# Help me get a mac book!



## CharlieJ (May 22, 2006)

Please post idea's to persuade my parents to buy me a mac.
I am 13 years old going in to my tenth year of high school, the subjects I have chosen are DiDa (diploma in digital applications), Media Studies, Art, Product design.

Thanks,

CJ


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## Giaguara (May 22, 2006)

Get some paid work, and save for the MacBook.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (May 22, 2006)

Yep -- save your money.  A MacBook isn't going to help you get better grades or make you a better designer or anything -- that's all based upon your own skills, study habits, and time management.

You've already got 4 other Macintosh computers (if I interpret your sig correctly) that should get you through the semester just fine.  Misleading your parents into thinking that you NEED the MacBook for your classes is wrong -- if you just WANT a MacBook, tell them that and ask them how they can help you (instead of lying to them to get out of the "hassle" of saving your own money).

Instead of hitting up your parents for 100% of the cost so you can get a free notebook from them, why don't you work out a deal with them -- they pay for half, you pay for the other half with something like yard work, good grades, chores, or some kind of pay-your-parents-by-the-month plan.


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## Ishcabittle (May 22, 2006)

I would tell them that if they don't get you a MacBook, firey death will rain down upon North America in the form of decapitated Barbie heads from space.

If they believe you, pick up one for me too.


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## Lt Major Burns (May 23, 2006)

bloody hell... 13 and he wants a laptop!  i didn't get my first computer till i was 20....


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## nixgeek (May 23, 2006)

Find an old Apple II and play Lemonade Stand.  That should give you some ideas on how to make enough for a MacBook...


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## Lt Major Burns (May 23, 2006)

i'm on day 20, with $19.  i'm hooked, and i have work to do.


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## nixgeek (May 23, 2006)

HAhaAhaAH....just make sure that you don't sell when there's a weather forecast for a low chance of rain....that's the trick.


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## nixgeek (May 23, 2006)

Ohh!  I got tricked!  On the old game (at least on the version that shipped with the Apple II), the thunderstorm used to only happen when the rain chance was low, but not anymore.


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## CharlieJ (May 23, 2006)

Stop telling me I dont need one and please help me in finding ways to get one


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## CharlieJ (May 23, 2006)

I cannot get a paid job as I am 13 :'(


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## ora (May 23, 2006)

Don't you have paper rounds in essex? I'm sure sub-13 yr olds did paper rounds when i was a kind (though the pay was so low i guess it would take a long time to get to a MacBook).


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## lbj (May 23, 2006)

CJ MAC OSX IPOD said:
			
		

> Stop telling me I dont need one and please help me in finding ways to get one



I got an idea!  Instead of us just telling you how to get one, why don't you help us understand why you need one?

If you can convince us, you may be able to sway your parents.

If you can't come up with enough justification on your own (let alone cash), maybe you should lower your expectations.


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## nixgeek (May 23, 2006)

CJ MAC OSX IPOD said:
			
		

> Stop telling me I dont need one and please help me in finding ways to get one



Well, what do you really need it for?  We know you want it.....we all would love any of the iterations of the MacBook (Pro or non-Pro).  But how can you justify purchasing it?  Is it something that can't be resolved with something you already have or are you just getting bit by the new-gear-bug?

I've been considering getting a MacBook Pro sometime this fall.  However, after researching the issues with the MacBook Pro's thermal paste applications and now the same thing with the MacBook I'm a bit hesitant on actually getting one.  I already have a work laptop (albeit it's running Ubuntu at the moment) and for now it's satisfying my work and school needs.  As much as I would love to get a MacBook Pro, it can definitely wait (at least until the thermal issues are resolved by Apple themselves.....my wife's E1705 doesn't even get as warm as some people have described with the MacBook/MacBook Pro).


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## ElDiabloConCaca (May 23, 2006)

Gotta agree with lbj here... we don't know why you need one, so coming up with reasons to convince your parents is impossible.  You know them better than we do.  You know why you need (more correctly, *want*) a MacBook better than we do.  You've bartered with your parents before -- we have not.

Simply saying, "I'm taking courses in graphics" isn't enough for us to fabricate lies to tell your parents to trick them into purchasing a computer that you do not need for your studies.  You've already got several Macintosh computers -- what's wrong with them?

The short answer is that we can't make up anything because you're the only one that knows the real reasons.  Tell us the real reasons, and we can help you formulate those reasons into a valid argument that you can then take to your parents.  Until then, though, you're pretty much on your own -- I don't think there's anyone here with morals low enough to help you come up with half-truths and lies to finagle your parents into spending $1000 they don't need to spend.

