So last week, I had to get my iPhone fixed. Why? Because my speaker broke down.  I knew I had to get it fixed when my girlfriend (who has never seen Star Wars in her life), called me and claimed that Darth Vader answered the phone:

What I thought I sounded like: “Hey so I’ll see you for lunch at 2.30?”

What I actually sounded like: “(HEAVY MECHANICAL BREATHING) YOU DON’T KNOW THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE!!!”

The Phone Chronicles

So being the personal finance geek that I was, I did a rational cost-benefit analysis and decided that instead of getting a new phone, I’d save way more money by fixing my old phone – if the price was right. I set myself a budget: If my phone repair cost more than $100, I’d screw the old phone and get a new one instead.

So ...