E211: Equipment Purge

This is the image I have in my mind’s eye. I have a digital camera, computer, router, scanner & printer. I am not that geeky, come to find out. When I have been in the big box electronic stores I am stupefied by the vastness of this technology market.

Last year at this time I thought I was going to be doing an at home bookkeeping business for 3 of my neighbors’ small businesses. I bought a new black and white Samsung printer and a digital camera, both to replace the broken versions of each I’d bought four years ago. As it turns out, I am not doing the Quickbooks bookkeeping because 1) these small businesses can’t really afford the cost to have someone else do the books and 2) I hated it. I tried to convince myself it was expanding my skills to learn the software and the whole accounting mentality. Gah. I wanted a shower after trying to read IRS style report generating procedures. It made me miserable. So, this make-a-plan venture = FAIL.

Having said that, I am not willing to give up my computer equipment, scanner, printer, router or camera. I do have visions of a slim notebook, the peripherals tucked away for the infrequent use and a solar panel to run this biggest energy hog within my energy footprint. I don’t doubt this capability and the cost will make this a reality at some point, but not right now.

I do have a make-a-plan success story. I decided some time last year that I would be done with my television service by this time this year. It is now officially 10 years and a week since I went to the dark side with digital cable television. My success is that I beat this make-a-plan strategy by pulling the plug 4 months early. Yea me! This is what I am left with as equipment to purge.

Television Sets – I have two television sets that I would like to pass along. One was given to me by a neighbor and it supposedly has a DVD player and VCR built into it. Sadly, the DVD player doesn’t work on newer DVD’s. I received a free DVD player from a neighbor on Sunday, so I don’t see a reason to keep the big set in my little house. The truth is it reminds me of my zombie life and it annoys me. The shed has a small Motorola I used in Arizona for my office / bedroom. In addition to these sets there are the two DirecTV converter boxes and remote controls. Oy. These are not costs, but they are trashy – as far as symbols.

Our mobile home park is having a community yard sale at the end of this month. I think I may put these items and come of the zip disks from last week’s purge into the sale. After that, it’s freecycle.