Devices Archives - Frugaling

Defenses are weakening as devices age

My smartphone is aging. The screen doesn’t always respond to my finger, the camera is mildly fogged over from scratches and dust on the inside, and the metal bits have little divots from drops. Sometimes when I press the “home” button, nothing happens.

My laptop is sluggish, too. The U key is sticky, the processor is beginning to struggle amidst a wealth of recent programs, and certain features aren’t available to my 4-plus-year-old computer. Every now and then the computer freezes up and I constantly have to be vigilant.

I’m a massive tech nerd, and when I begin to see cracks in performance and usage, I immediately jump to one conclusion: time for an upgrade. I can quickly rationalize the “need” for new. Look at all of these aforementioned faults and — hey! — I’m a digital writer/blogger. I need these things, right?

Lusting for the latest

In college I upgraded computers about every year at great expense. Smartphone upgrade plans didn’t matter to me. I spent the full price when necessary and negotiated early upgrades when possible.

The smell of freshly molded plastic was a beautiful sensation. I lusted after that unboxing process — from the plastic wraps to physical perfection. Hundreds — no, thousands — were spent to maintain this status and newness. I couldn’t stand to keep something that no longer was the point of affection for others. The commercials had changed to newer, “better” devices, and I unconsciously moved in unison.

Juxtaposed with my love for the latest and greatest was a powerful disgust that developed for the old. That technology became embarrassing and frustrating for me. But now, I’m holding back for the first time in my life.

Learning to resist the urge to upgrade

Admittedly, this process of buying less and refusing to upgrade early has been slow. After years of buying conspicuously, I’ve turned a new leaf. I don’t want to buy new immediately anymore. Here’s what keeps me grounded:

Value comes in time — it’s not a flash in the pan.

I want to purchase devices that last and take advantage of that worth. And there’s a lot of time to take advantage of lasting material goods. Think about it, life expectancy for those in the U.S. is about 78.7 years. That only leaves a set number of devices, objects, and material possessions over the course of a lifetime. Make them count.

Climate change is worsening

There are other reasons to resist the spending. Constant changes in technology and devices contribute to far greater climate change. Those electronics and material goods are likely made in China, shipped or flown across the Pacific Ocean, and trucked and trained to their final destinations. From the packaging, production, transportation, and actual purchase, tremendous amounts of energy must be used. And most of it is from fossil fuels — the kind that contributes to climate change.

Forever young only exists in music lyrics

I cannot help but notice that the same magazines, newspapers, and websites that advertise beauty products also share the latest gadgets. The beauty culture encourages us to stay young; forever, at great cost. Similarly, our beauty culture has disconnected and made us feel fearful about aging. Our devices are no longer timeless investments — they are planned for obsolescence. Be wary of these messages that try to subtly obliterate your older device.

That money can go to a million better places

If the preceding reasons weren’t enough, it costs a lot of money to upgrade constantly. Save the money, put it to work in the stock market, donate it to charity, or fix your bike. Nearly anything is better than spending it on a slightly newer device.

Can our devices get worn in, and could we actually begin to appreciate this character and value? How did we become so fearful of having something old?

Broken Computer Flickr Creative Commons Tech Devices — *Photo: flickr/youngthousands*

The 21st century doesn’t seem to prevent technology from aging rapidly and becoming obsolete after a couple years. A couple of my devices recently died, and I’m on the cusp of another big tech failure. I just don’t have the money to replace anything. This could spell trouble for my precariously balanced budget.

My devices are failing me

Three months ago, my Amazon Kindle broke. I traveled the globe with that device and read hundreds of books over its lifespan. After four years of heavy use, the screen died and the internal motherboard stopped working properly. It probably didn’t help that I spilled a glass of orange juice in the keyboard of this device (watch out for this theme). Rather than simply throw it away, I auctioned it off on eBay and recouped about $25. Not bad considering it was broken and about four years old.

Amazon’s Kindle costs about $120.

I just chucked my Apple headphones in the trash. After nearly two years of intense use and travel, they’re broken. I don’t go a day without listening to music on my iPhone, and most of the time I used those headphones. I had tried extending the life by using electrical tape and trying to reseal certain areas on the headphones. For a while, that worked. Unfortunately, they worsened. They’ve been answering/ending phone calls automatically and starting/stopping music at random. Not a pleasant surprise when you begin answering phone calls to telemarketers.

Apple’s in-ear “earpods” cost about $30.

What if my computer breaks?

I bought my 13″ Macbook Air in mid 2011. It’s my favorite computer I’ve ever owned, and I’ve avoided an upgrade. While I still yearn for a newer model, I can’t afford to buy one right now.

Like my other devices, it gets exposed to some serious travel and abuse. After about a year of owning the laptop, I spilled a full glass of chocolate silk in the keyboard (notice the theme?). It fried the top assembly. I brought it to a repair store to try and save it — the cost was about $400 to fix. I remember looking at that price and thinking, “I could buy a brand new Windows laptop at that cost.” I decided to go ahead with the repair, as the system could be saved.

Now, about three years old, my trusty laptop is starting to slow down. I can tell that the cooling fans aren’t working properly. This is likely damaging important processor components and could threaten my data. It’s a recipe for disaster. At some point, my laptop will likely overheat and fry itself. Until then, I work on nearly everything in the cloud and save frequently.

Apple’s Macbook Air costs about $1000.

Account for losses, use depreciation schedules

When you purchase a computer, like a new car, it immediately loses a bit of value. Over time, the depreciation continues. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has specific tax depreciation rules that can be used for the following:

Most types of tangible property (except, land), such as buildings, machinery, vehicles, furniture, and equipment are depreciable. Likewise, certain intangible property, such as patents, copyrights, and computer software is depreciable.

These properties can be deducted from income schedules, but are only to be used by businesses. You cannot deduct for physical product depreciation as an individual. Luckily for me, my computer is primarily a business tool — seeing as I use it to write.

Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System MACRS — Screenshot of a Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System calculator

Irrespective of whether you can claim a tax deduction, it’s important to learn to account for depreciation in vehicles, electronics, and intangibles (i.e., software). But this is where calculations get sort of complicated. Essentially, depreciation is a governmental science that averages your losses on a product, which is based on your cost basis (the original price paid). If I bought my computer in 2011 for $1000, then the depreciation expense that can be deducted from my taxes is $58. That’s a loose estimate from this calculator.

Even if you don’t claim business tax deductions, calculating depreciation through this method and then including the $58 loss in your budget for 2014 is very important. If I had properly accounted for the further losses of my headphones, the Kindle, and my Macbook Air, I would be in a better financial situation.

Eventually, things fall apart. It’s a known truth. After losing my Kindle and headphones to failure, I looked at about $125 in losses. If my computer goes, too, I’m in trouble. In the future, I’ll be looking to account for depreciation to avoid budgetary surprises that could leave me reeling.

Also, I’ve learned that I need to keep liquids away from keyboards.

A Nerd Learns To Resist Early Upgrades

Defenses are weakening as devices age

Lusting for the latest

Learning to resist the urge to upgrade

Account For Depreciation, Save Your Budget