Comments on: Saving For Large Purchases Without Killing Your Budget http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/ Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:22:21 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Trent http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-7175 Trent Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:34:38 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/#comment-7175 tommyboy: I started on the account LONG before the "five month" deadline I mentioned. The point was that I recognized a future need and began socking a small amount of money away to meet that need, so that when it came around, I could just write a check and it was done. tommyboy: I started on the account LONG before the “five month” deadline I mentioned. The point was that I recognized a future need and began socking a small amount of money away to meet that need, so that when it came around, I could just write a check and it was done.

]]> By: tommyboy http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-7165 tommyboy Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:38:33 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/#comment-7165 $25 a week? it's going to take you two and a half years to reach your $3000 goal to buy a new computer, a replacement for one that is already crapping out on you. i don't understand where your 5 month deadline came into the equation. this side-saving into a 'fun' account, if you will, is great for long term saving for big purchases but not short term large buys. $25 a week? it’s going to take you two and a half years to reach your $3000 goal to buy a new computer, a replacement for one that is already crapping out on you. i don’t understand where your 5 month deadline came into the equation.
this side-saving into a ‘fun’ account, if you will, is great for long term saving for big purchases but not short term large buys.

]]> By: Ralph Morgan http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-63 Ralph Morgan Sat, 04 Nov 2006 00:09:33 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/#comment-63 Is video editing worth $3,000? For all the other stuff you could buy a very good 2nd hand system with an "old style" monitor (that will last practically forever) for a few hundread bucks. Think about it - if you spent $300 on a usable 2nd hand system and invested the remaining $2700 you'd have around $3500 available in 3-4 years time and could then buy today's "super-delux $3000 system" 2nd hand for around $300! Keeping up with the techno-Joneses is one of the worst confusions of "wants" with "needs" you can make. I still remember the 1KB ZX80 I bought for around $1000 in 1980! (And then paid $400 for a *huge* 4KB memory expansion the next year, before the "colour" ZX81 came out and immediately made the ZX80 redundant!) Just think what $1400 worth of microsoft stock bought in 1984 would now be worth ;) [ps. I thought Microsoft was overpriced when it first wet public - D'Oh!] Regards http://enoughwealth.blogspot.com Is video editing worth $3,000? For all the other stuff you could buy a very good 2nd hand system with an “old style” monitor (that will last practically forever) for a few hundread bucks.

Think about it – if you spent $300 on a usable 2nd hand system and invested the remaining $2700 you’d have around $3500 available in 3-4 years time and could then buy today’s “super-delux $3000 system” 2nd hand for around $300!

Keeping up with the techno-Joneses is one of the worst confusions of “wants” with “needs” you can make. I still remember the 1KB ZX80 I bought for around $1000 in 1980! (And then paid $400 for a *huge* 4KB memory expansion the next year, before the “colour” ZX81 came out and immediately made the ZX80 redundant!)

Just think what $1400 worth of microsoft stock bought in 1984 would now be worth ;) [ps. I thought Microsoft was overpriced when it first wet public - D'Oh!]

Regards
http://enoughwealth.blogspot.com

]]> By: Robert http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-53 Robert Fri, 03 Nov 2006 18:15:29 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/#comment-53 Wow, three grand for a computer these days is quite a bit. That buys you some really highend equipment if you know what you are looking for, we are talking good gaming systems there. For a mere $1500 or so you can have a really nice machine that will last you for several years, have you looked into prices lately? Take for example the monitor, which should be the biggest single ticket item for a machine and which also lasts the longest. You can get a Dell 24" wide screen for around $800. Too big? How about a 20" (2007FP) for $381. Prices aren't what they used to be my friend! I usually build my own computers but anymore the various companies are delivering good products out of the box. A quick look on Dell revealed a $2000 gaming system with a 20" LCD. If you aren't into gaming, $1500 or less is easily achieved. In case you are wondering, I don't have a dell at home :-). I just got my wife an HP laptop for under $800 (see http://thebull.macsimumweb.com) and my desktop is a custom machine that is a couple years old. I did however have a dell laptop at my previous job and it rocked. 2 gig of memory, the DVD burner, the best graphics chip they had, 100gig hard drive, 17" widescreen and it retailed for about $2200. Given that, good points on saving money! Wow, three grand for a computer these days is quite a bit. That buys you some really highend equipment if you know what you are looking for, we are talking good gaming systems there. For a mere $1500 or so you can have a really nice machine that will last you for several years, have you looked into prices lately?

Take for example the monitor, which should be the biggest single ticket item for a machine and which also lasts the longest. You can get a Dell 24″ wide screen for around $800. Too big? How about a 20″ (2007FP) for $381.

Prices aren’t what they used to be my friend! I usually build my own computers but anymore the various companies are delivering good products out of the box. A quick look on Dell revealed a $2000 gaming system with a 20″ LCD. If you aren’t into gaming, $1500 or less is easily achieved.

In case you are wondering, I don’t have a dell at home :-). I just got my wife an HP laptop for under $800 (see http://thebull.macsimumweb.com) and my desktop is a custom machine that is a couple years old. I did however have a dell laptop at my previous job and it rocked. 2 gig of memory, the DVD burner, the best graphics chip they had, 100gig hard drive, 17″ widescreen and it retailed for about $2200.

Given that, good points on saving money!

]]> By: Trent http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-52 Trent Fri, 03 Nov 2006 18:09:45 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/#comment-52 I have recently been involved with tasks such as extensive video editing, including manipulating streaming video from a TV tuner card. My old computer can barely keep up, and I want a machine that can handle such a payload with ease. I have recently been involved with tasks such as extensive video editing, including manipulating streaming video from a TV tuner card. My old computer can barely keep up, and I want a machine that can handle such a payload with ease.

]]> By: Sun http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-51 Sun Fri, 03 Nov 2006 18:07:29 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/03/old-saving-for-large-purchases-without-killing-your-budget/#comment-51 $3000? That's a very big number for a computer I have to say. For a high-end laptop maybe, but you can get a decent desktop for much less. Anyway, the idea of setting aside money for special purchase is a good idea. $3000? That’s a very big number for a computer I have to say. For a high-end laptop maybe, but you can get a decent desktop for much less. Anyway, the idea of setting aside money for special purchase is a good idea.

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