I was just getting ready to make a post regarding Chegg as I had purchased a book from the company and saved a bundle in comparison to how much it would of cost me had I purchased it outright.
I just started my Doctorate and I've got three years (maybe four depending) of high priced books. Since I went through my IT degree, the majority of those books were kept for future reference however there were some that I did sell back. With my Masters, all material was computerized (e-book) since I did a lot of research and writing of thesis papers.
As for the Doctorate, I just started so I'm not sure how that's going to work out but I did see the university which I am attending has e-books which is fine. I'm specializing the Doctorate in marketing, finance, and international business so depending upon the text, will determine whether or not it gets kept.
That is something else that should be considered, if the book can help you as a future reference is something wanted to be kept, it is best to determine what type of media can be be purchased within your budget.
Good luck on studies!
Regards,
S.L. Elvins, MBA Business Administration, BSMIS
I am no Communist but it looks as though the Third World is starting to absorb America.
We do not have oil wells like Saudi Arabia. When ever Saudis buy anything they essentially have to give oil in exchange for the product.
When GMC exports a car to Saudi Arabia the Saudi's flip the entire bill (and are probably stupid enough to pay more for it).
When Toyota sells a car in America that was made in a plant in Idaho, Americans are paying substantially less than the sticker price because labor costs, and perhaps even raw material costs, end up going to Americans. We do not have to flip a huge transportation bill either.
However things are turning around. America has been sold in the name of Free Trade.
The aristocrats of the Third World and Corporate America (IE Management and some Shareholders) are realizing most of the gains from subsistence wages (Workers in Mexico or China do not drive to work in their own car, nor do they live in 2000 square foot houses).
When will the American people wake up, when will the citizens of the Third World wake up.
We should be focusing on automation and increasing production.
It is presumptuous to believe that the Chinese economy would collapse if the U.S. stopped importing.
Yes China does produce goods that any other nation can, however that does not mean that China will descend into chaos if trade with America stops.
The Chinese are not importing all that much from the U.S. In total they imported $71,457,000,000 dollars worth of goods in 2008 while we imported $337,789,800,000 dollars from them.
Yes the chinese are primarily importing high tech equipment that is being installed in factories that turn around and produce those shoes and clothes that we buy from them. However in the $71 billion of goods they import is the luxury items for the rich such as red wine from California and Cadillacs.
Do the Chinese need Cadillacs, I mean if they drove Corollas would more Chinese die every year, would they be less healthy, would less work get done? No in fact life would be better, they would spend less on gas and it would cut pollution.
At the same time does America really need as many shoes, toys, or clothes that are sold every year? Seriously some people buy 4 pairs of clothes of every other month, it is waste soo much damn waste.
If the Chinese can no longer work as virtual slaves for their aristocrats that ship off $250 billion worth of product and receive nothing in return but I Owe Yous how can their standard of living be diminished?
The whole economic system exists to benefit aristocrats in the Third World, and perhaps Management in Corporate America, Certainly some Americans benefit from low prices, but ultimately America loses from Free Trade as it destroys jobs in the country and has resulted in us striping capacity.
Why should my taxes that I have paid for years go towards bailing out the people who did stupid things with their money.
Did they really need to spend 50 grand on that GMC Yukon XL to haul around their two kids? Or would a 25 thousand dollar mini van have done the trick, and saved them money in gas. Whats taht? Its not my business how they spend their money? IT IS NOW.
I want a list of everybody who has taken part in this bailout that lives around me. Why you ask? So I can go and use their house whenever I want. So I can use their trash cans when mine get full. Things like that. I have a right to do so now seeing as how I have equity in “their” house.
These people should have to go around with signs that say "I spent your tax money on my bad decisons".
Now those of us who are responsible have new rights. We have the right to tell you how to spend "our" money. So the next time you decide to get rid of your 27 inch plasma HD TV because it does not take up enough space in your "status symbol" that you call a home, to get a 50 inch HD TV we get tell you "NO".
Why should my taxes that I have paid for years go towards bailing out the people who did stupid things with their money.
Did they really need to spend 50 grand on that GMC Yukon XL to haul around their two kids? Or would a 25 thousand dollar mini van have done the trick, and saved them money in gas. Whats taht? Its not my business how they spend their money? IT IS NOW.
I want a list of everybody who has taken part in this bailout that lives around me. Why you ask? So I can go and use their house whenever I want. So I can use their trash cans when mine get full. Things like that. I have a right to do so now seeing as how I have equity in “their” house.
These people should have to go around with signs that say "I spent your tax money on my bad decisons".
Now those of us who are responsible have new rights. We have the right to tell you how to spend "our" money. So the next time you decide to get rid of your 27 inch plasma HD TV because it does not take up enough space in your "status symbol" that you call a home, to get a 50 inch HD TV we get tell you "NO".
