Eat an Apple, Save Money

Click to go straight to the part about saving moola >>

Several people have been asking me about my recent MacBook Pro purchase so I thought why not write up a blog about it and also show how you can even save money purchasing it! No, this isn’t an advertisement. Apple products have been so good for me that I might as well write about it and help people be cheap. Like me!

If you are wondering if an Apple computer is worth buying, I would say hell YES! I have been a Windows user my whole life, but four years ago I saw that you could run Windows on MacBooks along with OSX (Apple’s software that runs on all their computers) and I decided to give it a try.  Yeah, I had to pay a premium price for the MacBook, but it was really a premium product well worth the price of admission. Now, I rarely use Windows. 98% of everything I do is on OSX, but sometimes I have to still launch Windows, which personally sucks!

Unfortunately my initial MacBook I purchased years ago wasn’t powerful enough for me, so I sold it a year later and went with a Pro. That’s another thing with Apple computers: they hold their value. They are the BMW/Mercedes/Lexus of computers. If you keep them clean, undamaged, you can earn half the original value three years later! I know because I sold my previous MacBook Pro a few weeks ago to purchase a brand new one.

Now I’m not a typical user. Even though computers usually get outdated every 2 years most users could probably keep their MacBooks for 5+ years. I use my MacBook Pro to the extreme so I need more speed/power every few years. Most users won’t need to do that. Which brings me to the question, which MacBook should you choose, standard or Pro? Well, the answer is simple, if you are a Pro user, you probably wouldn’t be asking this question. Though if you have the money, a Pro 13 inch may also be better for you and will give you more power and aluminum construction.

If you use your computer for web, email, word processing, home video editing, etc. you will be satisfied with the MacBook or even the MacBook Pro 13. It’ll still be really fast and efficient for you. If you are a heavier user, doing development, heavy video editing, etc. you’ll probably go with the Pro and choose a processor that suits you. I got the 15 inch with the fastest processer with the 8GB RAM and 500GB 7200 RPM storage upgrades. I’m a NERD.

I also saved a good deal of money on the purchase and I will show you how I saved step by step:

1. 1.8% in cashback at Big Crumbs. This site gives you cashback every time you purchase something through their site. So before you purchase, click the link and go to Big Crumbs. I got $41.62 in cashback myself.
2. Click on “Computers & Electronics” under “Online Retailers”.
3. Then scroll down and find “Apple Store”. Click on the link that says “Shop Now”. This will take you to Apple’s site and keep track of your purchases so you can get cashback! Wow, I sound like a snake oil salesman.
4. Save $100-$200 with Educational Discount. Apple always gives an educational discount to students/teachers/etc. You can technically get the discount if you purchase online because they don’t check if you are a student. However, I am not promoting that even though I just did. [wink]
5. To do this, click on “Education Store” on the left hand side.
6. Type in your City and State and search for your school. Then select your school and click “Shop for Yourself”. If you aren’t in a school just pick a neighborhood school, but like I said, I’m not promoting it. [wink again]
7. Select your MacBook or MacBook Pro.
8. $199 Rebate on iPod. Right now Apple has a Back to School deal going on in which you get a $199 rebate on any iPod you purchase. The price is equivalent to purchasing an iPod Touch 8GB. Now you can keep this iPod Touch for yourself or be like me and sell it on eBay. You can get around $179 if you sell it, which will save you more money. You’ll pay $199 to purchase the device and then get the Online Rebate and sell the iPod. Remember to do the rebate right away! If you don’t do that, you just lost money!
9. You can also get the three-year warranty and save $60 on the warranty. It’s well worth it too. I would say Apple has the best warranty, even if it doesn’t cover accidental. They have great customer service and turn around time too!
10. They also have rebates on printers sometimes, up to $99 off. Some of their printers are only $99, so technically you could have a free printer. Not counting taxes of course.
11. Finalize your purchase. You can get their no interest for X amount of months from iTunes, which will give you a span of time to pay everything off without having to pay interest. Of course, make sure you pay before the amount of interest fee months are over or you’re going to be paying an arm and a leg in interest. Be fiscally responsible bitches. You can also save more if you used your own rewards card.

In total I saved about $420. What a nice number in legalized tender? Anyway, it’s fairly straightforward, but most people don’t know that you can knock off that premium price. I guess I’m the one who did the research so you could reap the rewards.

Oh and an extra tip: If you are planning on upgrading from an iPhone 3GS to the 4, jailbreak, unlock and sell your 3GS on eBay. You’ll probably pay for the 4 with the money you get and have an extra $100 left which you can put towards your new MacBook. This will work for any iPhone upgrade.