When I was in university, the only laptop I was willing to use was an Apple computer (Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post). I did this because I wanted something reliable, that I would not have to worry too often about getting viruses etc. In my last year of undergrad, before I went to teacher’s college, I had to make a decision on what to do with my dying computer (had it for 6 years). Here were my options:

Option 1: Get it fixed for almost the price of a new MacBook, and not go on vacation with my friends.

Option 2: Pray that it would last me through this last school year and go on vacation with some friends.

Option 3: Buy a new MacBook, so I would have it for my future music endeavours after I graduated.

Which option do you think I chose? *drumroll please*

Option 3: I bought a new MacBook with as much memory as I could buy for future use.

Fast forward 8 years, and my MacBook has finally started to slow down. Just like everyone else, my first instinct was to buy a new computer.

Things I told myself: “I’ve had it for 8 years. It’s done well. Why not upgrade? You have a job in your desired field and you have money saved up that could go towards a new computer.”

After talking about it, my husband and I just couldn’t bring ourselves to shelling out $2500 on a new MacBook Pro. Though we had many valid and justified reasons to make the purchase, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. We hadn’t saved the full amount for the computer and were contemplating putting it on our 0% interest credit card. So instead, my hubby did some research to see how to fix my 2012 MacBook without spending a whole lot of money. Here’s what we did:

Downloaded the App CleanMyMac X

So we watched a video on YouTube that explained how to download, purchase and clean up the computer. The video below was very detailed, and easy to follow. I noticed a difference in the speed after I followed all the steps.

Search: Clean My Mac X- Speed Up Any Apple Computer https://youtu.be/vaby6tkbtA8 

However, this still wasn’t enough, so we decided to talk to an Apple Specialist to see what they would suggest. Note: this is still on my laptop and still works very well on maintaining the efficiency of how my computer runs.

Consulted a Certified Apple Specialist

After some research and confirmation by the Apple Technician, we discovered that my 2012 Macbook is one of the last Macbook Pros that’s customizable.

The hard drive was old technology, so it needed to be changed over to an SSD  Drive (technology mumble jumble my husband shared with me, techies will understand). SSD stands for a Solid State Drive which was used to replace my Hard Disc Drive. The SSD reads and writes information faster (aka newer technology runs smoother).

Another option would be to increase the RAM. We didn’t upgrade the RAM this time since the specialist suggested it wasn’t necessary but we may do that in the future. After spending about $250 my laptop is running like it is brand new! Even bought a new case for it, to go with the vibe. Before you buy your new computer, Mac or otherwise, do some research, look up some reviews and find the right specialist to help you save some money on your computer.

Lesson learned: Do a little research, or reach out to a techie friend for suggestions.

Hope this post saves you some money! There will be more random money saving posts in the future!

#LevelUpYourWealth

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