I left my lucrative, full-time job in mid-2007 to be a SAHM (and freelance marketing/web consultant) while my child went through middle school (aka HELL, as far as I am concerned). We have dialed down our expenses (and I have finally learned to cook); I am especially glad I chose to leave, as my former employer went belly-up last month. Instead of feeling hurt, betrayed and abandoned (as my co-workers are now feeling), I feel that I took control of my life, made a great choice and am building my portfolio for when the economy turns around (and my child is in high school).
Why should my taxes that I have paid for years go towards bailing out the people who did stupid things with their money.
Did they really need to spend 50 grand on that GMC Yukon XL to haul around their two kids? Or would a 25 thousand dollar mini van have done the trick, and saved them money in gas. Whats taht? Its not my business how they spend their money? IT IS NOW.
I want a list of everybody who has taken part in this bailout that lives around me. Why you ask? So I can go and use their house whenever I want. So I can use their trash cans when mine get full. Things like that. I have a right to do so now seeing as how I have equity in “their” house.
These people should have to go around with signs that say "I spent your tax money on my bad decisons".
Now those of us who are responsible have new rights. We have the right to tell you how to spend "our" money. So the next time you decide to get rid of your 27 inch plasma HD TV because it does not take up enough space in your "status symbol" that you call a home, we get to say "NO".
Guess what... we OWN YOU. So get used to it.
Now those of us who are responsible have new rights. We have the right to tell
To the person who lamented that there is no fee housing: yes, there is. Join the military. Go to jail. Join the clergy. Marry a rich person.
Free stuff:
Plenty of dumpster diving can keep you busy. Craig's List has free stuff. Lots of free samples of things on the internet. Keep your eye open when driving in residential neighborhoods the night before garbage day pickup. Scour the streets in a college town at the end of semesters. Check the local hometown papers, not the big circulation dailies but the local small town papers, and if you have one in your town: the Pennysaver, often have free things to get rid of.
In this market, to sell your house cut the price to below the competitors. Too many are emotionally attached to their homes or, worse, simply underwater on the mortgage to understand this. Prices probably have another 10 to 25% to drop and that's if the economy recovers. If not, watch out.
I've seen too many people follow a dropping market all the way down. I know a couple who have a house they are trying to sell for the past year or more. The place was paid off so they weren't in any hurry. Initially they priced it at 2.3 million. After a year and a number of slow price reductions, it now sits at 1.6 million. A better than 30% haircut. It's a nice house but the new price isn't attracting any would be buyers.
When they first put it up for sale, I suggested a much lower price of 1.8 million, undercutting what was for sale in the neighborhood. They probably would have found a buyer at that price who would have thought the place was a bargain. No, they were adamant it was worth what they were asking.
My advice was free but they didn't take it and it cost them at least $200,000!
If you're selling, cut the price to where it's waaaaaay below the other priced for sale homes. Get out while you can!
(Apologies for the typos in the above comment...I got distracted by actual work :).
Anyway, I forgot to add that the "red flag" you point to at CrunchGear is, well...basically bullshit, and admits as much in its own text.
You try pricing out 2 4GB 1066 DDR3 DIMMs. Go on. I'll wait.
If you're willing to buy off-brand, you can get to around $700. If you want reliable, name-brand RAM, though, you're going to pay around $800. So figure the Apple premium is maybe 25%, less a half point or so for the installation charges you'd save by doing it yourself. High, but not out of line for Apple.
All CrunchGear is doing is scoring "Apple is expensive" points by ridiculing an expensive accessory. That a similar product from a non-Apple source is nearly as expensive is apparently just fluff data to them. (And their insinuation that anyone who buys an iMac instead of a Mac Pro is broke is ignorant and insulting.)
1. Paying for upgrades on the mini is the proper choice for *most* computer users, because very few people are interested in voiding their warranty right out of the box. Funny how you don't mention that. Seems to me that "loss of warranty coverage" has at least a theoretical value, no?
2. Apple charges a premium for their upgrades, particularly the RAM upgrades. This has always been the case. It amount, IMO, to taking advantage of users who aren't technical adept or bold enough to do their own upgrades. But making the case that this is a ripoff on a machine sold exclusively as non-user-serviceable is tenuous, at best.
3. Your hard drive comparison is ludicrous. You simply cannot compare pricing on a 3.5" 1TB desktop drive against a 2.5" 320GB laptop drive. I'm not arguing that the upgrade is competitively priced, but you have deliberately chosen an apples-to-oranges challenge designed to exaggerate your point. Shame. Also, comparing FireWire drives, even 800s, to internals for speed is bogus.
4. Oddly, you also neglected to mention that the more expensive mini includes 256MB graphics card, instead of the lower-end 128MB.
So let's revisit, shall we? For 30% increase in price, you get:
270% of the low-ender's hard drive space
200% of the low-ender's RAM
200% of the low-ender's graphics memory
And, of course, you get to keep your warranty intact. What's that worth? Well, it's about $150 to add two years, so figure your year's worth of AppleCare is worth $75 at least.
