This year, I’m saving money in every way possible. I have some big financial goals that I’m working toward this year, such as a new car and a vacation. The reason for some of these expenses is my daughter – she’s approaching driving age. (Sorry, kiddo, I’ll be driving the new car.) Despite all my attempts at cutting back on expenses, I’m going to have to buy my daughter a new laptop since her old one stopped working.
Doing the market research
I’ve been looking doing a little market research and I’ve come to the conclusion that the best, most cost effective laptop is going to be one that can handle all her downloading and movie streaming. Otherwise, as is the case now, she’ll be using mine all the time. I checked out different products and reviews, and found a few decently priced laptops. The one I decided on isn’t from a brand I’m familiar with.
Deciding on the best laptop purchase
I’ve decided to go with a Netbook: specifically, the Asus Special Edition 1015PX PC from Walmart.com. It’s got a cute design on it, and it’s available for less than $300 if we don’t get the DVD drive upgrade. It’ll only cost an additional $35.00 if we do add that extra. The package deal comes with a cooling mat, a designer mouse and a carrying case that’s available in your choice of 9 different colors. From the reviews, it appeared that customers tend to be happy with this product.
Saving up for the new Netbook
Though I’ve already thinned my budget recently, there a few places where I can still cut out more non-essentials. If we buy any clothes during the first quarter of 2012, they’ll most likely be coming from Goodwill. We’ll be switching to store brands across the board temporarily when we go grocery shopping. I’ll be giving my daughter more jobs around the house to earn money, which will free up more of my spare time so that I can write more often. We’ll also be more diligent in our recycling efforts–over time, these things add up.Combining different earning and saving strategies means it shouldn’t take long to save up for this purchase.
In order to still meet my other financial goals, I’m temporarily going to have to make some new budget cuts. Though it results in a few more sacrifices, having a computer has moved beyond being a luxury for teenagers these days. I know she’ll be using it for Facebook and music downloads, but I’ll keep telling myself that she really does need it for school-related research projects. Occasionally, that holds true.