Financial Updates

Cup of coffee? Check. Pen and sales papers? Check. Internet browser open and ready? Check. Now you’re ready to learn how to find the best laptop deals! While it may seem simple to some to blindly wander into their local electronics store and choose the first laptop they see with all the bells and whistles, there really is an art to finding just the right laptop to fit your needs as well as giving you all the fantastic “perks” that you’re looking for at just the right price.

The first thing to do, as you should anytime you’re making an investment purchase, is to set your budget. Laptops vary in style, color, even screen size and of course, memory and processor speed. Setting a budget will affect the type of laptop you actually end up with as opposed to the one you want. Most laptops average in price from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. Factors that play a major role in the price will be the amount of storage space and the speed of the processors.

Would you buy a house without doing a walkthrough? Or buy a car without test-driving it first? Buying a laptop is no different, it is an investment. What good is your hard-earned money if you spend it on something you know absolutely nothing about? Make sure that you are not just buying, but buying smart. If all you need a laptop for is to do homework assignments and surf the web, then you probably don’t need to buy a high-end laptop with a processor that works faster than the speed of light, leaving you with a large hole in your wallet.

Laptops come with different “abilities”, that is, different amounts of memory and speed to fit your purpose. Find out if it comes with software you need pre-installed or do you have to purchase programs separately. Remember the more programs you install the more memory you should have. Knowing your product will help you stay on budget and get you the laptop you need and not the laptop that makes someone a sizeable commission. Determine what you will be using the laptop for and how long you expect to get good use out of it before it needs to be replaced or upgraded.

Remember those days in school when your teacher gave a research assignment to the class for homework? Making your money work for you is all about getting back to basics. Know your budget, know your needs and then start searching. Sunday paper advertisements are always a great place to start, but even better than that is the good ‘ole internet. The internet gives you access to not only local deals, but worldwide as well and as long as your research skills are up to par, you can luck up on the perfect laptop.

In today’s economy, everyone is shopping smarter. There’s no reason you should be paying full retail for laptops (or anything else for that matter). Again, let the internet work to your advantage by searching for online coupon codes. Many highly sought after brand names offer online coupons or some sort of discount. This includes Dell, HP, Toshiba, even Apple. If you’re a student, check with your college or university for amazing student discounts. Compare online prices to in-store as well. Often, the in-store price or savings can outweigh purchasing online. Sign up with online rebate websites like Fatwallet or Ebates; they can get you some of your cash back, anywhere from 1-5% on items you’ve purchased. Now, how’s that for savvy shopping?

Finally, try not to do the brand name shuffle. A laptop from Dell or Toshiba is just as good as one made by Acer or Apple. Sometimes, all you’re really paying for is the brand name. Read product reviews by consumers and see what experiences they’ve had with the product themselves. There’s no better advertisement than word of mouth, so if someone thinks a laptop they’ve bought is crap, you best believe they’ll tell people about it on the web. Use all the tools at your disposal, both in print and online and you’ll be all the wiser for it. Happy shopping!