Univeral Oneness of Home Electronics

I own one piece of home electronics... a PC. It functions as my radio, CD player (not that I own and CD's anymore, MP3 player, DVD player and television. In addition to the usual computer stuff and of course, games.

Most of my PC functionality is pretty self-expalnatory. It plays CDs, MP3 and DVDs. I listen to ad-free MP3 streams rather than local radio. For television I download the few shows I actually follow. A high speed connection is cheaper for be than basic cable and I get a discount on it through work. As an all in one entertainment center I concede it's not as good as an HD TV with surround sound-- but it's adequate, saves money, and the doesn't need an additional big piece of furniture to house it.

I've spent a fair deal of money upgrading it and getting the 19 inch monitor, graphics card etc. For the cost, I probably could have bought a bunch of cheap electronics; but since I have to own a computer anyway, it's a good value for me. Plus if it ever breaks I know exactly how to fix it, which means never paying for shipping or labor on repairs.

Another benefit? PC's bring in a terrible return at the pawn shops. When my apartment was robbed a few years ago they took: the stereo, the TV, the DVD player and the Playstation. They didn't touch with the computers.

If you're at all technically inclined/interested I highly recommend learning how to build and repair your own system. It's really easy when you know how and if you buy the parts individually you can cut the cost of a computer in half (if not more) than a Dell or other preconstructed machine. And unlike making your own pants-- a computer you build yourself will probably be better than name brand models.