Reduce. Reuse. Refurbish.

Looking for a new computer or laptop can be a stressful situation for a lot of people like me, who might not know all the stats and specifics about the different brand and models. All I know is that I want something that will run smoothly, load quickly, and let me surf the net, listen to music, and run some programs that make life easier as well as enjoyable.

One of the most stressful things about purchasing a new laptop (which my family recently did last year) was the price. Knowing our then-current computing equipment was on it’s very last legs, causing all kinds of problems and taking foreeeeeeevvvvvveeeeerrrrrr to load even the simplest of pages, we figured we’d find a great deal doing some Boxing Day shopping. Ha! The “fantastic deals” were far from the budget we had to work with, and we ended up putting off buying the badly needed electronic until May.

As a surprise for Mother’s Day (yes, we buy “presents” for each other as a way of making us feel that our spending was warrented), my hubby bought “me” (read: us) a brand new laptop. Finally, a computer that would actually let us do what we wanted without a thick layer of dust settling over the keys. Woohoo! After packing the old laptop up and demoting it to the neglected cubby of our what the heck is going on in here room “craft room”, I began to consider how wasteful the electronic industry is.

There are new models and brands emerging every day, and so many people buying new computing equipment on a regular basis for personal, business and school use. Each new laptop and desktop means that an old piece of equipment has likely become obsolete, adding to our already jam-packed world of tossed-away items. I had heard faint whispers of buying refurbished laptops and computers, which would surely help ease the planet of production costs and wastes, but where could you find them? Would they actually work properly and run smoothly? And was the cost even affordable? In answer my ponderings came the very recent launch of the refurb.io website. A fantastic way to make thoughtful purchases that reduce the strain on the environment, this company was a welcome find for me. Originally founded in 2003, this Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher company has the experience of over a decade under their belt and wants to make their sustainable products available on a broader scale.

Refurb.io takes electronics that have been used as display models, leased for corporate use, or returned for a variety of reasons, and therefor cannot be considered “new”. The electronics from Dell, HP, IBM and Lenovo are cleaned, certified and quality tested to ensure the products function to the same degree of awesomeness as a “brand new” electronic, then are put up to be sold to students, families, small businesses, or anyone that wants a quality product without paying top dollar. Their motto of “Savings and Sustainability” rings true. On the refurb.io website you can find a new-to-you laptop for less than $300. For example, the above 14.1″ Dell Latitude E6400 is on sale right now for $243. I would mention all the fabulous things this particular laptop includes, but as I mentioned above, I’m not exactly a whiz when it comes to understanding why a great laptop is so great. Check out the specifics for yourself here.

Now, usually when you purchase an electronic, you get the option to buy a warranty to go along with your goods in case something happens and they end up not being as great as they claimed to be. When you buy from refurb.io, you automatically get a one-year warranty on your purchase. For free. No extra charges, no sneaky sales gimmick. You just get that piece of mind without having to weigh whether or not that warranty is worth opting for (something I always have a really hard time doing).

Once you’ve decided which product best suits your needs, you can pay for it using VISA, MasterCard, American Express or PayPal, and have your shiny new computer shipped to you, anywhere in Canada, in as little as 2 days. Easy peasy, right? (From the US? Don’t worry, the US site is coming soon!) For the time being, the products available on the refurb.io website are desktop computers (screens, towers and combos) and laptops, but I’m going to keep a watchful eye in hopes that more types of refurbished electronics become available in the future. And I will certainly be considering using refurb.io to promote sustainability when the time comes (always sooner than we hope) to upgrade to a new system.

Because they are so convinced that you’re going to love shopping sustainably with them, refurb.io is offering a giveaway for you lovely readers. Enter in the form below for your chance to win a $100 gift card towards your refurbished electronics purchase. Also, as the saying goes “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game”, play the smart-shopping game by using this discount code to receive 10% off laptops: LAUNCH10 (discount valid until April 30th, 2015).

*Disclaimer* While this post was sponsored by refurb.io to help spread the word about this nifty company, all of the above thoughts and opinions on refurb.io are a reflection of my own true and honest feelings. You can check out my full disclosure policy here.

What are some of your favourite ways to reduce waste by reusing and repurposing?