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No, seriously how can you afford a brand new iMac?
- Thread starter clamchowderz
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Buy £1249 21" iMac on credit card.
Sell existing 20" for £500.
Pay off £749 over the next year or so.
Sell existing 20" for £500.
Pay off £749 over the next year or so.
I'm a professional engineer married to a doctor. We own our own home, have no debts and no children. We both spend a lot of time in front of our computers so may as well have ones we enjoy using.
I tend to get about 3 years from a computer though, so it's not as though I'm buying one every time a new model appears, but when I buy a new one I tend to go for the current top model. That way, after 3 years when they get passed on to younger family members they hopefully still have a few more years of decent service left in them.
I can understand where some of the posts from students are coming from though and can remember college years being a lot of fun on not much money. It's also about priorities; for a fair few years my computers were worth more than the cars I was driving.
I tend to get about 3 years from a computer though, so it's not as though I'm buying one every time a new model appears, but when I buy a new one I tend to go for the current top model. That way, after 3 years when they get passed on to younger family members they hopefully still have a few more years of decent service left in them.
I can understand where some of the posts from students are coming from though and can remember college years being a lot of fun on not much money. It's also about priorities; for a fair few years my computers were worth more than the cars I was driving.
This is what I tell my wife...
I just use the $3500 I saved by not buying a Pro tower... So it really makes it FREE to go iMac.
Ok, so I am half kidding... But seriously I used to spend around $7000 when I updated my primary workstation. Since I switched to an iMac, I have got that in half. Going to spend about $3500 for an i7 in about a month.
Cheers, Michael
I just use the $3500 I saved by not buying a Pro tower... So it really makes it FREE to go iMac.
Ok, so I am half kidding... But seriously I used to spend around $7000 when I updated my primary workstation. Since I switched to an iMac, I have got that in half. Going to spend about $3500 for an i7 in about a month.
Cheers, Michael
When I was a student we weren't even interested in having an expensive computer. Computers meant you had to be in the house to use them.
Happy hours, general mischief and the gorgeous Italian girl (that no one ever managed to score with) was the most important thing for the first 2 years.
Then it was the panic to get work experience on the CV and attending a lot of poncy gigs to network in year 3.
Happy hours, general mischief and the gorgeous Italian girl (that no one ever managed to score with) was the most important thing for the first 2 years.
Then it was the panic to get work experience on the CV and attending a lot of poncy gigs to network in year 3.
So none of you were closet gays who weren't admitting it yet? The guys that caught the Impossible Girls back in my day have all since come out
So none of you were closet gays who weren't admitting it yet? The guys that caught the Impossible Girls back in my day have all since come out
Maybe that's how it all works - you get to sleep with a 10 but you have to make out with your same sex for the rest of your life
A full-blown i7 iMac with SSD is about $3500 out the door right? Why does a student need a $3500 computer?
I'm 42 and make my living with computers, I could afford a new i7 iMac easily. But I'm not going to buy one. The $1800 model will do the same exact job I need it to.
Most people don't buy the most expensive model, they buy the one that will do the job. Or one would think. Apple's profits rose 77% last quarter, that money had to come from somewhere.
I'm 42 and make my living with computers, I could afford a new i7 iMac easily. But I'm not going to buy one. The $1800 model will do the same exact job I need it to.
Most people don't buy the most expensive model, they buy the one that will do the job. Or one would think. Apple's profits rose 77% last quarter, that money had to come from somewhere.
Here is a true story of where the money for my i7 iMac came from.....
I purchased a Vespa in 2001. Cost $130 a month until loan was paid. Traded Vespa in 2007 for a Canon XL2 camcorder ($2500 camera). Sold XL2 in Sept. 2009 for $2000 on Craigslist. The last $500 I earned by selling video games, rare LPs, and software on Ebay.
I am constantly flipping the things I own to help me buy new tech/gear/toys. When you make a modest income you have to be creative.
I purchased a Vespa in 2001. Cost $130 a month until loan was paid. Traded Vespa in 2007 for a Canon XL2 camcorder ($2500 camera). Sold XL2 in Sept. 2009 for $2000 on Craigslist. The last $500 I earned by selling video games, rare LPs, and software on Ebay.
I am constantly flipping the things I own to help me buy new tech/gear/toys. When you make a modest income you have to be creative.
No offence, but just because someone is a student, why does that automatically mean they only need a certain computer?
What if asides from their college work they also have a keen interest in video/photo editing, graphic design or music creation/production etc that requires a powerful machine with a large screen?
Seems a bit silly to assume what someone does or does not need, purely based on the fact they are student.
I think its because when you use your computer for work/professional purposes, the extra money is worth it because you will use your machine to earn money anyway (and the faster the machine, presumably the faster you earn it back because you save time on each project). Time is money.
Also, in professional environments you deal with tight deadlines, so saving 30% to 50% on encoding time for a video (which for larger projects could mean hours) could mean the difference between keeping your boss or clients happy and losing your job/client/money.
