Debt Free Kid

More like one fantastic, two greats and an ugh. The Greats: - The university has an agreement with Dell for computer purchases. I got the brainy idea to contact our sales rep and get quote on a Mini. He quoted me $297 taxes, etc in, and that includes a six-cell battery. I am going to wait until July to order it because when the HST comes into effect the university will apply an institutional rebate of 78% (meaning I will save another $15 on the price). - HST rebate cheque direct deposited yesterday. $200 immediately goes on the debt, bringing it down to $8000 even, and the other bit I am saving for another pair of orthopedic shoes (bringing me up to three pairs: sandals, clogs, and then shoes!) The Ugh: - I signed up for this challenge and on the first day wrote a few hundred words, which I promptly lost when my Word decided to go bunk on me. I started again yesterday but it's just not flowing like it was the day before. Haven't lost all hope yet, but I'm clearl...

Canadian Saver asked me why I want a Dell mini and it made me think. Besides the fact that it's cute, why do I need this new toy? So I thought I'd make a pros/cons list: Pros: - small size will make it nice for my weekend jaunts - 160 or 250 gbs for storage - I can keep more pics, music and maybe a movie or two for travel - I can get one with a purple top! Cons: - my son will think it's his, because it's small and purple (his fave colour) - I want the OS to be WinXP, and this is available only with a 3-cell battery (a 6-cell battery on its own is $170 extra) - adding purple adds $30 to the cost, plus I'll probably buy a sleeve (compound spending) - I read somewhere that the sound and video don't actually work well on the Mini - I'm supposed to be paying off my entire credit card debt this year, so I must stop spending money I don't have! Seriously, Karissa

I certainly don't need one, but I want a netbook. Badly. Lately I have been comparing the Dell Mini to the MSI Wind. Doing so I'm getting pretty good at navigating through geek-tech sites. Telus update: I finally called Loyalty & Retention yesterday and explained the whole sordid tale, beginning with the dead battery from last October. The result is a new HTC Snap on the truck and into my hands today. I hope that receiving this FREE toy will placate the desire for a new laptop. Not that it was free, with the bill I paid back in November plus all the time and aggravation on the phone and in person since then. But I'll take what I can get. Seriously, Karissa