And besides -- there are a lot of ways you can make money at 13.  Paper routes.  Lawn mowing.  Chores for the neighbors.  Lemonade stand (thanks, nixgeek!).  Sell off old toys/computers/clothes/stuff.  Garage sale.  Those are just off the top of my head -- things I did as a kid to make a buck or two.  I'm sure there's infinitely many more things one could think of if they spent 5 minutes trying.

If you're having this much trouble finding ways to make money, then I highly doubt that you'll be convincing anyone anytime soon to flat-out buy you expensive stuff.  I personally think the, "Hey parents, pay for half, I'll work off the other half and bring home excellent grades" idea is decent.  If you can convince them it'll help you get better grades (which I'm doubtful of), there's not many better reasons a parent would like to hear.


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## Lt Major Burns (May 23, 2006)

sell one of your 4 macs.  sell one to buy one, that's how everone else does it.


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## mw84 (May 23, 2006)

I'd do what Lt said sell a couple of your old machines to cover the cost. You can't expect your parents to just splash out £1400 because you want a newest toy. Is it your birthday or something?


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## Factor41 (May 25, 2006)

nixgeek said:
			
		

> Find an old Apple II and play Lemonade Stand.



Well, a year in and I have $620.73. Not a MacBook granted, but an Intel MacMini to play with ain't half bad for some sugary fruit drinks and a street-full of thirsty workers.



			
				CJ MAC OSX IPOD said:
			
		

> Please post idea's to persuade my parents to buy me a mac.



Dude, you have four Macs, at least one of which (if your nick is anything to go by) is good enough to run OS X. What machines are they? Let us feel your pain.

I too have lots of Macs and am considering getting a MacBook, but that's only because I genuinely need a portable solution for sorting photos and my PBG3 is having real issues with these newfangled operating systems and can't run without mains power.

I had a paying job when I was 13. There are plenty of jobs for 13-year olds and they're generally not too stressful and don't require degree-level skill sets. There's a whole world of time to do these things too if you turn off the XBox.


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## davebz (May 25, 2006)

I have an idea, sell one or two of those macs and then ask your parents if they would help you buy a small amount of gold for investment purposes.  The way gold prices are going, you won't have to buy much of it.  Say even one half of an ounce.  A year from now you might gain at least a 30 percent return on it.  And while you let it sit, you could start a paper route.  
---Just an idea---


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## Lt Major Burns (May 25, 2006)

if my memory serves me, he has an iMac G5, a mac mini, a B+W G3 Power Mac and i think a powerbook/ibook.  either way it's all worth about 3 times the price of a macbook.


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## Factor41 (May 25, 2006)

Lt Major Burns said:
			
		

> if my memory serves me, he has an iMac G5, a mac mini, a B+W G3 Power Mac and i think a powerbook/ibook.  either way it's all worth about 3 times the price of a macbook.



In which case, either sell what you've got or be content with being a spoilt kid, rather than a greedy spoilt kid. Not much of a choice, I know, you you've made your bed... or got your maid to do it for you.


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## sinclair_tm (May 25, 2006)

lol, i just have to laugh at this one.  i've already had my say to this kid in an older thread.  all i have to say now is that i mad it through high school on my dad's *mac+* (i'm a 96' grad), then in collage i was able to get my hands on a *quadra 800* (about 2000).  and it took me 5yrs to go from that quadra to the g4/466 that i have now.  and the only way i was able to get that was because i found a guy willing to part with it cheap.  i'm sorry, but all i can say is that there is no reason in the world that his parents should get him a macbook, he needs to work himself to death to earn it on his own like i had to to get my macs!


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## fryke (May 25, 2006)

his, him, he -> you. Since it's obvious that cj will read this thread, you can address him as "you".


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## RGrphc2 (May 25, 2006)

sinclair_tm said:
			
		

> lol, i just have to laugh at this one.  i've already had my say to this kid in an older thread.  all i have to say now is that i mad it through high school on my dad's *mac+* (i'm a 96' grad), then in collage i was able to get my hands on a *quadra 800* (about 2000).  and it took me 5yrs to go from that quadra to the g4/466 that i have now.  and the only way i was able to get that was because i found a guy willing to part with it cheap.  i'm sorry, but all i can say is that there is no reason in the world that his parents should get him a macbook, he needs to work himself to death to earn it on his own like i had to to get my macs!



agreed i saved my way up to buy my Powerbook for about 18 months before i bought it, worked my butt off.  next year i want to replace my Dell with a Mini and probably get a 17" MacBook Pro before i graduate college or as a Graduation gift to myself.  For everything I have, the Canon i9900, the Nikon Camera, I worked for, overtime and saved pennies for over a year just to get them, while still paying close to $4000 a semester for school on my own, I am just lucky that i commute to school and still living with the 'rents for now.

