Back to School: What you don't need

Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:33PM EDT

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Going back-to-school shopping? If you're on a tight budget (and many of us are these days), there are a few things you can easily pass on this school year to save a little bit of green.

A Mac: Don't get me wrong, Apple computers are svelte, slick, and speedy, but they have a huge cost premium over their comparably equipped PC counterparts (a new study here found that Apple computers cost over twice as much). Also, most mainstream software used today can be found on both platforms (Adobe Suite, Office Suite, iTunes, etc). If you need a few suggestions on budget-friendly laptops, check out my roundup of PCs under $750.

An iPod: Jammin' to music while walking on campus is a no-brainer. It gets you in a better mood and prepares you for the barrage of 9AM classes. However, you don't need to get an iPod to enjoy your MP3s on the go. The new Creative Zen Mozaic 8GB offers more features than the iPod nano (FM radio, built-in speaker) and is $80 cheaper. The Zen Stone series is also a great alternative to the Shuffle (only $40). Your options for small, flash-based players are almost limitless, but if you're going with a hard-drive based 80GB player (or larger), the iPod is probably your best choice.

A printer: Having a printer in the dorm room is great for writing those last-minute papers under the gun, but it isn't a complete necessity. (I made it through college without a printer, although it was a pain.) Most universities and colleges offer printer services for pennies per page. Or you could simply just become really good friends with someone who owns a printer.

A TV: Space is one of the most important commodities in the dorm room, and TVs can easily suck up tons of space. You can simply add a TV card to your desktop or notebook and reap the benefits having a TV without having to give up any extra space. Another great plus is that most TV cards also have a DVR feature, so missing your favorite shows while in class can become a simple afterthought.

Books: Okay, this one may seem a little crazy, but I saved big bucks this way during my college career. Once the book list is available, check local libraries to see if they're in stock and investigate long-term checkout policies. I didn't buy a single book my junior and senior year, which saved me around $800 over the course of two years. Also, check online book retailers like Amazon to try and find a better price—you'll be surprised at how much you can save on an older edition of the book.

Any of you students out there have any suggestions on saving a few bucks on campus? Let me know in the comments below.

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  • 6 Posted by lakerslive2004 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    Alex, there was already a huge discussion about how macs and pc's are actually comparable in price. Yes, that study was released, but pardon my French it was total BS. Check out Tom's Hardware's study that is actually accurate. Yes, you might not be able to get a cheap mac, but if you try to get a laptop PC with the same specs as say a macbook, the price will be within $100, and that is easily counteracted by the service you get at the genius bar, and the bundled iLife software that comes with it. Here's the link. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/apple-mac-leopard-windows-vista,1985.html

  • 7 Posted by alexander_yoon on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    Thanks for the comment Lakerslive2004! I'll look into it and write something up. BTW, o2cmefly, I'm not necessarily anti-Apple, I just believe they should be held to the same standards as other manufacturers. I don't deny they're great products.

  • 8 Posted by sharpe3_99 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    For people looking to save on books and who are planning on working while at school, check out the local bookstores. Chances are, you can either get a discount, or if you're as lucky as I am, free books. The only catch is at least at my store, you work a ton of hours the first and last weeks of each semester, but in between the work is easy and did I mention free books?

  • 9 Posted by l.knotek@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    Another good idea is to check the campus bookstore for software. For instance, I got Office 2007 Professional for half price at my college bookstore. BTW, Office 2007 Professional is not available for Macs.

  • 10 Posted by lulong0508 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    Mac will not freeze up forever? Mac need not a hard drive, so without de-frags..?

  • 11 Posted by kupriaa1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    lulong0508- I dont think mac users know what defrags are.

  • 12 Posted by mannybrito on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    Just went to Dell and Apple. Spec'd a Dell with 13.3" to be as close as possible to $1299 MacBook. I do mean close, same CPU, hard drive size, memory, 802.11n, bluetooth, etc. The price difference at the end, was less $200. This is not even counting the fact you get iLife 08, etc. So best case scenario for Dell, $1099 versus $1299. Where they get this Macs cost twice as much from, I don't know. I think the are thinking average PC to average Mac and not taking into account hardware differences.

  • 13 Posted by newbarndesign on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    I wonder what your smoking, buy a PC and get stuck with Windows Vista. For that reason alone they should give away PC's. I attend a major IT university and most of the professors use Macs, and the ones that use PC's run linux. IF I need to run a Windows OS I do it in VM so when it gets a virus I just delete it. How much is Bill Gates paying you to slam Macs?

