more streamlined for exercising. We are using more of our music more often and preserving some of it, b/c some of Dh's CDs are getting old and not playing as well.

We did get a new tv (the first one we ever bought, we have always had hand me downs before) and are happy with that as well. We got this:
http://www.amazon.com/LG-32LH30-32-I...9299785&sr=8-1 . It is working great for us, but we didn't want anything huge and didn't want to spend any more than that. I think it will use way less energy that our 25 yo set did, it is an energy star model. Plus, the picture difference is incredible!

We have thought about making these purchases for a long time, but the timing worked out for us to do it now. We are set for years on the tech front now!

[swd12422]

I'm not much help... DH wants a flat screen for the bedroom (mostly b/c he wants to put the living room TV in a cabinet but it's too big, so we'd move that to the bedroom and get a smaller one for the living room). Not only do I want to get rid of cable altogether, I do NOT see the point in spending hundreds of dollars on a new TV just so we can rearrange the living room.

Cell phones: We both have basic pay-as-you-go Virgin Mobile. It's cheap, and it's the best service we've ever had. DH used to have Verizon, I had Sprint. We had zero service here at the house, and spotty around town. I've never had a reception issue with Virgin, and our phones cost $40 each. No camera, just talk and text. That's all I *need*.

iPod - never used it, sold it at our last garage sale. I don't see the point in them. (Which I find funny, since I was never w/o my iPod/Walkman when I commuted to work.) Now we just borrow CDs from the library and have a CD changer in the car. If we listened more at home, I'd just use iTunes and the computer speakers.

As for the laptop, we got a netbook. I didn't see the point, since we have a decent desktop and I only get online during the day. But DH wanted one, so... We have one and I use it ALL THE TIME. <insert sheepish grin here> I think it's a great alternative to a full-blown laptop, esp if you're just using it to surf.

[Amys1st]

So today, found out we need a new transmission for our car.

So one of the hard things of using things for a long while, when they break its costly! LOL But we figure we had 5 years of no car payments and just wear and tear upkeep so we knew this was coming.

SO....

I will keep up my research on this type of stuff and after we get thru the icky month of the transmission, then I can think of it.

And as usual, you mamas are the best for your input!

[swd12422]

I'm sorry to hear about the car! Seems like just when you decide it's okay to spend a little (or a lot) something even bigger takes priority.

It's a little late now, but maybe this will help someone else...

My dad always told me to always have a car payment in my budget.... And to only pay cash for a car. IOW, if you don't currently have a car loan, you should be making "car payments" to your savings account right now. That way, when something happens to your transmission (the biggie) or you total your car, you can buy another one without having to pay interest on a loan. Not only that, but you've been earning interest on the "payments" you've been making over the months/years.

Obviously, for those of us (myself included) who have newer cars and are paying loans, this can be difficult. So the goal is to pay off the loan ASAP and then keep/maintain the car for at least 5 years, and continue to make the payments on it to your savings. Then if the car dies, you've got 5 years' worth of car payments in the bank to use.

I don't know if this is what most people here do, but I don't know anyone IRL who does this! (I did when I was single... DH has changed some things...)

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by swd12422

I'm sorry to hear about the car! Seems like just when you decide it's okay to spend a little (or a lot) something even bigger takes priority.

It's a little late now, but maybe this will help someone else...

My dad always told me to always have a car payment in my budget.... And to only pay cash for a car. IOW, if you don't currently have a car loan, you should be making "car payments" to your savings account right now. That way, when something happens to your transmission (the biggie) or you total your car, you can buy another one without having to pay interest on a loan. Not only that, but you've been earning interest on the "payments" you've been making over the months/years.

Obviously, for those of us (myself included) who have newer cars and are paying loans, this can be difficult. So the goal is to pay off the loan ASAP and then keep/maintain the car for at least 5 years, and continue to make the payments on it to your savings. Then if the car dies, you've got 5 years' worth of car payments in the bank to use.

I don't know if this is what most people here do, but I don't know anyone IRL who does this! (I did when I was single... DH has changed some things...)

All good advice. We actaully also do this, but even so, it will make things tight for a month because we do not carry debt, so we pay things off. I hate spending months paying off yesterday.

But yes! There is always something that can take your money such as this. We havent had a big thing like this come up in a while, since 2 plus years ago when we needed a new furnace. So we were waiting for it. LOL

[HappyMonkey]

I bought our last Dell laptop on ebay... it was three months old and about 1/3 of the new cost. It is as new. Just wanted to mention you don't need to buy new.

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by HappyMonkey

I bought our last Dell laptop on ebay... it was three months old and about 1/3 of the new cost. It is as new. Just wanted to mention you don't need to buy new.

I will look into this as well.

[A&A]

If you have a Costco membership, that's a great place to get a good deal on a flat screen TV.