How did you pay for your Mac?

[apple_iBoy]

My Mac Pro (and before that, my Power Mac) were gifts from my parents.

My MacBook Pro was partially subsidized by a graduate grant ($1000) and I paid the balance.

Prior to that, I purchased an iBook myself but was unexpectedly reimbursed for it a couple weeks later by a graduate grant. I eventually gave it to my boyfriend's parents when replaced with MacBook Pro.

 

[rainydays]

I guess you will be paying straight cash for a house and a car?

A car is something I could save up for, at least now when I don't have a family to support.
A house is a bit different as they usually don't loose value that much. I'd feel a little safter taking a loan for a house. But I'd rather not if I can avoid it.

 

[xparaparafreakx]

1998 iMac, 2000 iBook, 2002 TiBook, 2004 AlBook: gifts from my parents to me and my little brother.

2006 MBP 17", work related laptop.

I saved up the money, in cash, to buy the next MBP when it has Blu-Ray and atlease 512mb of video memory. Looks like I am going to have to wait for another 9 months.

I do use credit for going out to eat only, dinners with girls and friends. Everything else is done with greenbacks if done in person. If not, done through credit witch gets paid the next day to get a close to zero balance.

 

[scott85213]

Paid using my fathers credit card

He owed me some money, so he bought it as a good gesture

 

[c.joe.go]

i work.

i feel as though there is a pattern of a lot of parents buying systems for people. hmm......

i have had really good jobs i guess, but everything i own is paid for completely of my own labor. no debt. macs included.

 

[9secondadidas]

I had my eye set on a 15 inch mbp a few months ago and was saving for it, when lo and behold my gf bought it for me out of the blue.

lol she's a keeper.

 

[gallagb]

I'd feel nervous doing that. I thought about buying a computer off craigslist. There are some great deals. But I feel like if something went wrong and I paid cash, well, I just feel uncomfortable.

Did you get some sort of record of the transaction?

yup
and it has extended apple care
it's fine
checked it out completely

the guy turns out to be a friend of a friend.

 

[Warbrain]

I managed to remind my entire family that my older brother got a Powerbook 1400 when he graduated from high school and that I expected the same thing to occur. I set my eyes on an iBook, waited for an update over the summer, got the 14" iBook with the 1.42 GHz G4 and I've been happy ever since.

 

[TequilaBoobs]

i bought my macbook in russia and i paid them with cases of vodka.

 

[Blue Velvet]

MBP 17" on credit-card, got home and moved money out of savings to cover a third of it, moved the remaining balance onto a 0% interest card to pay off over the next 12 months. Could pay it off way quicker but when you're paying no interest then why sweat it?

When I get round to selling the G4 1.4 I'll move that cash straight towards paying off the MBP.

Buying things on credit does not necessarily mean you can't afford it, it's just that you don't want to pay for all straight away.

 

[jng]

yup
and it has extended apple care
it's fine
checked it out completely

the guy turns out to be a friend of a friend.

Ah, well friend of a friend is a different story! Glad it worked out well for you. I'll keep it in mind next time I find something I want.

 

[yg17]

Buying things on credit does not necessarily mean you can't afford it, it's just that you don't want to pay for all straight away.

I agree. Credit cards themselves aren't evil. Credit card debt is. I've used my credit card for things that I wanted now but didn't want to wait until payday for. I'm impatient I put myself in credit card debt for a week or 2 and pay it off on payday.

When people truly can't afford things and do stupid sh*t like charge a $2,000 computer to their card and pay the minimum payment of 20 bucks each month is when credit cards become bad, but for people who are responsible with their finances, they're payday loans without the outrageous fees.

I kind of hate the "don't ever get a credit card!!!" advice I see here and other places. Do you ever want to rent a car? Most rental places won't ever touch a debit card, even if it is a Visa or Mastercard. Want to get a hotel room? Sure, you can use a debit card, they'll just authorize $500 on your card throughout your stay even if the total cost for your stay is $100. So that's an extra $400 that's temporarily taken from your bank account. What's worse is if you only had $300 in your account to begin with and the debit card is denied. No room for you.

I use my debit card for damn near everything, because credit card debt is bad, but I don't think having a credit card is a bad thing for the reasons stated above, you just have to be responsible.

 

[rainydays]

When people truly can't afford things and do stupid sh*t like charge a $2,000 computer to their card and pay the minimum payment of 20 bucks each month is when credit cards become bad, but for people who are responsible with their finances, they're payday loans without the outrageous fees.

