Saving Money

I saved $1,700 yesterday by not buying stuff.

When my parents moved out, they took the 65″ TV from the family room. They also brought a 55″ TV with them, leaving me with a 50″ and two 42″ TVs. Yes, we had a lot of flat panel TVs. When I finally cleared out the family room and reconnected the home stereo system, I wanted to get a new TV. After looking at what was available at Costco, I ended up choosing a Samsung 65″ QN85B:

It was the low-end model for Samsung’s new QLED line and being sold for $1,200 at Costco. I even asked my dad to come by after church to help me buy it. However, by the time he got to my house, I changed my mind. I already have three TVs and it seemed like a waste to get another one. Long story short, I shuffled the existing TVs around and ended up putting the 50″ Samsung in the family room. It does look small compared to the 65″ TV that used to be there, but I do not watch TV that much anyway. This means in my bedroom I have a sixteen-year-old Visio VU42L paired with an original FireTV stick from 2015.

I also made several posts about my half-dead MacBook Air. Since the battery status is “normal” but will not charge, I am not sure a new battery will help. After debating for a few hours, I decided to get a new Mac mini with the M2 chip. They were being sold at Costco and on Amazon for $500. I already have several spare 1080p monitors and can set everything up in my old bedroom. I even got as far as putting the Mac in my cart, plus some monitor cables and a keyboard. Just when I was about to click the buy button, I reconsidered. Like the large number of TVs already in the house, I also have several computers already, including a newish MacBook Pro. Instead of setting up a second Mac, I will just put my MacBook Pro in the old bedroom and use it to record audio and mix tracks.

Two decisions not to buy = $1,700. I am fortunate enough that I can afford the money, but neither were necessary purchases. I can definitely understand how people get into consumer debt issues since e-commerce sites make buying on credit cards so easy.