I won't argue that the mini is a good deal to begin with. I think it's an okay niche machine for people with a specific purpose in mind (in fact, if you actually read the materials on the store site and look at the Compare tab, Apple very clearly positions it against a 20" iMac so you can figure out if it's a worthwhile deal). For most people, I think it's a bad choice of computer.
That said, the more expensive model is *hardly* the outrageously bad bargain your piece tries to make it out to be. While getting a mini is a "bad idea" for most people, to begin with, paying Apple for the upgrades -- especially if you're the nontechnical type AT WHOM THE MINI IS PARTICULARLY TARGETED -- is hardly so.
@joe23521, I've had several more Macs and 3 Windows PCs up to the present. I was "off" of Macs as main computers for awhile until the Intel line matured. Some of the premium is unjustifiable to me too — like how much Apple charges for most DIY upgrades like RAM and hard drives — but there've been numerous memories when convenience did indeed trump cost, and saved me hours of trouble: I can make more money, but no can do on time. I definitely crash less on my Mac Pro than Q6600-based rig. (I still prefer XP; Vista gives me too many headaches.)
I just got off the phone with Michelle of PowerMax, who was very helpful and gave me a quote for US$818 on a Mac mini 2.26GHz w/4GB RAM and 120GB hard drive. That's markedly better than the MacMall example I listed above. PowerMax installs the RAM at a cheaper price than Apple or MacMall has listed, but their HD upgrade to 320GB costs $99, which is still too much for my purposes. I placed an order and am going to verify details. Will reply back here with how it goes. :)
I use Macs exclusively for work and I love them, but still can't justify paying the premium for one out my own pocket. Recently bought an HP HDX 18.4" laptop, which is comparable to the MBP 17" in specs at about 60% the price.
Create an ebates.com account and then search for half.com. It will take to directly to the half.com website. If you then make a purchase you will get a rebate check for 3% of your purchase once a quarter.
There's lots of brand new stuff in Photoshop CS2 and the following tips and tricks are just for this version of Photoshop. We'll concentrate in this batch of tips on some changes that are making some people happy, and some people not so happy — and that's the brand new way that Photoshop layers work.The one thing that will impact migrating users the most is the way that Photoshop now selects content on a layer, as well as how Photoshop links your layers. Believe me, if you're not prepared for this and are working on deadline and just can't handle searching the help files, you will scream long and hard. Well, I know I certainly did.How To Select Content In A Layer In Photoshop CS2In previous versions, to select the content of a layer you would use the Control key (MAC: Command) and click on the name of the layer. In CS2 this no longer works. I repeat — this no longer works! In CS2 you still hold down the Control key (MAC: Command) but now you have to click on the layer's thumbnail (next to the eyeball icon) to select the content. You'll get used to it quickly, but it's a little counter-intuitive and frustrating at first — as most Photoshop brains will resist any attempts at being re-wired!How To Select Multiple Layers In Photoshop CS2This is a new improvement that will make selecting multiple layers a whole lot easier. Simply hold down the Shift Key and click on a layer in the layers palette, then while you continue holding the Shift Key just click on another layer. All the layers that are inbetween the two will now be selected, either from top to bottom, or from bottom to top.How To Add Or Remove Layers From A Multiple SelectionTo add or remove layers from a multiple selection, hold down the Control Key (MAC: Command) and click on the layers you want to add or remove. This is a very simple and very efficient new way of doing things.No More Link ColumnThe link column in the Layers palette is gone. To link layers together in CS2 you select each layer and then press the Link Layers icon (the little chain) at the bottom of the Layers palette.Activating All Layers Or Similar LayersTo activate all the layers in your document go Select> All Layers. Or you can also just select layers that are of a similar kind, such as shape layers or adjustment layers. To do this simply Right Click (MAC: Control Click) on a layer and from the contextual menu choose Select Similar Layers.Locking Multiple LayersThe lock icon at the bottom of the layers palette dims when multiple layers are selected, so if you want to lock a group of selected layers you must use the menu and choose Layer> Lock Layers. This is also available from the layers palette flyout menu.Unlocking Multiple LayersIf you have multiple layers that are locked and you wish to unlock all of them at once, first target each layer, then choose Layer> Lock Layers. A dialog will appear. Uncheck the "all" checkbox and all the targeted layers that were currently locked will become unlocked.New Layer Thumbnail Options - Small, Medium, Large, or NoneIn CS2 if you Right-click (MAC: Control-click) on a layer thumbnail you'll get a contextual menu with an option to make your thumbnails bigger or smaller. You can also access these options by choosing Palette Options from the layers palette flyout menu.Layer Sets Are Now Called Layer GroupsIn Photoshop CS2 Layers Sets are now called Layer Groups. Layer Groups are great for managing and organizing your layers, and you can also nest one Layer Group inside another Layer Group.How To Create Layer GroupsTo create a Layer Group you first select the layers you want to include, then choose Layer> Group Layers, and the selected layers will automatically be placed in a newly created folder. For a new Layer Group folder with no selected layers, click the New Group Button (the folder icon) at the bottom of the Layers Palette.