Its not the machine that makes you creative and get a better job, its what you can do with it.


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## Esquilinho (May 27, 2006)

I think your problem, CJ, is that you hear people here saying "Oh, I want to get this and that!" and you want it too, which is normal. And as you still don't support yourself, you find it fair to ask your parents. 

But don't forget that most people around here actually work and when they say they want something, that means they'll have to save for it!

Now, unless your parents are filthy rich, maybe you should follow the excellent advice that was given already. 

When you're finally able to get something from your work, you'll see that you'll give much more value to things.


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## RGrphc2 (May 28, 2006)

If you really want it CJ, and if your parents aren't payin for it, do odd jobs around your neighborhood.

Mow lawns, Walk Dogs, Lemonade Stand, Deliver the paper, etc. etc. it may take a while but it will be worth it, cause you paid for it


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## CharlieJ (May 30, 2006)

Thanks for the really usable questions, they help allot.
On the other hand  thanks to sinclair_tm, Giaguara, RGrphc2, Esquilinho, Factor41 and davebz that actually want to help me.
This is supposed to be a support site, people used to tell me off to grammar and punctuation etc, but why dont the people that give the  answers that dont help, why not tell them off.
Maybe I will try some other site.

Thanks again to sinclair_tm, Giaguara, RGrphc2, Esquilinho, Factor41 and davebz

No thanks to others.


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## CharlieJ (May 30, 2006)

sinclair_tm said:
			
		

> lol, i just have to laugh at this one.  i've already had my say to this kid in an older thread.  all i have to say now is that i mad it through high school on my dad's *mac+* (i'm a 96' grad), then in collage i was able to get my hands on a *quadra 800* (about 2000).  and it took me 5yrs to go from that quadra to the g4/466 that i have now.  and the only way i was able to get that was because i found a guy willing to part with it cheap.  i'm sorry, but all i can say is that there is no reason in the world that his parents should get him a macbook, he needs to work himself to death to earn it on his own like i had to to get my macs!



HUH I didnt post that?


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## Factor41 (May 30, 2006)

I don't think it's your age, I think it's your attitude. People on this site are passionate about their Macs, new and old. You seem to dismiss anything other than latest technology as worthless which is what got you off on the wrong foot. I also don't think the support aspect of the site is really there to answer questions like, "How can I get some cash to buy a MacBook."

Your grammar is pretty bad, though. Perhaps you should stop trying to find ways of raising cash for new Macs and spend some time doing your homework.



			
				CJ MAC OSX IPOD said:
			
		

> HUH I didnt post that?


It's got your name on it...


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## CharlieJ (May 30, 2006)

Factor41 said:
			
		

> I don't think it's your age, I think it's your attitude. People on this site are passionate about their Macs, new and old. You seem to dismiss anything other than latest technology as worthless which is what got you off on the wrong foot. I also don't think the support aspect of the site is really there to answer questions like, "How can I get some cash to buy a MacBook."
> 
> Your grammar is pretty bad, though. Perhaps you should stop trying to find ways of raising cash for new Macs and spend some time doing your homework.
> 
> ...



yeah but I didnt?
I have excellent memory 1GB (lol)


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## ora (May 30, 2006)

Hey! I suggested a paper round, that wasn't negative . I remember the tech-aquisition-lust, I guess now I'm just old enough to a.) Afford it and conversely b.) end up not spending that much on it.

Good luck!


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## Lt Major Burns (May 31, 2006)

Lt Major Burns said:
			
		

> sell one of your 4 macs.  sell one to buy one, that's how everyone else does it.



^^
good advice ^_^


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## Convert (May 31, 2006)

At least pay for half of the Mac... I paid for half of my Powerbook, when I was younger, and I think that my parents were too generous there (and they're well off). Now I'm buying a Macbook with my own money.

I know I'm older, but still, you shouldn't be expecting your parents to buy you everything, especially at such a price. I said I'd save up for the Powerbook myself, but my parents said they'd buy it for my good GCSE results. But I insisted paying at least 50%.


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## RGrphc2 (May 31, 2006)

Convert said:
			
		

> At least pay for half of the Mac... I paid for half of my Powerbook, when I was younger, and I think that my parents were too generous there (and they're well off). Now I'm buying a Macbook with my own money.
> 
> I know I'm older, but still, you shouldn't be expecting your parents to buy you everything, especially at such a price. I said I'd save up for the Powerbook myself, but my parents said they'd buy it for my good GCSE results. But I insisted paying at least 50%.




