I had a conversation with a friend the other day, and I’m not exactly sure where I stand on my finances now, because of it. So, I’d like to take a moment to post that conversation (well, more of a dramatization of the conversation, since my memory isn’t quite word-for-word) and ask you guys what you think.
(Written in pseudo-script format because, hey, I paid for those script-writing classes, didn’t I?)
Interior, Classroom, Day
STEPHANIE, a gorgeous, intelligent, awesome, amazing college student [hey, it’s my script, I can describe myself however I want] enters the room and sits next to FRIEND, who is completely ambiguous in every way. Stephanie take out her laptop and spends a solid two minutes fiddling with the power cord.
FRIEND: “Uh… Steph? What are you doing?”
STEPH: “My power adapter is… wonky. Broken-like. I’ve gotta wiggle it to make it work.” [Yeah, I really talk like that, in an informal setting]
FRIEND: “Time to buy a new one, maybe?”
STEPH: “Yeah… probably… if I had the money. But I don’t, and wiggling makes it work. Eventually.”
Stephanie’s eyes light up as the indicator light on her laptop lets her know that it is finally receiving power from the cord.
STEPH: “See? Still works!”
FRIEND: “Uh… yeah. Ok. But you should probably get a new adapter, anyway. Don’t you get paid this week?”
STEPH: “True! Except that money is for my insurance. And gas for my car. And, of course, my credit card bill. I’m paying lots and lots to my credit card bill to try and pay it off before November.” [Insert boring explanation of my switch to a 0% APR credit card here]
FRIEND: (waking up from the nap taken while I droned on about credit cards) “That’s great and all, but, won’t you be making more money during the summer? Theoretically? I mean, shouldn’t you pay a little less to your credit card now, buy some stuff you need, and then ramp up your credit card payments in the summer?”
STEPH: “Ok, yes, theoretically, I should be making more this summer, in whatever job I get. But I don’t have that job yet, and I don’t like the idea of relying on ‘future dollars,’ since that’s what got me into this credit card debt in the first place.”
FRIEND: “Yeah, ok, I understand that, but you’re being pretty cheap.”
STEPH: “I think you mean frugal.”
FRIEND: “Nope. Cheap.”
STEPH: “Frugal!”
FRIEND: “CHEAP!”
STEPH: “FRUGAL!”
Stephanie and her friend growl at each other and then suddenly appear in the American Gladiators arena, ready to fight. [That totally happened, I swear.]
So, back to you, readers. Am I being cheap? A power adapter for my laptop isn’t the only item on my list of “Things I Really Ought To Buy” – a year of compacting has left me with a laundry list of purchases that I probably should be making.
I’m still not sure I want to drop down my credit card payments at all, but if I did, it wouldn’t be “drop down to just the minimum payment” or anything. I’m paying $160 a month to my credit card on my current plan, and if I did drop it down, it certainly wouldn’t be to anything less than $100 (for reference, my minimum payment is $17).
So… thoughts?
As another person who has to wiggle her powercord to make it work without the laptop station…
…You’re being cheap. I’ve researched them and they’re NOT that expensive. Less than $20 retail, less than $7 Ebay.
Get a new powercord, luv!
I agree too . . . cheap.
Frugality is spending your money wisely to get the best benifit in a mix of long term and short term goals.
Being cheap is avoiding spending money at all possible costs.
Unless there is some way to rig up the power cord to not need to wiggle (since it’s probably just a wire inside, (you probably could cut the end off and reattach the wires and put electrical tape around it). Though if it’s the connector on the laptop then it may be worse for cost.
Either way, not repairing/replacing things that you use regularly that are on the virge of failing is being cheap, not frugal.
If it makes you feel better, I’ve been doing the exact same thing….(but yes, we’re probably being cheap).
Cheap 😉
But, make sure it’s the power CORD not the power connector on the laptop! If it’s that – well – then it is a little tougher to fix.
