thrifty thursday rewind: how google gave me a camera fix and saved money

Ongoing linky parties: Motivation Monday and Fabulously Frugal Thursdays.

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Last week, my Canon Digital Rebel XT camera kept giving me an Error 99 message almost every time I took a picture. To say I was frustrated was a bit of an understatement. I know my camera is about 7 years old, however, getting a new one isn’t in the budget right now. Just a Canon Digital Rebel XT Camera Body runs about $549 on Amazon. Even though I use my camera all the time for my blog photography, I didn’t want to buy a new one right now just because I needed it.

Searching Google

I went to Google and searched for “Canon Digital Rebel XT Error 99.” Several promising links came up. I checked all of them before trying anything. I’m glad I did because one link suggested rubbing the lens contacts with a pencil eraser while another said this technique would remove the gold from the contacts.

Reading a little farther, I found out that the error code for my 2007 Canon could mean anything. In order to isolate the issue, I had to remove the battery, lens, and CF card for 20 minutes, and then add the battery, CF card, and lens back one at a time. None of these steps generated an error code. If it happens again, I’ll clean the contacts with a soft cloth lightly dipped in isopropyl alcohol.

In the meantime, I didn’t spend a dime, and I can save for a new camera body. I have my sights set on a Canon 60D, just the body.

What else can you find?

We’ve had some success with searching Google for answers to fixing problems. When our youngest shoved 2 game CDs into our oldest son’s Wii console, we found a YouTube video explaining how to take the console apart for repairs. Since the console was already out of warranty, my husband followed the instructions and removed the CDs, making the console operable again.

Frustrated by the controls on our alarm clock, my husband searched with Google and found the manual for the alarm clock online. He had a similar success figuring out how to fix the water dispenser on our old fridge.

Thrifty Thursday Rewind

I am excited to announce that I am joining with A Momma and the Boys Living on a Budget’s Thrifty Thursday Rewind every Thursday here at A Life in Balance!

1. Link up an old  money saving idea post (we want to give love to some of your older posts).
2. No giveaways or deals posts.
3. Recipes are allowed, but share how it is thrifty!
4.  A link back is nice but not required.
5. Visit the other links and share a comment.

Because I love meeting new people and sharing, this post is linked to:
Simple Lives, Your Green Resource, DIY Thrifty Thursday, Thrifty Thursday, Tackle It Tuesday, Frugal Friday

Disclosure: To help pay for running this blog, I am an Amazon Associate.

Meet Barb

Barb Hoyer has written 2736 posts.

After working in the fundraising world for over ten years, Barb is an avid runner, writer, photographer, parent volunteer, and lover of dictionaries and thesauruses. Wife to an engineer and mom to 5 kids, Barb lives in the suburbs of Philly. Her idea of relaxation is an afternoon on the couch with a stack of books.

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Tagged as: Amazon Affiliate, DIY Thrifty Thursday, Frugal Friday, Simple Lives, Tackle It Tuesday, Thrifty Thursday, Thrifty Thursday Rewind, Your Green Resource

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