Lucky you!  my parents haven't paid for anything since i got out of community college.  granted i did milk that for the life of me   i know a lot of people around my age (20-25) who's parents still pay for EVERYTHING last semester this one girl had her parents got her a fully loaded 17" Powerbook and the Canon i9900 that i have now.  and before that they got her an G4 iMac that she barely uses.  but she claims that she's not spoiled.  

its people that dont support themselves now, they wont know how to later on, its ridiculous.  responsiblity is something most people today don't know, and its gonna be harder for them later on in life.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (May 31, 2006)

CJ MAC OSX IPOD said:
			
		

> Thanks for the really usable questions, they help allot.
> On the other hand  thanks to sinclair_tm, Giaguara, RGrphc2, Esquilinho, Factor41 and davebz that actually want to help me.
> This is supposed to be a support site, people used to tell me off to grammar and punctuation etc, but why dont the people that give the  answers that dont help, why not tell them off.
> Maybe I will try some other site.
> ...



Well, except for the fact that I suggested all of that pretty much on the first page of the thread:



> Yep -- save your money. A MacBook isn't going to help you get better grades or make you a better designer or anything -- that's all based upon your own skills, study habits, and time management.
> 
> You've already got 4 other Macintosh computers (if I interpret your sig correctly) that should get you through the semester just fine. Misleading your parents into thinking that you NEED the MacBook for your classes is wrong -- if you just WANT a MacBook, tell them that and ask them how they can help you (instead of lying to them to get out of the "hassle" of saving your own money).
> 
> Instead of hitting up your parents for 100% of the cost so you can get a free notebook from them, why don't you work out a deal with them -- they pay for half, you pay for the other half with something like yard work, good grades, chores, or some kind of pay-your-parents-by-the-month plan.



If you wanna "try some other site," by all means, try some other site then.  Don't make idle threats -- if you want to go somewhere else, go somewhere else -- no need to tell us you're going somewhere else.  But if you wanna stay, I think you'll find that this is the best support site around, and that no one here was rude to you -- sure, they may not have given you the answers that you want, but they're still valid answers.  Kinda like if you said, "My computer won't boot!" and we suggested reinstalling the whole operating system... sure, it would have been nice if we said, "Just press ENTER three times and it will boot," but that would have been false.  We give honest, straightforward answers here -- we tell it like it is and we don't sugar-coat it.  Same goes for this thread -- you wanted to know how you could get your parents to pay for a MacBook, and I (as well as everyone else) suggested many, many, many ways to do it.  You may not like the answers, but the answers are what we did when we were your age to get stuff, so that's what we're suggesting.  We worked for our stuff, and in turn, we appreciated it so much more than if someone just handed it to us.  I think you'll find the same experience.


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## CharlieJ (May 31, 2006)

ElDiabloConCaca said:
			
		

> Well, except for the fact that I suggested all of that pretty much on the first page of the thread:
> 
> 
> 
> If you wanna "try some other site," by all means, try some other site then.  Don't make idle threats -- if you want to go somewhere else, go somewhere else -- no need to tell us you're going somewhere else.  But if you wanna stay, I think you'll find that this is the best support site around, and that no one here was rude to you -- sure, they may not have given you the answers that you want, but they're still valid answers.  Kinda like if you said, "My computer won't boot!" and we suggested reinstalling the whole operating system... sure, it would have been nice if we said, "Just press ENTER three times and it will boot," but that would have been false.  We give honest, straightforward answers here -- we tell it like it is and we don't sugar-coat it.  Same goes for this thread -- you wanted to know how you could get your parents to pay for a MacBook, and I (as well as everyone else) suggested many, many, many ways to do it.  You may not like the answers, but the answers are what we did when we were your age to get stuff, so that's what we're suggesting.  We worked for our stuff, and in turn, we appreciated it so much more than if someone just handed it to us.  I think you'll find the same experience.



Sorry for missing you out


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## CharlieJ (May 31, 2006)

Convert said:
			
		

> At least pay for half of the Mac... I paid for half of my Powerbook, when I was younger, and I think that my parents were too generous there (and they're well off). Now I'm buying a Macbook with my own money.
> 
> I know I'm older, but still, you shouldn't be expecting your parents to buy you everything, especially at such a price. I said I'd save up for the Powerbook myself, but my parents said they'd buy it for my good GCSE results. But I insisted paying at least 50%.



The MacBook is cheaper than the PowerBook


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## CharlieJ (May 31, 2006)

Well I will be using it for graphics so I wont be lying.

Also what I was thinking Was paying it monthly or getting money from my birthday to pay for it.


