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Don't buy games, don't eat out, don't go out.

You'll be shocked as to how much money you will save in a month.
 
Well, My partner (not domestic ;P) and I started a weekly newspaper at our school in our spare time and got a bunch of people to guest write ect. We had used Microsoft '07 templates and creativeness to draft a decent looking document, until some old alumni of our school decided to grant us some cash to make our work better and start a Journalism class and department (furnished with Macs((iMac 21.5)) to boot!). He was really nice and gifted my partner and I 1000 dollars to spend for personal use on top of the grand total of a 20,000 dollars to our school. My partner went our and purchased a 1000 dollar PC, and I decided to go with the MBP 13" (which I just purchased today and am typing on right now!!!!) because our new class and department use macs so I figured it would be a good way to train me over the summer!

So thats how I was able to afford it! My parents don't buy me anything extra really or lavish because:
1. They send me to a 17K a year boarding school (I have a 3/4 ride scholarship there)
2. My father had to work for what he had, and thinks that it will build me as an individual to purchase my own things.
 
Well, My partner (not domestic ;P) and I started a weekly newspaper at our school in our spare time and got a bunch of people to guest write ect. We had used Microsoft '07 templates and creativeness to draft a decent looking document, until some old alumni of our school decided to grant us some cash to make our work better and start a Journalism class and department (furnished with Macs((iMac 21.5)) to boot!). He was really nice and gifted my partner and I 1000 dollars to spend for personal use on top of the grand total of a 20,000 dollars to our school. My partner went our and purchased a 1000 dollar PC, and I decided to go with the MBP 13" (which I just purchased today and am typing on right now!!!!) because our new class and department use macs so I figured it would be a good way to train me over the summer!

So thats how I was able to afford it! My parents don't buy me anything extra really or lavish because:
1. They send me to a 17K a year boarding school (I have a 3/4 ride scholarship there)
2. My father had to work for what he had, and thinks that it will build me as an individual to purchase my own things.

That's awesome! How epic would it be to get some great support for something you're interested in! And like your dad, my family also goes by that philosophy. Work ethics is so vital and will always continue to build.
 
I sold a couple of my statues / models that i make for hobby.

people seemed really interested and liked them so i bought mine. now im getting orders by the dozen.

trying to buy a mac has made me go from a cse student to a sculptor in months.
 
I am a 17 year old student. I am going to be a Senior in High School during the 2010 - 2011 school year. I have a summer job. I am getting paid 12 dollars an hour 40 hours a week. I have no bills so I am able to pay for the Macbook Pro 13" after four weeks. I'm ordering mine next Saturday. I'm so excited.
That's what i've been doing too. Summer jobs since I was 12 (17 atm), you can imagine how much there is saved up by now. And i'm also gonna use the student discount to buy a mac soon. :)
 
Don't buy games, don't eat out, don't go out.

You'll be shocked as to how much money you will save in a month.
Agree.

It's easy to spend a lot on a regular basis without realizing that your are actually spending a lot.

One area that is easy to attack is sodas, bottled water, Starbucks coffee and the like. Just saving a couple bucks a day adds up over time.
 
That's awesome! How epic would it be to get some great support for something you're interested in! And like your dad, my family also goes by that philosophy. Work ethics is so vital and will always continue to build.
Yeah, it was pretty sweat! The college me and my buddy are looking at going to actually took some notice when they came to our campus. It was cool when we told them that we were the creators of the "Trojan Message" and they were like, "Oh thats really cool! I walked through the hall and read it on the wall. It was great!"

Lol I have had a summer job since i was like 14 (im 18) and I have a weekend waiter job while im in school! I have nice things but thats because I bought them or they have come from my labors of love.
 
When I bought my MBP, I safely maxed out my "Best Buy" credit card and my dad helped with the rest. Nothing special. I make the payments completely on my own. Easy as that. :)
 
Bought a bunch of Apple gift cards off of eBay for 10-15% off each. The rest of the funds are from my graduate stipend :p
 
Clever! How long did that take?

Apple gift card shopping on eBay is not for the weak. Since Bing has 8% Cashback on buy it now auctions, gift cards can even sell for higher than their real value. The Apple gift card Buy it Now's also sell within 3-5 minutes of them being posted, regardless of time of day. Not to mention the scammers - Apple products are great targets for scammers. I actually have an open case against one of the sellers for not shipping a $500 card.

Since the auctions go within 3-5 minutes, you need to be fairly computer-savvy to know how to target them, and thats all I can say about that in these forums :p

Gist of this: not worth it for most people.

If you don't want/need a customized MBP, you can get the regular store flavors on eBay for pretty cheap thanks to the 8% cashback on Buy it Now auctions. I think I mentioned this elsewhere but there are legitimate sellers selling new/sealed base 15" MBPs for ~$1680. Take 8% off and it can be had for ~$1545. Great deal for a new/sealed 15". If Apple has a refurb in stock for $1529, thats a good deal too.
 
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