The other day, I was talking to a lady from the state of Georgia. She was telling me that she could not afford to buy a computer. She thought is was a luxury besides being a waste of time and money.

A couple of years ago, I doing cold sales calls on businesses in a rather large strip mall. I walked into this shoe store, and asked to speak with the manager or owner. A very well mannered elderly lady came out from the back room and introduced herself as the owner.

I asked what kind of software she was using to manage her inventory. At that point she harshly stated that they did not use any computer software for inventory management.  The only computer they had was the card reader for processing credit cards.

In today’s world, the 21st century demands that everyone has a computer with some level of skill. This is from a fourth grader doing their homework to the scientist reviewing the result of some experiment. Then there is knowing what things cost and where the best deal is at.

I use The Shopping Nazi as a means to share ways for saving money one product at a time. I post results of experiences and research five days a week. This is usually done Tuesday through Saturday. Everyone who reads The Shopping Nazi needs to have a computer or access to a computer.

In the post I point to websites where I got my information. I refer to websites where there are subject matter specialists. There is even TSN Deals on Facebook and The Shopping Nazi on Twitter for small bits of information. All of this information requires internet access through a computer.

You can get a good new computer for around $600, and a used one for much less. Then high speed internet access for $30 per month range. The conservative life span of a computer is 4 years. That makes you spending 1,440 in the four years for internet service plus the computer comes to a total of $2,040. That breaks down to $42 per month.

Now between financial management software, product reviews, price comparisons, along making our weekly grocery list we save at least $100 per month. Now you add in the entertainment from watching video, old television shows, and playing games. There is another $50 or more we save a month.

Do you think we get a great return on the money spent for the computer?

Well, our daughter does research for her homework. My wife relaxes after work by playing Farmville on Facebook. My main for of communication with business partners is by email.

Do you think there is an educational, emotional and personal value to having a computer in the house?

Because the three of us use the computer we have three of them in the house. That breaks down to $61.25 per month we spend on internet access and computer hardware.

I must say without any doubt, having a computer in this day is far past being a luxury. It is a needed tool for any family. Without it you are losing 3 or more times its’ cost in money.

Tags: Computers, Facebook, ROI, The Shopping Nazi, TSN Deals, Twitter