I agree with the previous poster. Buying older editions will definitely be the cheapest way. Most college textbooks are pretty much the same from one edition to another with the exception of a new article or different pictures or something added to the appendix. But content wise should stay fairly the same, unless you have some cutting edge technology that changes every semester...
I finished my masters with minimal cost by buying older editions on Amazon and Half.com. You just have to do research to find the right ISBN number or title to get the edition that you want.
If there is a newer edition out, don't buy it... buy the older edition and compare with a classmate who has the current version... you'll see the similarities.
We had a home energy audit and discovered that although leaving our primary TV, VCR, DVD and home theater system plugged wasn't too bad as far as vampire usage, leaving just the sub-woofer plugged in cost us $2.65 per month!!! The other two TVs were also costing us around $2.50/apiece in vampire power and the silly power adapter from my electric pencil sharpener cost $.50/month while sitting idle. Everything we own is now only plugged in immediately before use then immediately unplugged (coffee, toaster) or on a power strip. Just be careful ... some of the older electronics don't take too kindly to being repeatedly unplugged (our large-screen TV would take two hours to "warm up" after being unplugged so we got rid of it).
Ooooof! I wish I'd read this information a few years ago when 3 of our kids were in college simultaneously. Talk about trashing your budget!!! We used Abebooks.com and Barnesandnoble.com and saved some serious money with used textbooks, but it looks like these rates are even better.
I took classes myself and used books several editions out of date or went to the library for humanities class literature resources as a previous poster suggested. I got by OK and passed each class doing this, but it was a lot more work for a student with limited time who was working their way through school. None of the page numbers matched up with my syllabus and a few chapters/topics had been added that the old books didn't have. I also got caught with my pants down a few times because some information in the old text had changed over time and I had learned the wrong answer. Still ... I didn't have money for both tuition and books, so this enabled me to take the classes and pass with at least a "B."
CLEP out of as many general education requirements as you can (if you have kids still in high school, encourage them to take Advanced Placement classes to accomplish essentially the same thing). For $55 you earn 3 college credits to put towards your degree. Some colleges won't accept CLEP or transfer credits, but all will let you take the next higher level class, so either way you win! If it's going to cost you $30,000 either way, you might as well take quantum physics sophmore year from the nobel laureate professor instead of 3 years of Calculus and not have to pay $60,000 to take that same class as a "graduate" student because you wasted the first 4 years of college fulfilling GER's and rudimentary field-of-study classes.
If your town landfill has a swap shop, you'll frequently stumble across old textbooks too out of date for a traditional class, but perfectly acceptable to study for the CLEP exam because the information is still good and you're not catering to a teachers idea of how you should regurgitate the knowledge on a test. I CLEP'd out of U.S. History, Biology, and Algebra I and II and wish I'd learned about this trick earlier (could have saved myself $30,000). The information CLEP tests you on is mainstream, so almost any old textbook can be used for self-teaching. My Algebra I text was an old military officer training book from World War I and my biology textbook was from the 1970's (though I also scanned a "reserve" textbook at the library to fill in blanks because I noticed a lot of DNA information was missing).
Some colleges, such as Lesley University in Cambridge, have distance programs where you take a weeklong seminar on campus, propose which subject/class you would like to self-learn and work with an course advisor to piece together your own class and degree program (Intensive Residency Option program), then go home to finish your work on your own. They encourage you to go to the "source" to learn each subject (such as actually reading Freud, Jung, Watson and Piaget to learn psychology instead of reading a paragraph about them from a textbook). This is how I finished the last 60 credits of my bachelor's degree. You read the books, write a paper outlining what you learned, and you get your grade. The first semester we went to the bookstore and bought used books, but by the second semester I smartened up enough to check what was available through inter-library loan first and only bought books I couldn't borrow for free. Since most primary sources are readily available for free, I saved a bundle. However, to do this, you need to be self-motivated and disciplined enough to stick to your own program (good for getting yourself through college, not so good for your 19-year-old kid).
If you take a foreign language class, instead of paying a fortune for all the expensive bells and whistles that go with your textbook that most people never end up using, you can download free supplemental foreign language texts and audio drills already paid for by your tax dollar decades ago at the Foreign Service Institute website.
Well ... we've got 3 more kids who will also be heading off to college in a second budget-busting block in a few more years. Thanks everybody for the useful information!!!
I was just getting ready to make a post regarding Chegg as I had purchased a book from the company and saved a bundle in comparison to how much it would of cost me had I purchased it outright.
I just started my Doctorate and I've got three years (maybe four depending) of high priced books. Since I went through my IT degree, the majority of those books were kept for future reference however there were some that I did sell back. With my Masters, all material was computerized (e-book) since I did a lot of research and writing of thesis papers.
