6 Steps To Buy A Computer For As Cheap As Possible

You are ready to buy a computer. You tried all the computer optimization tips in my previous article and nothing works. Your computer is on its last leg and you know it and you are ready to buy a computer.

For most people, buying a computer does not have to be as stressful as buying a car. Nor does it have to be as expensive. If you’re like most teacher candidates, and you have a limited budget for buying a computer, then you need to try to buy a computer for as cheap as possible.

Here are 6 simple ways to save money when you buy a computer:

1) Shop around for the best deal. Thanks to the Internet, you can shop for a computer in about 5 seconds. Here are the results of a Google comparison of the best deals on computers listed side by side:
Buying A Computer Cheap, Google Comparison List For The Best Deals

Sounds pretty obvious. But many people don’t realize they don’t need the fastest, most expensive computer with the most “extras”. In fact, if you are already using an older computer, even the least expensive new computer will be a big upgrade.

2) When you buy a computer, how are you going to finance it? Are you going to put it on a credit card or pay cash? There are many new computer financing options available. One of the most popular is the one by Dell. Dell offers computer financing with no interest for 6 - 12 months based on the type of computer you buy. The monthly payment is usually around $20 per month. Another financing option when you buy a computer is with Purchasing Power. If Dell turns you down for their credit card because of bad credit, Purchasing Power does not do a credit check. You can qualify for Purchasing Power based on your job, not your credit score.

3) Install your own “extras”. When you buy a computer, the computer store will try and get you to buy as many “extras” as they can. This might convenient, but you are usually paying more than you have to for this convenience. You should shop around for your own software. For example, it will cost you about $250 extra to have the computer store put Microsoft Office on your computer. You can save this $250 by installing the free Microsoft Office work-a-like. Check it out here: http://www.openoffice.org/ It can do everything Microsoft Office can do plus a little more and it’s totally free!

But don’t do this with anti-virus or anti-spyware software. Your security is too important to