This guest post by MoneyCone is a part of Yakezie blog swap on 'Fun And Frugality'. You can view my post over at Money Cone.
Latte Sipping 'Frugal' Mac User!
I like to consider myself frugal. Most of what I buy usually reflects my frugality including my Mac.Wait...what?
Mac? Now I don't live in denial. A Windows PC *is* cheaper than a Mac, I do realize that. At the same time, I do love my Mac! Mac's are fun! (Plus, I get my dose of Windows at work!)
But how should I justify the premium one has to pay for a Mac?
I've purchased 3 Macs so far. Not at the same time though! Combined they cost quite a pocketful! But I've never paid more than 50% of the retail value of a Mac other than for my first Mac!
Here's how I save money on my Mac purchases.
- I skip the long lines at the Apple stores and instead buy from Amazon deferring taxes.
- Most Mac users recommend extended protection, I do have them, but I don't pay a penny! I use my credit card to double my coverage.
- My card provides 3% cash back on the purchase!
- I do memory upgrades myself by buying Memory modules online at a fraction of what Apple charges (I also run Windows on my Mac which requires more memory than what comes installed).
But how do I pay just 50% of the retail value? I never buy a newer Mac before selling my existing one! Mac's have a much better resale value and it's a cinch to sell on Amazon! I collect the cash (I've sold all my Macs at about 50-%60% of the purchase price), put in the rest 40% - 50% and get a new one!
Now, I'm not one of those who must have the latest and greatest gadget at all times! I had to upgrade my first Mac since Apple decided to move to different chip effectively rendering all new software unusable on newer Macs! (Usable actually, but slow)
The second upgrade was due to the nature of my work, I needed a slightly bigger screen. And I've been with this MacBook ever since and don't intend to upgrade unless some thing drastically changes!
About the latte sipping part? Does making your own latte count as being frugal?!
MoneyCone blogs about personal finance and investing on his HOWTO blog.
5 comments:
I believe making your own latte does count as being frugal.
Great tips on buying a Mac!
Thanks for the tips. I can't seem to convince my hubby that macs are worth the price.
I'm still trying to convince my coworker that Macs are cheaper. Especially when you factor in the resale value, it's undeniable.
@DIY: Thanks DIY!
@T: If you take good care of it, it is fairly easy to sell a Mac and definitely gets you good price. I've sold 2 Windows laptops and 2 Macs and I didn't have to wait for more than a week after listing the macs to get sold. The 2nd Windows laptop took 4 years! (I'm not kidding! It was listed forever on Amazon!).
@FSYA: I work with PCs and Macs. For same hardware, PCs are cheaper. But if you factor in the resale value, I believe Macs offer good value for money.
I use both and I agree. PCs are cheaper, but Macs hold their value better. Great tip on selling the first to upgrade to the next. I had a ton of ancient laptops just wasting away in the closet. I could have turned it around before they lost all their value.
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