As for the Doctorate, I just started so I'm not sure how that's going to work out but I did see the university which I am attending has e-books which is fine. I'm specializing the Doctorate in marketing, finance, and international business so depending upon the text, will determine whether or not it gets kept.
That is something else that should be considered, if the book can help you as a future reference is something wanted to be kept, it is best to determine what type of media can be be purchased within your budget.
Good luck on studies!
Regards,
S.L. Elvins, MBA Business Administration, BSMIS
I am no Communist but it looks as though the Third World is starting to absorb America.
We do not have oil wells like Saudi Arabia. When ever Saudis buy anything they essentially have to give oil in exchange for the product.
When GMC exports a car to Saudi Arabia the Saudi's flip the entire bill (and are probably stupid enough to pay more for it).
When Toyota sells a car in America that was made in a plant in Idaho, Americans are paying substantially less than the sticker price because labor costs, and perhaps even raw material costs, end up going to Americans. We do not have to flip a huge transportation bill either.
However things are turning around. America has been sold in the name of Free Trade.
The aristocrats of the Third World and Corporate America (IE Management and some Shareholders) are realizing most of the gains from subsistence wages (Workers in Mexico or China do not drive to work in their own car, nor do they live in 2000 square foot houses).
When will the American people wake up, when will the citizens of the Third World wake up.
We should be focusing on automation and increasing production.
It is presumptuous to believe that the Chinese economy would collapse if the U.S. stopped importing.
Yes China does produce goods that any other nation can, however that does not mean that China will descend into chaos if trade with America stops.
The Chinese are not importing all that much from the U.S. In total they imported $71,457,000,000 dollars worth of goods in 2008 while we imported $337,789,800,000 dollars from them.
Yes the chinese are primarily importing high tech equipment that is being installed in factories that turn around and produce those shoes and clothes that we buy from them. However in the $71 billion of goods they import is the luxury items for the rich such as red wine from California and Cadillacs.
Do the Chinese need Cadillacs, I mean if they drove Corollas would more Chinese die every year, would they be less healthy, would less work get done? No in fact life would be better, they would spend less on gas and it would cut pollution.
At the same time does America really need as many shoes, toys, or clothes that are sold every year? Seriously some people buy 4 pairs of clothes of every other month, it is waste soo much damn waste.
If the Chinese can no longer work as virtual slaves for their aristocrats that ship off $250 billion worth of product and receive nothing in return but I Owe Yous how can their standard of living be diminished?
The whole economic system exists to benefit aristocrats in the Third World, and perhaps Management in Corporate America, Certainly some Americans benefit from low prices, but ultimately America loses from Free Trade as it destroys jobs in the country and has resulted in us striping capacity.
Why should my taxes that I have paid for years go towards bailing out the people who did stupid things with their money.
Did they really need to spend 50 grand on that GMC Yukon XL to haul around their two kids? Or would a 25 thousand dollar mini van have done the trick, and saved them money in gas. Whats taht? Its not my business how they spend their money? IT IS NOW.
I want a list of everybody who has taken part in this bailout that lives around me. Why you ask? So I can go and use their house whenever I want. So I can use their trash cans when mine get full. Things like that. I have a right to do so now seeing as how I have equity in “their” house.
These people should have to go around with signs that say "I spent your tax money on my bad decisons".
Now those of us who are responsible have new rights. We have the right to tell you how to spend "our" money. So the next time you decide to get rid of your 27 inch plasma HD TV because it does not take up enough space in your "status symbol" that you call a home, to get a 50 inch HD TV we get tell you "NO".
Guess what... we OWN YOU. So get used to it.
Why should my taxes that I have paid for years go towards bailing out the people who did stupid things with their money.
Did they really need to spend 50 grand on that GMC Yukon XL to haul around their two kids? Or would a 25 thousand dollar mini van have done the trick, and saved them money in gas. Whats taht? Its not my business how they spend their money? IT IS NOW.
I want a list of everybody who has taken part in this bailout that lives around me. Why you ask? So I can go and use their house whenever I want. So I can use their trash cans when mine get full. Things like that. I have a right to do so now seeing as how I have equity in “their” house.
These people should have to go around with signs that say "I spent your tax money on my bad decisons".
Now those of us who are responsible have new rights. We have the right to tell you how to spend "our" money. So the next time you decide to get rid of your 27 inch plasma HD TV because it does not take up enough space in your "status symbol" that you call a home, to get a 50 inch HD TV we get tell you "NO".
Guess what... we OWN YOU. So get used to it.
I left my lucrative, full-time job in mid-2007 to be a SAHM (and freelance marketing/web consultant) while my child went through middle school (aka HELL, as far as I am concerned). We have dialed down our expenses (and I have finally learned to cook); I am especially glad I chose to leave, as my former employer went belly-up last month. Instead of feeling hurt, betrayed and abandoned (as my co-workers are now feeling), I feel that I took control of my life, made a great choice and am building my portfolio for when the economy turns around (and my child is in high school).
