If you live near a college campus, check out their recycling center or campus surplus. Lots of IT departments just toss UPS when they upgrade equipment regardless of battery status. I like to grab APC ones because the battery replacements are easy to find and there’s usually a YouTube video for the exact model with someone refurbing it.

I’ve been buying used 12tb HGST from Amazon for $80.

Lol yeh but it’s partially funded by money saved from canceled subscriptions.

I’m a noob, I started 2 months ago with immich and tailscale. Now I have an unraid server, it’s a slippery slope.

I paid $1000 for books my first semester of college back in 2007. I felt so burnt and violated I never bought another textbook. I made it through the rest of undergrad, a masters, and a PhD in biochemistry by checking out books from the library, borrowing textbooks from friends, and going sailing. When I taught I made it a point to teach my students about all the ways they can avoid becoming a victim like myself.