Old technology that is frugal, yet serviceable is one of the great secrets of living cheaply, but with style, this should be a goal for everyone who rejects consumerism. A bold statement in a “hipster” culture.
The reasons are simple yet profound.
First and foremost a laptop with wifi is a must, the one I'm currently composing this post on, a Dell C400, cost 40 dollars and came without a hard drive or caddy. However at 6 pounds and 10 inches by 10 inches it is the size of a netbook, yet half of the cost even after buying a caddy and new hard drive. Add in an old wireless wireless N wifi card that was laying around and a battery bought directly from a Hong Kong distributor. This created neat package that easily fits into a back pack for bike commuting.
With such a package it is simple to go to a wifi hotspot and conduct everything from an Ebay business to submitting applications for employment online to doing college coursework. Another benefit in using recycled is one learns how to fix laptops and note book computers so much so it has become a side business. Granted it won't keep the lights on but it does generate cash. One caution about taking that approach is finding device drivers for some old models can be a chore and set a 1 ghz processor minimum or your laptop will become a paper weight.
Another surprisingly fun piece of old technology that has been useful is a ink jet printer, not one of those spiffy, yet ink hungry all in one models, but an old school HP deskjet 932c. Mine is very durable, replacement ink cartridges cost 12 dollars each or can be refilled by oneself, Compared to the all in one models this runs circles around them in terms of cost per page and costs to operate.
The third and final piece of old tech that is quite useful is a sony walkman. When one bike commutes one has time to listen to information or music. An Ipod or knock off MP3 player is smaller and lighter and far more hip. BUT things such as language course cassettes are 1 dollar at a thrift store compared to the media costs of using a MP3 player once again the old tech wins. Currently I've found courses in Chinese, Spanish, Arabic and Sales all for one dollar.
A life long commitment to learning is quite inexpensive and well worth the effort in terms of self esteem and confidence.
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