  • 14 Posted by cruzan_son on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yes you can get a free printer and iPod with a Mac purchase but that's still only after a rebate so you still have to pay for the initial investment. I'm fine with miMac (my iMac) alone b/c I dont have to print often and I'd already had an iPod when I bought it. This is just my story; to each their own....

  • 15 Posted by grumpycompuprof on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:13PM EDT Report Abuse

    Mr. Yoon forgot to mention one HUGE advantage of the Mac laptops over the comparable (if there is such a thing) Others. The battery life. I own a Toshiba laptop and a MacBook. Both have nearly the same technical specs, o.k. the MacBook is 2GHz and the Toshiba 1.8 GHz, but the battery life of the MacBook is about 4-5 hours and the Toshiba can barely make 90 minutes. For students to take notes and hurrying to the next lecture that would be an important factor.

  • 16 Posted by jcdough on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    Regarding the books plan: Unless you live in an area with an outrageously well funded public library, the odds of getting the latest edition of your textbook will be slim. Every semester,students come to my PL hoping to get the new textbook or try to inter-library loan it. My advice is don't waste your time. Take the other tips above to find your book. Most PLs, just like you, know how fast they change editions-it's part of the textbook business/scam. We can't afford to buy all those overpriced books that can become obsolete in a year.

  • 17 Posted by kupriaa1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    and grumpy, my motion computing tablet gets almost 8hrs of battery life and weighs only 2lbs. So your point is what? Plus i can write directly on the screen and have the computer convert my handwriting to type(flawlessly by the way).

  • 18 Posted by v258703 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    for all of you people wanting to save money on productivity software: OPENOFFICE.org open source, free, and huge - you get word processing, spreadsheet, powerpoint, and more that you won't even need.

  • 19 Posted by wanderbh2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    I might agree with most of them but "not owning books"? What was your major anyway? Think school library will carry the books you need for the junior and senior years? That's a joke. Those years are the most profitable ones for books. Amazon or any discount textbook stores online not even carry those books but your school. Old editions might help for referencing.

  • 20 Posted by bekenone on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    if your new to computers and dont have the time or want to learn about "anti-virus" or dont have access to someone that can fix your computer for a cheap price that knows what there doing and doesnt treat you like your a ignorant user and charge you a arm and a leg. than go the extra mile and buy a MAC. I personaly am a Gentoo Linux user with Ubuntu, OSX, Solaris and WinXP at work. so im only baised for the ease of use factor and non geek additude for people that dont have time for such things. only productivity. Beken One

  • 21 Posted by anh@pacbell.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    perhaps this is out the topic, but people said there are no virus on mac. hehe, i think because hacker doesn't want to target a small number of users. (Just wait until it gets cheaper and affordable like PC, I'll bet Mac will get it)

  • 22 Posted by poqhitman on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yeah you do have to update A/V on PC but its worth it, easier to obtain parts to upgrade to meet todays A/V demands on a PC rather than a MAC, also if your a gamer PC is the better choice has a much better and bigger Selection. Also can be hard if you were raised on a PC and switching to a MAC i have 2 of both they each have there Flaws and Perks

  • 23 Posted by dpflea on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    The idea of not buying any books is the worst idea I've ever heard. The text books are a valuable resource for time in the field. Speaking from someone who is studying electrical engineering, I find many of my old textbooks extremely valuable when it comes to the more advanced classes. This guy is a joke. Don't take this advice. Any smart student will keep his books well after graduation, even 20 years down the line. Ask anyone who has a job that requires more than blowing smoke out his a## for a half-@## website.

  • 24 Posted by kristin_r_snyder on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    o2cmefly - your argument makes no sense - you still have to pay for software costs no matter what platform you use! Adobe CS3 doesn't come free on Macs you know. Do you understand the purpose of a check disk utility or a de-frag? Mac hard drives are JUST LIKE PC hard drives - might even be the same brands! (Of course, you can't open your iMac....) - they both hold digital data and can have errors or go bad - NOTHING to do with the OS.

  • 25 Posted by kristin_r_snyder on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    dpflea - agree with you 100%. Books are a valuable resource in most all fields and I find myself going back to them again and again. Heck, I even buy extra books on the subject matter on my own volition! Must be something wrong with me! ;)

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