Revamping Your Computer Instead of Replacing It Could Save You BIG Money

— -- intro: As you know from my book "Save BIG," I love to save big chunks of money from time to time rather than pinching pennies day in and day out. Well, I just found a new way to do that: by rejuvenating your current computer instead of buying a new one. A top notch new machine could cost you hundreds -- even thousands -- of dollars, but if your current computer is less than five years old, you may be able to gussy it up and save a pile of dough in the process. Here's where to start:

quicklist:title: Delete Your Old Files text: Problem: After years of use, your computer collects tons of unused, unwanted programs, apps, documents and downloads.

Solution: Make the time to delete unnecessary items to make space and improve performance. The biggies are what you’re really after and you can find them on a PC by searching "size:gigantic" in Windows to display all files larger than 128 MB.

quicklist:title: Clear Your Search History text: Problem: When you visit a website, chances are it creates temporary Internet files or “cookies” and stores them on your computer. These stored files are meant to help you access information faster, but can take up valuable computer disk space, which gradually slows your computer down.

Solution: Clear the computer's Internet cache and browsing history to free up space and help it run faster. To do so, go to your browser’s settings. In Google Chrome on a Mac or PC, go to the upper right hand corner and hit settings, then “Show advanced settings,” and hit “Clear browsing data.”

quicklist:title: Power Off at Night Onlytext: Problem: Never powering off your computer or powering it off too often. Personally, I need to turn my laptop off more often, so it has a chance to accept software updates and reset itself. But many people power down much too frequently. When you turn your computer off then on, the internal hardware changes temperature rapidly, ultimately shortening the life of the device.

Solution: Turn your computer off at night and only at night. At other times, put it in sleep mode.

quicklist:title: Upgrade Your Computer's Memorytext: Problem: Your computer runs slowly and has trouble opening lots of applications at once. Sound familiar? You may need more memory.

Solution: Add more memory or "DRAM." Memory upgrades start at just $50 apiece and only take about five minutes to install. You may even be able to do it yourself. What type of memory do you need? Crucial.com offers a free online tool that quickly scans your computer and lets you know the exact type of memory you need.

Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author.

Elisabeth Leamy is a 20-year consumer advocate for programs such as "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show." She is the author of Save BIG and The Savvy Consumer. Elisabeth is also a professional speaker, delivering talks nationwide on saving money, media relations, and career success. Elisabeth receives her best story tips from readers, so please connect with her via Facebook, Twitter or her website, to share your ideas.