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Why should my taxes that I have paid for years go towards bailing out the people who did stupid things with their money.
Did they really need to spend 50 grand on that GMC Yukon XL to haul around their two kids? Or would a 25 thousand dollar mini van have done the trick, and saved them money in gas. Whats taht? Its not my business how they spend their money? IT IS NOW.
I want a list of everybody who has taken part in this bailout that lives around me. Why you ask? So I can go and use their house whenever I want. So I can use their trash cans when mine get full. Things like that. I have a right to do so now seeing as how I have equity in “their” house.
These people should have to go around with signs that say "I spent your tax money on my bad decisons".
Now those of us who are responsible have new rights. We have the right to tell you how to spend "our" money. So the next time you decide to get rid of your 27 inch plasma HD TV because it does not take up enough space in your "status symbol" that you call a home, we get to say "NO".
Guess what... we OWN YOU. So get used to it.
Now those of us who are responsible have new rights. We have the right to tell
To the person who lamented that there is no fee housing: yes, there is. Join the military. Go to jail. Join the clergy. Marry a rich person.
Free stuff:
Plenty of dumpster diving can keep you busy. Craig's List has free stuff. Lots of free samples of things on the internet. Keep your eye open when driving in residential neighborhoods the night before garbage day pickup. Scour the streets in a college town at the end of semesters. Check the local hometown papers, not the big circulation dailies but the local small town papers, and if you have one in your town: the Pennysaver, often have free things to get rid of.
and, oh by way, Obama's plan to rescue the the underwater homeowners will have the exact opposite effect. It will make the housing crisis worse.
In this market, to sell your house cut the price to below the competitors. Too many are emotionally attached to their homes or, worse, simply underwater on the mortgage to understand this. Prices probably have another 10 to 25% to drop and that's if the economy recovers. If not, watch out.
I've seen too many people follow a dropping market all the way down. I know a couple who have a house they are trying to sell for the past year or more. The place was paid off so they weren't in any hurry. Initially they priced it at 2.3 million. After a year and a number of slow price reductions, it now sits at 1.6 million. A better than 30% haircut. It's a nice house but the new price isn't attracting any would be buyers.
When they first put it up for sale, I suggested a much lower price of 1.8 million, undercutting what was for sale in the neighborhood. They probably would have found a buyer at that price who would have thought the place was a bargain. No, they were adamant it was worth what they were asking.
My advice was free but they didn't take it and it cost them at least $200,000!
If you're selling, cut the price to where it's waaaaaay below the other priced for sale homes. Get out while you can!
@Brian: I appreciate you taking the time to write. But you missed a number of key things, in particular re: #3, I also mentioned 2.5" drives.
You also made some errors: the "256MB graphics card" is shared with system memory, not its own GPU.
Please explain what computers you favor? It'd help me understand better.
(Apologies for the typos in the above comment...I got distracted by actual work :).
Anyway, I forgot to add that the "red flag" you point to at CrunchGear is, well...basically bullshit, and admits as much in its own text.
You try pricing out 2 4GB 1066 DDR3 DIMMs. Go on. I'll wait.
If you're willing to buy off-brand, you can get to around $700. If you want reliable, name-brand RAM, though, you're going to pay around $800. So figure the Apple premium is maybe 25%, less a half point or so for the installation charges you'd save by doing it yourself. High, but not out of line for Apple.
All CrunchGear is doing is scoring "Apple is expensive" points by ridiculing an expensive accessory. That a similar product from a non-Apple source is nearly as expensive is apparently just fluff data to them. (And their insinuation that anyone who buys an iMac instead of a Mac Pro is broke is ignorant and insulting.)
1. Paying for upgrades on the mini is the proper choice for *most* computer users, because very few people are interested in voiding their warranty right out of the box. Funny how you don't mention that. Seems to me that "loss of warranty coverage" has at least a theoretical value, no?
2. Apple charges a premium for their upgrades, particularly the RAM upgrades. This has always been the case. It amount, IMO, to taking advantage of users who aren't technical adept or bold enough to do their own upgrades. But making the case that this is a ripoff on a machine sold exclusively as non-user-serviceable is tenuous, at best.
3. Your hard drive comparison is ludicrous. You simply cannot compare pricing on a 3.5" 1TB desktop drive against a 2.5" 320GB laptop drive. I'm not arguing that the upgrade is competitively priced, but you have deliberately chosen an apples-to-oranges challenge designed to exaggerate your point. Shame. Also, comparing FireWire drives, even 800s, to internals for speed is bogus.
4. Oddly, you also neglected to mention that the more expensive mini includes 256MB graphics card, instead of the lower-end 128MB.
So let's revisit, shall we? For 30% increase in price, you get:
270% of the low-ender's hard drive space
200% of the low-ender's RAM
200% of the low-ender's graphics memory
And, of course, you get to keep your warranty intact. What's that worth? Well, it's about $150 to add two years, so figure your year's worth of AppleCare is worth $75 at least.
