My husband is into computers for his job, so I trust his judgement when it comes to buying a computer. A year ago, we wanted to buy a new laptop. However, we also had just found out that I was pregnant (yipee!). What to do, what to do.... we new the laptop would help us with working from home, but we also needed to save money. My husband looked into refurbished and used laptops and we decided that was the right deal for us.

Refurbished laptops can be from a variety of scenarios. They could be simple returns (nothing wrong, customer changed their mind), return with something minor wrong (that then has been fixed), or they could be laptops put together from different parts. It's important to find out exactly what is the history of the laptop you're buying. If there was something wrong with the laptop that was fixed, what was it? Is this a common problem? Did they replace it with the same exact part that may be likely to break again? Laptops that are made up of different parts can be good buys because you can get the best of every world, and for cheap. They'll take the shell of the laptop from one company, the processing chip from another, etc., etc. While you're likely to get quality parts, beware of how they all work together. If you're not an IT professional, this is probably not the kind for you.

My husband and I got a refurbished Gateway for only $399.  It's been great (I'm using it right now).  Ours was a return, but we've had no problems.

Here are some other tips to follow:

Buy from a reputable source. You can buy from Dell, other computer companies, or reptuable sellers on ebay or Amazon.com. Make sure the company has been around for awhile and is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Warranties or return policies are a plus! Many sellers of refurbished or used laptops offer warranties or at least a short term return policy. This is good, because it shows that the seller has faith in his own product.

Buy the latest technology. Remember, there are technological advances in computers everyday. What you buy today will be outdated in a year. So, if you're buying a refurbished or used laptop, you need to look at the specifications you're getting. You don't want to get something that is so outdated that you're going to want a new computer again in another year. As a guideline, computers are designed to last 3 to 5 years.