3.27.2007

In the mail!


This is the shipping status of the NEW LAPTOP we're getting, apparently, TODAY. Hooray. Why a new laptop, you ask? Well, it's part of the de-cluttering effort, sort of. When we got married, 2 computer enthusiasts with 2 computers each meant 4 computers total for our little home. That was ridiculous. We gave one of the desktops to Josh's brother, and that left us with one desktop and two laptops. My laptop was seeing NO use, because, although a few years newer than Josh's, it was heavy and slower. Josh's was older and a bit beat-up but ran faster and was more portable.

So what did we do? We figured out we could sell both of them online and buy a new computer with the proceeds that meets ALL our criteria and we'll both be happy with for a long(er) while. We posted them both on craigslist for more than comparable laptops were going for on eBay, and hoped for the best. We got rid of both this weekend. For the new computer, we decided on a newer version of Josh's old laptop, an IBM. We got quite a deal for the computer we ended up with, and I'm very excited to play with it. Another perk: we've been dutifully and responsibly saving a computer-replacement fund, and, thanks to craigslist, we're not going to have to dip into it at all. In fact, I think we netted a profit after it is all said and done. We've also been selling more books on Half.com, and the extra George Foreman grill has been claimed, so things are leaving rather than accumulating, which is the goal.

4 comments:

James Kubecki said...

You know, I ordered some stuff recently from Amazon, and I have to say there is nothing more frustrating than a tracking status that hasn't changed since the last time you checked it.

My books left Jersey City, NJ 2 days ago and are apparently in the Twilight Zone.

Anyway, how's the new laptop?

Joanna said...

Ours got here really quick. It appears to have shipped from Illinois, which probably had something to do with it. We ordered it on the 25th, and it got here yesterday.

The laptop's great. Technically, it's refurbished, but we can't tell. It's a Thinkpad T40, we had a Thinkpad T22 before. The screen is brighter and clearer, it starts up and runs quickly, and we're excited to play with it and continue to get it set up. Its weight is comparable to Josh's old laptop, which was very portable. And, the reason we went with the IBM- it has a little rubber nub in the middle of the keyboard to be used as a mouse. I prefer that to a trackpad any day. There is a trackpad on the new laptop as well, but I've already disabled it.

ashley said...

Hooray!! So excited for you!! :-)

You're inspiring me to do some decluttering around my house too. :-) We have a few appliances and electronics that don't work very well (i.e. a toaster oven that will only toast, a wireless mouse/keyboard combo where the mouse doesn't work, a color printer that only prints in black) that we've either replaced or decided we don't need anymore. Based on your experience, where do you recommend we try to get rid of those - is it worth it to try and sell those kinds of things, or should we give them away?

Joanna said...

I would give them away, either to Goodwill or on Freecycle. Goodwill avoids the hassle of having to post it and respond to interested parties, Freecycle, you can choose who gets it (someone who NEEDS it) and they come to pick it up (no packing-up-and-transporting hassle for you)

You could try to post each on craigslist for $5-$15 and you might get takers, you might not. You'll have to set up a time to meet them or for them to pick it up. We ended up driving decent distances to meet the laptop buyers. In Atlanta, there will be more people close by, I'd guess, due to the fact there's a higher density of people (One of the buyers for our laptops was practically from Louisville!)

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