When you are a student, you usually do not have mission critical projects, and waiting 35 minutes for a video to encode versus 25 minutes is usually not that big a deal. Also, as a student you usually have a lot of other expenses, so saving a few hundred or thousand bucks on your equipment helps you pay your tuition, books, credit cards, etc.
Its not to say that a student couldn't use the best equipment available, cause I am sure it certainly is better/more fun/etc. to do so, but that a student doesn't NEED it as badly as a professional user who uses that equipment to actually make their living. (Much like a new driver could definitely have fun driving a BMW, but usually an entry level car will suffice for learning how to drive.)
Work & save, seriously
...and living within my means. Yep, sounds crazy, but saving money really does pay off
A new computer might mean I have to forego some other luxuries, but I do the best I can.Oh... Lots of things:
1) Budgeting. When the year starts I know exactly how much money I can spend on computers and gadgets. For me that's about $2k so for the 27" iMac I need to sell some stuff (20" iMac, first gen 17" MBP) which should raise about $1k and make the numbers work. (already bought an iPad this year, -$500) That leaves me with enough for an SSD or a white iPhone 4 if Apple ever manages to ship them.
2) Selling your old stuff while it still has value is very important. There's a pretty quick drop off from say 75% original price to 50% original price. With Macs they tend to hover around 40-50% for quite a while. I sold an original white MacBook last year for $450.
3) Watch out for avoidable expenses. Change your own oil, buy stuff you use a lot in bulk, don't order the most expensive stuff on the menu, avoid stupid fee's and charges with your bank/credit card/etc, be good to the stuff you own so it lasts, slow down a little big on the highway to get better gas milage, etc, etc. All this stuff really adds up by the end of the year.
4) Don't get too many expensive hobbies. Computers/gadgets are my big one. Everything else I enjoy is comparatively cheap.
5) Don't pay for cable/satellite TV. You can save $1-2k a year on this usually. You're not missing much.
6) Develop an enjoyment of water. It's cheap (or free) and healthy. $1-2 worth of unhealthy drinks a day really adds up by the end of the year. (again, buy in bulk if you must)
7) Don't turn down a free meal.
8) Get drunk before you go out. (major savings here)
9) Don't have kids (seriously)
10) Old news papers and magazines can replace expensive toilet paper. It really adds up. (alright that one is a joke)
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Like most of you I am enamored with the new iMacs. I'm eyeing the i7 27-inch with SSD+HD Combo.
Which brings me to my question; where do you get the money to pay for these machines?
I am a student, so I dont have much money. I dont own a credit card and work approx. 20 hours a week @ $35 an hour. I live with my girlfriend and have the regular bills to pay. Rent is a modest $550 a month.
So, how do you do it? How can you afford to drop 2g's and still survive?
Maybe I am young and naive but I would really like to know how you can afford one these bad boys
Cheers!
Sounds likey you are in a big city [35 clams an hour...] Maybe have the little lady dance the kooch a few nights a week... I-MAC by labor day!
How can I afford it? Well, I have a job, natch. But I also don't spend money on things a lot of people just take as normal expenditures.
I don't drink coffee, so I don't get a $5 Starbucks every day. I don't smoke so no $8/day habit. That's like $3-4K a year, there's your new Mac! I don't have cable, which is around $1000/year. I don't have a cell phone (the horror!) so that's another $1k or so a year. I find my disposable income can cover larger expenditures without any financial burden.
You'd be surprised how much the little things you spend on everyday add up in a year.
I don't drink coffee, so I don't get a $5 Starbucks every day. I don't smoke so no $8/day habit. That's like $3-4K a year, there's your new Mac! I don't have cable, which is around $1000/year. I don't have a cell phone (the horror!) so that's another $1k or so a year. I find my disposable income can cover larger expenditures without any financial burden.
You'd be surprised how much the little things you spend on everyday add up in a year.
How do you survive????
You mean you can live without a cell phone... I didn't think a 13 yr old could live without one today.
If you don't have a cell phone, how are you supposed to text people while driving?! Weird!
But tyche is right, the little things do make a big difference. The same people who who debate if they should spend an extra $100 on a better graphics card or more RAM on their mac and act as if its a major decision will not even blink an eye as they spend $20 on a trip to the movies, $30 on dinner with friends, $50 on booze for a party, etc.
But tyche is right, the little things do make a big difference. The same people who who debate if they should spend an extra $100 on a better graphics card or more RAM on their mac and act as if its a major decision will not even blink an eye as they spend $20 on a trip to the movies, $30 on dinner with friends, $50 on booze for a party, etc.
If you don't have a cell phone, how are you supposed to text people while driving?! Weird!
But tyche is right, the little things do make a big difference. The same people who who debate if they should spend an extra $100 on a better graphics card or more RAM on their mac and act as if its a major decision will not even blink an eye as they spend $20 on a trip to the movies, $30 on dinner with friends, $50 on booze for a party, etc.
Well duh... dinner with friends and booze for parties are mandatory living expenses! Video cards are luxuries.