I won't argue that the mini is a good deal to begin with. I think it's an okay niche machine for people with a specific purpose in mind (in fact, if you actually read the materials on the store site and look at the Compare tab, Apple very clearly positions it against a 20" iMac so you can figure out if it's a worthwhile deal). For most people, I think it's a bad choice of computer.
That said, the more expensive model is *hardly* the outrageously bad bargain your piece tries to make it out to be. While getting a mini is a "bad idea" for most people, to begin with, paying Apple for the upgrades -- especially if you're the nontechnical type AT WHOM THE MINI IS PARTICULARLY TARGETED -- is hardly so.
@joe23521, I've had several more Macs and 3 Windows PCs up to the present. I was "off" of Macs as main computers for awhile until the Intel line matured. Some of the premium is unjustifiable to me too — like how much Apple charges for most DIY upgrades like RAM and hard drives — but there've been numerous memories when convenience did indeed trump cost, and saved me hours of trouble: I can make more money, but no can do on time. I definitely crash less on my Mac Pro than Q6600-based rig. (I still prefer XP; Vista gives me too many headaches.)
I just got off the phone with Michelle of PowerMax, who was very helpful and gave me a quote for US$818 on a Mac mini 2.26GHz w/4GB RAM and 120GB hard drive. That's markedly better than the MacMall example I listed above. PowerMax installs the RAM at a cheaper price than Apple or MacMall has listed, but their HD upgrade to 320GB costs $99, which is still too much for my purposes. I placed an order and am going to verify details. Will reply back here with how it goes. :)
That's a lot of Macs you've got there...
I use Macs exclusively for work and I love them, but still can't justify paying the premium for one out my own pocket. Recently bought an HP HDX 18.4" laptop, which is comparable to the MBP 17" in specs at about 60% the price.
Create an ebates.com account and then search for half.com. It will take to directly to the half.com website. If you then make a purchase you will get a rebate check for 3% of your purchase once a quarter.
Beautifull story -
Regalos Originales
for putting the Teen Study Bible at the top of the stack of textbooks. :)
There's lots of brand new stuff in Photoshop CS2 and the following tips and tricks are just for this version of Photoshop. We'll concentrate in this batch of tips on some changes that are making some people happy, and some people not so happy — and that's the brand new way that Photoshop layers work.The one thing that will impact migrating users the most is the way that Photoshop now selects content on a layer, as well as how Photoshop links your layers. Believe me, if you're not prepared for this and are working on deadline and just can't handle searching the help files, you will scream long and hard. Well, I know I certainly did.How To Select Content In A Layer In Photoshop CS2In previous versions, to select the content of a layer you would use the Control key (MAC: Command) and click on the name of the layer. In CS2 this no longer works. I repeat — this no longer works! In CS2 you still hold down the Control key (MAC: Command) but now you have to click on the layer's thumbnail (next to the eyeball icon) to select the content. You'll get used to it quickly, but it's a little counter-intuitive and frustrating at first — as most Photoshop brains will resist any attempts at being re-wired!How To Select Multiple Layers In Photoshop CS2This is a new improvement that will make selecting multiple layers a whole lot easier. Simply hold down the Shift Key and click on a layer in the layers palette, then while you continue holding the Shift Key just click on another layer. All the layers that are inbetween the two will now be selected, either from top to bottom, or from bottom to top.How To Add Or Remove Layers From A Multiple SelectionTo add or remove layers from a multiple selection, hold down the Control Key (MAC: Command) and click on the layers you want to add or remove. This is a very simple and very efficient new way of doing things.No More Link ColumnThe link column in the Layers palette is gone. To link layers together in CS2 you select each layer and then press the Link Layers icon (the little chain) at the bottom of the Layers palette.Activating All Layers Or Similar LayersTo activate all the layers in your document go Select> All Layers. Or you can also just select layers that are of a similar kind, such as shape layers or adjustment layers. To do this simply Right Click (MAC: Control Click) on a layer and from the contextual menu choose Select Similar Layers.Locking Multiple LayersThe lock icon at the bottom of the layers palette dims when multiple layers are selected, so if you want to lock a group of selected layers you must use the menu and choose Layer> Lock Layers. This is also available from the layers palette flyout menu.Unlocking Multiple LayersIf you have multiple layers that are locked and you wish to unlock all of them at once, first target each layer, then choose Layer> Lock Layers. A dialog will appear. Uncheck the "all" checkbox and all the targeted layers that were currently locked will become unlocked.New Layer Thumbnail Options - Small, Medium, Large, or NoneIn CS2 if you Right-click (MAC: Control-click) on a layer thumbnail you'll get a contextual menu with an option to make your thumbnails bigger or smaller. You can also access these options by choosing Palette Options from the layers palette flyout menu.Layer Sets Are Now Called Layer GroupsIn Photoshop CS2 Layers Sets are now called Layer Groups. Layer Groups are great for managing and organizing your layers, and you can also nest one Layer Group inside another Layer Group.How To Create Layer GroupsTo create a Layer Group you first select the layers you want to include, then choose Layer> Group Layers, and the selected layers will automatically be placed in a newly created folder. For a new Layer Group folder with no selected layers, click the New Group Button (the folder icon) at the bottom of the Layers Palette.