I am very very lucky not to have any credit card debts myself so I can only imagine what it’s like for you steph. All i gotta say is Debt bad and your cord still works kinda. Really, for me, if it aint non-functioning I don’t see a reason to spend money on it. Seriously, it works, and there’s probably something more important out there to spend money on.
You are just frugal, not cheap. If it takes a couple wiggling to make the cord work, so what?
There is a general mentality of wastefulness. It’s not about $20, but also the extra waste generated.
That wasn’t the case just a generation ago. 30 years ago, when your home appliances broke, you called the Maytag man. What do people do now? They throw out the dish washer (or whatever) and buy a new one.
You are doing great, Stephanie.
I would say cheap, because what would you do if it stopped kinda working tomorrow? As a student, though, it probably pays to be cheap, and students often live with lower standards for their items because of it.
We have been doing this with an 8 year old computer that randomly restarts in the middle of your project (teaches you to hit save frequently) and a 5 year old laptop used for my grad program. We are waiting to replace one when it dies. Since I have two semi-operational units I figure we can wait till one officially dies. But then I am basing this decision on that if we can get more life out of this unit, the next one we buy we can make it last longer too. I would say frugal because it isn’t completely broken.
Now if it is causing you a lot of personal annoyance than I would fix otherwise you are doing a good job using a workaround.
It takes a lot more creativity to make do than to go out and replace it.
I say frugal. After all it still works. Though I agree with the person who said you might want to fix it yourself.
Funny, I just wrote a post a couple of days ago with exactly the same title. Some people just don’t understand… I say Frugal. As long as it’s not a fire hazard and only requires a bit of wiggling I would not replace it.
I don’t think it matters what word you call it, either way you are being SMART! We often make things work so we can put money towards our bigger goals. Sure it’s easier to run out and get something new, but if you can make what you have work instead that’s even better.
The only thing I would worry about in this case is that because it is something dealing with electricity there could be serious problems. You don’t want something to happen with your computer from getting too much juice (or not enough). Look into getting it fixed, or replace it if that is cheaper. Sometimes we do have to bite the bullet and buy in the name of safety.
…I’m gonna say frugal because you mean well. I think that intent is the defining line here. BUT here is a suggestion: there are not THAT many kinds of cords. Virtually everyone I know has a stach of computer junk laying around. Maybe you could trade a task of some sort for someones “junk” cord they don’t use because the fancy new laptop they got from work made their old one obsolete? Think outside the box! keep up the good work – I’m trying this year to make the debt go away…you are an inspiration!
Just buy the cord.
I think there is a cost-benefit analysis that most people are ignoring. If you are spending like 5+ minutes on it everytime you restart your laptop and you start your laptop more than a couple times a day, you might be served by biting the bullet and getting a new cord. The sheer amount of time saved may be worth the cost.
That said, it would be best if you could test with someone else’s cord to make sure it is the cord. It would be wasteful to buy a new cord when it is the connector in the PC that is the problem. If it is that, from experience, you should ride it out until it breaks down on you. Those can be pricey.
I say do not reduce the credit card pay-down. Your friend doesn’t have it together and is just trying to make you feel bad. That said, I have recently reduced my credit card payments to bolster our lifestyle a little. I’m weak 🙁
“That wasn’t the case just a generation ago. 30 years ago, when your home appliances broke, you called the Maytag man. What do people do now? They throw out the dish washer (or whatever) and buy a new one.”
The problem is that repair costs are often so expensive now that it is nearly as cheap, if not cheaper, to buy a new unit than to get the old one repaired.
From the author:
I’m not surprised that the opinions on this are as varied as the ones I’ve been receiving from my friends when they actually see me jiggle the power cord in person! A few notes I’d like to make:
1) I was originally lead to believe that a new power cord for my computer would cost about $100, which is why I was so leery of getting one. After writing this post and seeing a few comments, I went on eBay and priced out cords. Turns out I can get one for about $20 – WITH shipping! That changes the landscape significantly.
