Since Sarah often finds herself taking her work home, she recently invested in a new computer system for her house. It cost roughly $1,000, but Sarah loves the new technology. Besides being faster at starting up & shutting down, Sarah also finds that the new hardware even looks better than her old computer from just 5 years ago.
But, like most computer owners, after investing her hard earned money, Sarah found that it isn't the end of the expenses...in fact, computers can get costly if they aren't taken care of the right way. Here are 3 tips to help Sarah (and you) save money on your computer expenses.
1. Clean your machine. This is one tip that I wish I'd read 20 years ago...After losing computer after computer to dust, dirt & grime, one day I decided to do a little research. You know what I found out? I found out that regular internal maintenance can extend a computer's life by 100% (or more) in some cases...So, this is what you do...every 6 months, go to your local big box retailer like Best Buy or Walmart & invest in a can of CO2 spray. Next, take your computer outside & open up the box. Now, spray the inside of your computer with the CO2. But, watch out – all sorts of dust & particles will blow everywhere around you. Take a look at just how much 'junk' has built up in your machine due to regular use..amazing, isn't it? All that stuff can't be good for any machine, can it? Get rid of it & close up your machine & take it back inside.
2. Learn how to defrag your hard drive. Hard drives can fail due to overuse & rewriting of disk space (sometimes you write 'over' sections of hard drives that have previously been used). If you are using a Windows machine, try pressing Start > Accessories > and then locate your Disk Clean up & Disk Defragmenting utilities. Run these once a month to keep your system running smooth. The longer you can extend your computer's life, the less money you'll be paying in the long run.
3. Start saving money on printer ink refills. If you are someone who does a lot of printing, you know that ink cartridges can get used up very fast. In fact, ink can get used up so fast that it can get VERY expensive very fast if you don't watch your printing. So, what you need to do is take a look printer cartridges that work for all the major printers but only cost a fraction of the price. Toner cartridge refills are available for just about every major printer on the market.
Now that both Sarah & you are armed with these tips, both of you can use your savings for more constructive purposes...