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## Satcomer (May 31, 2006)

You should really consider (if possible) mowing lawns (if you can). My nephew (he was 14) made over $1000 in four months. His father and I we really surprised!


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## fryke (May 31, 2006)

If you start paying off things at 13, how much will you be down when you are 21? A few thousand or a few hundredthousand bucks?


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## McSedgley (Jun 1, 2006)

Have you thought about asking to 'borrow' the money? You can pay them back then.  Depends how muh you want it.


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## CharlieJ (Jun 2, 2006)

McSedgley said:
			
		

> Have you thought about asking to 'borrow' the money? You can pay them back then.  Depends how muh you want it.



Nice Idea!


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## CharlieJ (Jun 2, 2006)

fryke said:
			
		

> If you start paying off things at 13, how much will you be down when you are 21? A few thousand or a few hundredthousand bucks?



HUH?


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Jun 2, 2006)

He means to say that if you start going into debt now just because you want something really bad, then how many times will that happen by the time you're 21 years old, and how much in debt will you be then?

Going into debt to get something you need is one thing... going into debt everytime you simply _want_ something will ruin your financial standing pretty damn quick.


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## fryke (Jun 2, 2006)

Exactly. It's something _I've_ had to learn the hard way, personally. You see: Once you _have_ something and are paying it back, there'll quite surely be something _else_ you want at least as much as the original wish you had. Soon as that MacBook is yours, there's bound to be the next version just around the corner. We _all_ know Apple makes great machines. And will continue to do so. If you're still paying off machine version 2006/06 (this month's) when version 2007/01 comes out, you're bound to feel a _little_ like selling your old and getting the new. Problem is: You haven't paid the first one yet. You're going to _crave_ the new version. Maybe you'll stay away from doing it, but then 2007/06 comes out. You'll *want* it and feel good about having stayed off 2007/01. So you'll sell 2006/06 (for not _that_ much money, of course) and get 2007/07 and another loan. Now you'll be down more money than the first time, because you hadn't paid back the first loan fully and lost some (you always lose some, coz' the hardware loses value over time) money, and as soon as you have the new machine, it's old again.

Again: Learn to live with what you currently have. You _can_. Work towards, say, 1300 USD. You know that _today_ you could get a nice MacBook with that kinda money. Ignore what's out there: Concentrate on getting your 1300 USD. When you _have_ the money, look at the market again. Maybe a new version will just have come out by that time. Then it's a good time to buy. Maybe you'll see on macosx.com and other sites, that new versions are soon expected. Then you wait a little longer and get it, when it arrives. You might be surprised to find that you suddenly have _1500 USD_ and can actually afford the higher end model with lotsa RAM! But the important thing _IS_ to buy when you can afford.


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## Esquilinho (Jun 6, 2006)

That's why I only buy stuff I can afford to pay immediatly. The only thing I ever bought on credit was my flat &#8211; but that was inevitable 

It's always best to save and then when you have the total amount necessary, you can buy it. It can be hard to wait, but just think on how much you'll save by not having to pay any interest!


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## CaptainQuark (Jun 6, 2006)

As a Dad to a (former) 13-year-old I always made my son a deal when he asked for something: if you save/raise half the cash for whatever it is you want, I'll pay the other half.

He moaned like hell about it, but it helped him realise that, while he _wanted_ something, he didn't actually _need_ it.

Then one day, he surprised me! He came in to me and said that he wanted a PC!. Well you could have knocked me over with a feather! A PC!? When you could get a Mac? Get yer priorities right, Mush! But he gave me a carefully considered case for why he wanted it: gaming, but with the added bonus of being able to do schoolwork and teach himself web design, etc.

Well, to cut a long story short, he presented his argument well &#8211;*not just "I gotta have a PC and I gotta have it now!" &#8211; and he took me up on my offer! He went through all of his stuff and sold whatever he could, asked to do jobs around the house and garden, went out washing cars &#8211; and more.

I could see he was serious and that he was making a real effort to get what he wanted. It was different from everything else that he wanted, just 'cos his mates had one and he wanted to 'fit in', or that he had to  have because it was the latest trendy gadget. I could have spent THOUSANDS if I'd pandered to his every whim.

But as he really made an effort and raised his bank balance from about £20 to £150, I could see that he was serious.

So I asked him for his £150, topped it up to the required amount and hey presto! he had his PC.

So show your folks that you are serious. Put a sensible reason to them why you need the MacBook. Sell your other Macs to raise some more money. SHOW them that this is important enough to you that you are prepared to put yourself out to get it! 

I'm sure that they will help you out once they realise that you really mean it.

(Oh, and by the way, he's 20 now, lives in Sweden and STILL has that old PC!)


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