imacI need your help. My dear old computer, age 6, has begun acting up.  Truth be told, it started acting up about a year ago and I have been quietly coaxing it back into good behavior with encouraging phrases like “You can do it!” and “Don’t give up now!” as well as a lot of fiddling around with it’s innards.  In fact, I’m writing this post on it now, but will probably have to restart several times in order to finish.  It’s frustrating!

All this anguish has really ignited the “I want a new one” fire inside me.  I almost bought a brand new iMac at work the other day, getting all the way to the order confirmation page before slapping myself across the face and remembering that I should probably put some thought and planning into such a decision before getting all trigger-happy.  Buying a new computer can be a real financial burden and drain on the environment.  Maybe I just need to follow some of my own advice?

That’s when I remembered that I no longer have to make decisions like this on my own.  Since starting Frugally Green, I have gotten some really thought provoking feedback from the amazing people that have found their way here. So today, I pose my question to you, friends: What do you think is the best frugally green solution to my dilemma?

Here’s what I’ve considered already:

Repair my existing PC

Right off the bat, this seems like the least expensive and most environmentally friendly option.  I’ve exhausted my own repair knowledge, so I’d have to take it to a professional and likely be without a machine for awhile (though I could use my work laptop if I had to).  I’m hesitant to go this route, though, because a lot of the software I run is quite sluggish on this computer.  I’m afraid that if I repair it, I’ll just end up needing to buy a new one anyway before long.

Buy a cheap new PC

This is another option – just bite the bullet and pick up something new that I know won’t give me any trouble and, if it does, I’ll be all over that warranty. My old machine will be dropped off at Free Geek, allowing me all sorts of warm, fuzzy feelings when they Frankenstein it into something useful again that someone less fortunate can get some value out of.  It will also better ensure that very few, if any, bits and pieces end up in a land fill.

In this case, I’d probably make the new machine a fairly barebones system and add hardware to it as I saw necessary.  This would require little cash up front and allow me to add things that I think are important as I go. To be honest, though, I’ve recently had my eye on some Apple products, which leads me to my third option:

Buy a new (or gently used) iMac

This would bestow upon me the ultimate consumerist happiness.  I’m no drooling Mac fanatic, but I did use them throughout college and enjoyed the operating system as well as a lot of the software (except iTunes! I hate iTunes!).  I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here before, but in my spare time, I’m a home recording enthusiast.  The software I use and am very happy with is Mac only.  This wasn’t a problem before as my roommate had a Mac that I used for recording, but now he’s moving out.

I feel like buying one of these would allow me the most versatile use, but would also be the most expensive option. I’m keeping an open mind because I know that sometimes you have to spend upfront to save down the road and used Macs seem to hold their value better than PCs.  At the same time, I’m afraid I’m being influenced by aesthetics. Apple makes pretty computers and I don’t want to spend extra money just to look at something attractive (I get my fill of that from Jessie for a much better bargain).  A computer is a tool to me, not an accessory.

So I’d like your help!  I’ve thought this through myself, but I want to know how you would approach the situation. What criteria would you use to make sure you got the most for your money, everything you wanted, and were being environmentally conscious about a major electronic purchase?  I really value your opinion and want to know what you think.

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