This is a freestyle musing post on getting stuff repaired instead of replacing it.
Where’ve you been?!
Regular readers will have been dismayed at the lack of quality content in the last three weeks.
I can only apologise and offer this simple explanation: my laptop broke and it took longer to get a repair than I’d expected. Trust me, this was as frustrating for me as it was for you.
On 21 August I plugged my trusty laptop into the power lead and sat down to write up some Awesome Blog Content (ABC). Imagine my dismay as the little battery icon began to count down while I typed: 51% charge… 50%… 49%…
Sadness ensued. Much swearing.
With the last remaining trickle of charge, I frantically google’d laptop repairs in my area.
Personal growth on the financial independence campaign
Back in the old days, when I wasn’t really fussed about investing and the financial independence campaign was something that I thought only crazy old men (Ben Kenobi? That wizard is just a crazy old man!) did in allotments and caravans on eco-collective farms, I would have tossed away the device and gone out to PC World for a new one.
Does PC World still exist? Pass.
However, while I knew I could probably buy a £700 laptop and be very happy at my shiny new toy, something didn’t feel right. Was I going to get much joy out of shelling out £700 for a new one? Wasn’t I enjoying my old laptop perfectly well before? How would this have been “intentional spending”?
Wouldn’t Annie from Home In The Green be upset if she’d found out I’d been so wasteful with an otherwise usable device?
Here’s a benefit of the financial independence campaign that I don’t think I rated when I set out nine months ago: it changes your mindset. Hopefully, for the better!
Spending intentionally versus self-flagellation
The way I see it, “spending intentionally” is about using your money in the way that gives you the most joy and not letting it run away without you appreciating it.
This is not the same as “self flagellation“, where you beat yourself up for a single penny escaping from your clutches.
It seems to be mathematically true that a penny saved is better than a penny earned. Logically, if all you eat is tinned beans or foraged plants on common land and you live under a tarp, your expenses by definition will be pretty low. £100 will look like a fortune. You could be quite happy running a small shoe shine business outside of a commuter train station and survive on the 50p profit per pair of shoes.
There are stories of people doing this, and I guess I admire them. It’s not the life for me though, I like being digitally connected and going out to socialise. I like to be part of society.
My financial independence campaign has taught me about spending intentionally. This is why replacing the laptop seemed wrong. I’d bought a fairly high-spec laptop three years ago and it’s still keeping up with the specs of a brand new mid-level device today. Replacing it for another mid-level device didn’t make sense.
“Spending intentionally” is about using your money in the way that gives you the most joy
I said this. SierraWhiskyMike is very wise. I’m pretty sure other people have said this, too. Many quotes. Much wow.
Repairing in general
Some devices can’t be simply repaired. At least, some devices can’t be repaired economically.
What’s cool though is that repair campaigns have been gaining momentum. In July 2021, the UK passed a right to repair law which means that manufacturers have to make spare parts available, in an effort to defeat “planned obsolescence”.
I don’t think that laptops are in the scope of the right to repair law. That’s not the point though. The point is that repairing is likely to become something that becomes more and more available as time carries on and the expectation that spare parts will be available for purchase spreads.
Right now, there’s an article on Wired that I think criticises the new laws quite well. Laptops and smartphones, which contribute to a lot of waste electronic equipment, aren’t covered; nor are a lot of seemingly obvious devices and machines. There’s also quite a conservative 10-year protection from planned obsolescence of products, which seems needlessly short.
Still, my assessment is that repairing broken kit will become more widespread as time goes on. This would be good news for savvy intentional spenders on the financial independence campaign!
How much did the repair cost?
My laptop cost £125 to have both of the USB-C thunderbolt (i.e. charging) ports replaced.
£125 versus £700? That’s a win in my book.
I’ve actually had this laptop for three and a half years. Initially it was under a 3-year repair warranty, so I was pretty annoyed that the charging failed 6 months outside of the warranty! Still, the new repairs have a 6 month warranty on them from the local repair shop I used. That’s pretty good value overall.
Unfortunately, the initial quote was for up to 10 days’ time to do the repair. In the end, it was 35 days. That’s the less good part: repairing takes a lot longer than simple replacement. It’s effectively a trade of time for convenience (or, in my case, blogging capability).
What I learned
On reflection, I think I should look into repairs more often. We’re pretty good in our house in that we buy very little new stuff and we tend to keep things for quite a long time. For example, we’re still using a 24″ LED TV we bought in Scotland in 2011 as our household entertainment and I have no immediate plans to upgrade to a super-HD mega telly. We just don’t watch it enough to justify buying a new one until this really kicks the bucket.
I’m also going to consider spare parts and ability to repair when I buy new machines and devices. I want to encourage this right-to-repair movement, which I think in the long term will be good for the environment and good for people’s spending overall.
It seems I’m not alone, either. The Restart Project aims to help people get together to learn how to repair their own devices. There isn’t an active group in my area (yet!), but if I reach financial independence I might think about setting one up. That said, I’ve got to get there first. Back to the campaign…