2) This question isn’t entirely about the power cord – there are other things like it that I really should buy, but haven’t. For example, the battery in my cell phone (which I need for work and school because I commute 16 miles and am often out of the house for 15 hours or more a day) has been unreliable and hasn’t held a proper charge since…. July? I think? Anyway, I thought that would cost me about $50, but then I found one on Amazon for $16, and am considering that as well. (I don’t get a replacement phone until August, it’s probably worth it to extend the life of my current phone until at least then.) There are other items as well – so the general question is not “power cord or no power cord?” but “should I relax my budget a bit because I’m really not buying all the things that I probably should?” (Another item that suddenly comes to mind? new windshield wipers.)
3) For the “frugal” vs. “cheap” thing, I know that I’m both. I tend to think of “frugal” as things that really only affect me personally, and “cheap” as activities I do to save money that adversely affect other people. (Like all the food I mooch. All the time. Sorry guys, but you really should stop offering to buy me food, because you know I’ll always say yes.)
4) Yes, I’m fairly certain that it’s the power CORD and not the connection between the cord and the laptop itself. How do I know this? Well, honestly, I know it from what part of the cord I have to jiggle to make it work! 😉 It’s no where near the connection to the laptop.
haha I beat the top part of my laptop because sometimes it goes fuzzy. Then *boom* clear picture.
Anyway, after reading your comment I think you should order the stuff in importance that you have been putting off. For example, my phone and wiper blades would be more important to me right now because of the crappy weather where I live. The cord would be last because it still kind of works and doesn’t help me call anyone if I have an emergency on the side of the road.
Plus, the “wonky-ness” and the wiggling just give your powercord character 😀
I don’t think you are being cheap by trying to get the most life out of your cord; however, I also think you could inadvertently be shooting yourself in the foot. You need the computer to work for school stuff. When you need it to work, you need it … NOW.
It sounds like there are some things smoldering in your life that could soon turn into fires (phone, wiper blades, and cord). This is where an emergency fund might come in useful. No one wants a financially rainy day to happen, but it does. I would consider setting aside a couple of hundred dollars next summer that you only use if you have some unforseen financial need (telephone battery, wiper blades, and power cord come to mind).
In the meantime, I suggest you buy the three items you need. They aren’t wants … they really are needs. You need to drive safe. You need to have the confidence and security that if you have an emergency you will be able to contact help. Lastly, you owe it to yourself to have a little less stress in your life knowing you won’t be left high and dry when you need to get online or write a paper.
I realize it means you’ll pay off around $50.00 less next month toward credit card debt and, after all your scrimping and saving, it feels like you’re going a bit backwards — you aren’t. You still have your eyes set firmily on your goal of paying off the credit cards by November. What is more, I think you will succeed.
Thanks for the blog and keep up the good work.
Kathryn
Frugality for the win. Of course, I’ve been accused of being incredibly cheap more than once in my life, so take that as you will.
On a related note, I’ve been reading Dante’s Inferno and those who waste are placed in the Fourth Circle of Hell. So being frugal is probably a good thing. (Note: hoarders end up in the same place, so don’t be too cheap. Balance is key.) Interestingly, squanderers — those who do violence to their possessions — are in the Seventh Circle of Hell and are chased by a pack of ravenous hounds who tear off their limbs. (Presumably their limbs grow back so that this can continue for eternity.)
So I guess all I’m really trying to say here is… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: wiggling a power cord isn’t really so bad, right?
I had that problem and it turned out to only be a PIECE of the adapter–you’d have to take the cord into a computer store to find out, but the piece was only about $7.00, and the whole cord didn’t have to be replaced at all!
Cheap!! You need to buy the adapter, if for no other reason than for the time saved not have to fiddle with it. This will make you more productive in other, more important, areas like your college studies. You can immediately start studying when you go to the library and not have to waste 10 minutes on the adapter. My 2 cents.
That is being cheap, but quite a risk as well. Imagine if the wiggling causes more damage to your laptop. I would spend that few dollars and prevent that hundreds dollars damage.
If it were a $50 cord, I’d say frugal. But if it is just $7 on Ebay, I would go ahead and get it.
Even better I’d put out a request on Freecycle to see if anyone has a cord they don’t need.