Earlier this month a teenager in China sold one of his kidneys for an iPad. While it’s easy to say this is a step too far in our quest for the latest gadget, where would you draw the line?
iPads are great. I have yet to hear a convincing argument against them, but I don’t own one – yet. For me, it all boils down to cost. At the end of last year I bought myself a camera, which I’d been saving up for it. I’m also set on buying myself a new laptop. So, as much as I want an iPad, I simply can’t afford it at the moment.
Still, it’s well and truly on my shopping list. The iPad’s just too good to miss and I’m not willing to compromise with a cheaper tablet. So now I’m looking at its £400 price tag and trying to calculate where I could find that money.
What would I give up for an iPad?
I reckon that I spend around £50 on a typical night out, so if I sacrifice two nights out each month, I could afford a new iPad this side of Christmas. But I’m not going to do that – giving up my occasional nights out isn’t a price I’d be willing to pay.
A packet of cigarettes these days costs around £7, so the cheapest iPad is about the same as 60 packets – or 1,200 cigarettes. If you could cut your 20 cigarettes a day by half then you’d be able to buy an iPad in just four months
And what about that summer holiday? Do I really need to go abroad this year? Many holiday makers are expected to have a ‘staycation’ this year in a bid to save money. It’s been reported that the average week-long holiday in the UK costs around £425. And holidaying abroad costs even more – I could easily save enough money for an iPad if I gave up my forthcoming trip to the Italian Lakes. Will I? Probably not.
My colleagues in the Which? Money team would probably scoff at the interest I get on my savings. Their research has shown that we could all earn an extra £322 if we put our pot of cash into a best rate account. That’s almost enough for an iPad. I could make up the rest from my jar of coppers.
Finally, being in my early thirties means there are weddings going on all around me. Now I love a good wedding, but I wonder whether £18k – the average cost of a UK wedding – is really necessary. If I had that much money to spend on my wedding, I’d simply chop off £400 for an iPad – no one would even notice.
Would you give up any of the above in order to afford the latest must-have gadget?
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