Retire from 8 to 5 

Wish we could say that’s it, that’s the article, but we will justify for you why this frugality strategy is so critical in many ways. Save the world and your money.

Between the both of us, since 2011, here is the grand total of our electronic device purchases.

• 1 TV 2011
• 2 iPad (first purchased in 2014, second received from work for free in 2024). The first one still works and we use it on occasion.
• 7 phones (K – 2009 when he got his first job, 2015, 2018, 2024, and S- 2011 when S got her first job, 2013, 2019)
• 2 laptops (2013, 2020)

Looking at the above list, it is likely in the range of $6,000 – $7,000, total, so average $3,500 per person, which S, rather unreasonably feels is still high. K, being a bit more tech-interested than S, finds this laughable. K will constantly say that S’s spending habits, particularly with electronics, has the potential to bring a thriving economy to a halt. This survey shows 40% of adults upgrade their phones every 2-3 years, and this range is expected to reduce as devices are released sooner with improved features. In honestly, we keep our phones until they become landlines. Had we replaced our devices every 2-3 years, we would have spent closer to $4,550 per person on just phones, assuming a phone is $500. The cost a good phone far exceeds $500, and this is likely a significant under-estimation. And if you are replacing your phones, it is very likely you are replacing other electronic gadgets you own as well.

This topic truly baffles S – if it works, why replace it? Is boredom or “trying something new” worth $750, which could grow to $1,800 over 5yrs compound interest? This is an easy one to be frugal about. If you get the urge to replace your fully-functional “old” device, get $750 from the bank and put in a jar and let it sit in your shelf for a few days. You will get the urge to check on it every so often, and you will feel good when you see it. Slowly you will get used being on your shelf, and you will lose the urge to spend it. Bordering a bit on psychology there, but S thinks it could work. And it will help you push the expenditure out by a few weeks or months.

And lastly, think about the electronic waste generated. Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants someone else’s 4 year old scratched up mobile phone or laptop with a dying battery. Even our son knows the difference b/w S’s 2016 Galaxy S8 and K’s 2024 iPhone, and prefers watching his cartoons on K’s phone. According to the UN, “recycling activities are not keeping pace with the global growth of e-waste.” The report shows total weight of world’s electronic waste, exceeds the weight of Great Wall of China, and only 9.4% of e-waste is recycled in the USA. Most electronics contain heavy metals like Cadmium, Mercury and Lead, and are dangerous, unless recycled with the correct processes. It is not easy to take individual components out of an electronic device, and melt them back into scrap that can be reintroduced in manufacturing. We simply don’t have the technology to do this, and it is not on the horizon for the foreseeable future. We cannot recycle our way out of this problem. Re-use and re-cycle is not going to work, without reduce.

Save the world and your money – please do NOT replace electronics, until they fall apart.