I agree with the previous poster. Buying older editions will definitely be the cheapest way. Most college textbooks are pretty much the same from one edition to another with the exception of a new article or different pictures or something added to the appendix. But content wise should stay fairly the same, unless you have some cutting edge technology that changes every semester...
I finished my masters with minimal cost by buying older editions on Amazon and Half.com. You just have to do research to find the right ISBN number or title to get the edition that you want.
If there is a newer edition out, don't buy it... buy the older edition and compare with a classmate who has the current version... you'll see the similarities.
We had a home energy audit and discovered that although leaving our primary TV, VCR, DVD and home theater system plugged wasn't too bad as far as vampire usage, leaving just the sub-woofer plugged in cost us $2.65 per month!!! The other two TVs were also costing us around $2.50/apiece in vampire power and the silly power adapter from my electric pencil sharpener cost $.50/month while sitting idle. Everything we own is now only plugged in immediately before use then immediately unplugged (coffee, toaster) or on a power strip. Just be careful ... some of the older electronics don't take too kindly to being repeatedly unplugged (our large-screen TV would take two hours to "warm up" after being unplugged so we got rid of it).
for all the additional resources you guys. Keep 'em coming.
for all the additional resources you guys. Keep 'em coming.
For someone who "watches" TV by leaving it on in the background, its just not worth it.
Ooooof! I wish I'd read this information a few years ago when 3 of our kids were in college simultaneously. Talk about trashing your budget!!! We used Abebooks.com and Barnesandnoble.com and saved some serious money with used textbooks, but it looks like these rates are even better.
I took classes myself and used books several editions out of date or went to the library for humanities class literature resources as a previous poster suggested. I got by OK and passed each class doing this, but it was a lot more work for a student with limited time who was working their way through school. None of the page numbers matched up with my syllabus and a few chapters/topics had been added that the old books didn't have. I also got caught with my pants down a few times because some information in the old text had changed over time and I had learned the wrong answer. Still ... I didn't have money for both tuition and books, so this enabled me to take the classes and pass with at least a "B."
CLEP out of as many general education requirements as you can (if you have kids still in high school, encourage them to take Advanced Placement classes to accomplish essentially the same thing). For $55 you earn 3 college credits to put towards your degree. Some colleges won't accept CLEP or transfer credits, but all will let you take the next higher level class, so either way you win! If it's going to cost you $30,000 either way, you might as well take quantum physics sophmore year from the nobel laureate professor instead of 3 years of Calculus and not have to pay $60,000 to take that same class as a "graduate" student because you wasted the first 4 years of college fulfilling GER's and rudimentary field-of-study classes.
If your town landfill has a swap shop, you'll frequently stumble across old textbooks too out of date for a traditional class, but perfectly acceptable to study for the CLEP exam because the information is still good and you're not catering to a teachers idea of how you should regurgitate the knowledge on a test. I CLEP'd out of U.S. History, Biology, and Algebra I and II and wish I'd learned about this trick earlier (could have saved myself $30,000). The information CLEP tests you on is mainstream, so almost any old textbook can be used for self-teaching. My Algebra I text was an old military officer training book from World War I and my biology textbook was from the 1970's (though I also scanned a "reserve" textbook at the library to fill in blanks because I noticed a lot of DNA information was missing).
Some colleges, such as Lesley University in Cambridge, have distance programs where you take a weeklong seminar on campus, propose which subject/class you would like to self-learn and work with an course advisor to piece together your own class and degree program (Intensive Residency Option program), then go home to finish your work on your own. They encourage you to go to the "source" to learn each subject (such as actually reading Freud, Jung, Watson and Piaget to learn psychology instead of reading a paragraph about them from a textbook). This is how I finished the last 60 credits of my bachelor's degree. You read the books, write a paper outlining what you learned, and you get your grade. The first semester we went to the bookstore and bought used books, but by the second semester I smartened up enough to check what was available through inter-library loan first and only bought books I couldn't borrow for free. Since most primary sources are readily available for free, I saved a bundle. However, to do this, you need to be self-motivated and disciplined enough to stick to your own program (good for getting yourself through college, not so good for your 19-year-old kid).
If you take a foreign language class, instead of paying a fortune for all the expensive bells and whistles that go with your textbook that most people never end up using, you can download free supplemental foreign language texts and audio drills already paid for by your tax dollar decades ago at the Foreign Service Institute website.
Well ... we've got 3 more kids who will also be heading off to college in a second budget-busting block in a few more years. Thanks everybody for the useful information!!!