I don't know how many of you know this, but I'm broke. Some days, it sucks. But sometimes it's like a fun challenge, because clipping coupons and saving tons of money on grocery items is a really satisfying game. Sometime in September, I started thinking that it would be nice to get a new MacBook. I'd had this thought over a year ago, and wanted to act on it while I could still get some cash for my old MacBook. It often blows me away how insanely lucky I am.
Not long after making this decision, a few things fell into place - ultimately for the best, though sometimes it wasn't immediately evident.
1) Geoff alerted me to an excellent credit card bonus that I waffled on for a couple months. For me, spending $3k in 3 months is unfathomable! But I eventually realized how I could make it work.
2) My coworkers pointed out that my MacBook battery had bulged. I didn't realize that was a cause for concern. I hightailed it down to the Apple store and shelled out $100 (thanks, parents!) in a panic, because I thought my laptop might spontaneously combust.
3) Not long after receiving a brand-new replacement battery, the entire computer stopped recognizing the battery and only worked on adapter power. Another frenetic trip to the Apple store, and a two-day overnight stay for my MacBook. They replaced a part, as well as my top case and display bezel - pretty much half of the exterior of the computer. And they didn't charge me a penny.
Armed with a neatly remodeled computer, I drew up a Master Plan on an orange post-it note. My awesome landlord had confirmed that I could pay rent on a credit card. Better still, I could pay three months' up front. I received the card on a Friday (it's beautiful, by the way: a metal composite, thick, heavy, and shiny), paid my rent the following morning, and was at the Apple store feeling a bit dazed that evening.
I showed my old student ID and got a discount, too:
So I'd spent $2,750 in a single day. I promise I did not sleep very well that night. The next $250 went by in a blur (damn, that card is fun to use) and I had a $3k balance on a brand-new credit card, and two computers.
Reformatting the old MacBook is a long, technical story that nobody cares about. It took me several days. Afterward, I had it on Craigslist for several weeks, and most of the interest I got was this one dude trying to trade me one of any type of smartphone (that's not suspicious at all), or a bunch of fake scammers who wanted to pay me via money order because they suddenly lived across the country. Ultimately, I met up with a very nice fellow who had never owned a laptop and who promised to give my old friend a good home. I pocketed $500, because that's what I wrote down on the Master Plan, and that is akin to writing it in blood.
Then, just yesterday, I received my first Chase statement. I did, in fact, have over 53,000 points applied to my account. I turned that into a $533 statement credit, and after the $28 in interest I accrued (oops!), I'm still just under my goal of getting a MacBook for $100. It's only costing me $95.
The moral of the story is always write your plans down on an orange post-it.
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