The thing is that you will have to be really really sure not only that you have to money but that you have margin.
If you buy a $2000 computer thinking that you can pay it back in a month, then you get unexpected expenses that your insurance doesn't cover, you will be left with the $2000 credit card debt that you might not be able to pay back for a good while. Perhaps you'll even loose your job the next month. Then you are in deep trouble.
I know, it seems unlikely to some of you, but these things happen to many people every day. So you should be really really careful about using the credit card or taking loans. Especially when it comes to tech toys that you don't really need to survive.

It's all up to you though. But as a person who has been in debt for over 4 years, and hasn't been able to live a normal life because of that, it scares me that some people are using credit cards without much care.

Might be a cultural difference though. It seems like credit cards are way easier to get in the states compared to Sweden. Over here most people only have debit cards. Mostly men 40-60 with steady jobs and high income have credit cards. I hope it stays that way.

 

[TonyBaloney]

Parental Units did the purchasing

 

[tennismanclay]

Bought mine on macmall with credit card.

 

[Mundy]

I've never bought a Mac (five and counting) with a credit card. It sucks to be paying off technology that is obsolete tomorrow.

 

[galstaph]

cash, unmarked crisp $20 bills....

well I really used a credit card and used the cash on that so technically.....

 

[Mydel]

I always pay with credit card but at the end of the month everything is always paid off

 

[Lynxpoint]

i sold my house.

the details are a bit less dramatic. We were moving and were fortunate enough to have bought prior to a rapid real estate boom (30%+ property value increase in one year), so my gf was ok with me using 10K out of this unexpected boon to purchase new Mac hardware.

 

[synth3tik]

Cash baby all cash.

I sold some other equipment I have (computers and music gear) and sold some stocks, and saved up around $1500 for my Mac Pro.

I bought my MacBook Pro from a friend and was able to do three payments, he was fine with more but I wanted to get it paid off in under 2 months, and it was rather easy.


BTW: there is no such thing as a good credit card. Credit is legal racketing.

Might be a cultural difference though. It seems like credit cards are way easier to get in the states compared to Sweden. Over here most people only have debit cards. Mostly men 40-60 with steady jobs and high income have credit cards. I hope it stays that way.

In Sweden (as well as other places) there seems to be more concern for the fellow (wo)man. In the States only corporate power gets respect.

 

[Daveway]

I used graduation money from my parents (75%), and some of the money from graduation gifts.

So I was fortunate enough to not take a huge financial burden to myself.

 

[jng]

In Sweden (as well as other places) there seems to be more concern for the fellow (wo)man. In the States only corporate power gets respect.

That's just BS.

In Germany - more similar to Sweden than the U.S. I imagine - people also mostly only use debit cards. Even IKEA doesn't accept credit cards.

It's not about respect, but rather a completely different financial system. Many students I met there were supported entirely by their parents. Sure, schools are mostly public and far cheaper than in the states but monthly expenses including rent, food, etc. are paid for by the parents. Student loans? Yeah right. Some people could seek assistance from BAFOG, but I didn't know very many who received aid.

Getting loans there is also very difficult - at least in comparison to the U.S. Here, if you have some sort of viable business plan, you can count on getting a loan, especially if it involves purchasing property. The bank knows that if you default, they'll just take the property and they never lose money.

Imagine living in a place where you had a save a substantial amount before you could purchase your own home. And I mean more than 20% (people who put down 0% are crazy IMO). Imagine not being able to start up your own business as easily as you thought.

It's not about respect. It's about different systems. And honestly I far prefer America's system. It drives the entrepreneurship that makes American innovation and economy #1.

If a person can't manage his/her own finances. That's their problem.

 

[WillJS]

I paid $1000 of it and my parents paid $800.

 

[jamesi]

my dad bought me my pb for college, but i usually build my own computers so ive never purchased from apple. i bought my ibook second hand at a university store.

 

[Blue Velvet]

The thing is that you will have to be really really sure not only that you have to money but that you have margin.

True. Which is why I only use my credit-card for things I can afford... if I pull in enough each month to easily pay for one MBP per month plus living expenses, there's no reason not to put it onto a credit-card where I'm paying 0% interest. Leaves me more money each month to spend on other things or save for other things...

Anyway, I'm over 40, have a secure and well-paid job, so that would fit most of Sweden's supposed credit-card practices.

People moralising about credit cards leaves me cold. Responsible credit management is one facet of being an adult in many societies. Besides, I need a Mac for my job. I buy when I need it, not for some fashion statement or on a whim.