I’ve had my laptop for 3 weeks now. I’m using it more than I thought I would. I knew I would use it while keeping an eye on the kids outside, but I’m also finding myself sitting on the couch most evenings working and researching instead of exiling myself upstairs to the office. The choice to go with the 17″ screen to get the numeric keypad on the right side was a wise choice for me. I’ve been doing some clean-up bookkeeping for a client this month and so far I’ve logged 20 hours of my billable time on that laptop. It would have been a nightmare for me to try to enter all those numbers using the top row of keys instead of the 10-key. I know you can get an add-on USB 10-key, but that’s just one more thing to have to keep up with and find a place to set it when you’re working – and when you’re working on your lap, that can be difficult. For anyone who works often with numbers in their line of work…I highly suggest not pinching pennies and go with the 17″ screen with an integrated 10-key.
Purchasing a laptop
It was inevitable. I knew I was going to have to make the purchase sooner or later. Now that school is almost out I had to choose whether I wanted my oldest child to be cooped up in the house with me all day every day this summer, or whether I wanted the ability to work from my back deck while keeping an eye on her while she is swimming (no swimming alone at my house unless you’re a “grown up”). So, after much research and personal debate on how to pay for this major purchase (anything over $500 is a major purchase for me), I finally submitted my order for my new laptop – complete with the options I felt were necessary for me and my business. Anyone who knows me will be able to guess that it wasn’t “high end” with all the bells and whistles I would never use, but it also is not an entry level model.
Now all that’s left to do is sit back and wait until it’s delivered.