I have had the same iPod for…….about 10 years.  In all likelihood, more than that.

There is nothing wrong with it *knocks on wood* and has been a loyal friend for many, many years. I got it while in college and a friend’s spouse worked at Apple. So I got it at a discounted price.

Granted, I am not the one who has to have all the new gadgets when they come out, but I have chosen to keep this iPod for as long as it so chooses to cooperate. I have fixed it a couple of times, and the free apple repairs have been awesome. Why should I spend a few hundred dollars, every couple years, when this one works just fine? It has all my favorite music on it, and people on airplanes always laugh when I pull it out of my backpack. I have upgraded my headphones to Bose headphones that I think I also got for free about five years ago. Needless to say I am quite pleased with my music listening situation.

Though this is not necessarily a conscious frugal decision, I have never had a yearning to replace it in all these years.

All my little frugal choices add up. Not getting a coffee on my way to work, packing my lunch, not replacing my perfectly acceptable iPod, batching errands, not grocery shopping hungry, all these things add up. Being frugal is never going to make me rich. It’s going to add small amounts back into my pocket on a regular basis. Think about it. If I purchased a fancy coffee drink every Friday as a special treat, that would be $4 a week. 4×52 is 208. $208 dollars a year is a lot of money! That could be a minor car repair, house repair, multiple grocery visits, the list goes on. And that’s just coffee! So the steps do add up I promise! What about you? Do you have any older electronics that you have held on to past their prime?

-Morgan