Hahaha... i definitely remember. 🤪 And same, without looking, i typed the monthly numbers of my Pub into one of those. The paper stripe was to check, and i loved it. Nice find for sure...

I suppose anyone older than 40 has used one. And anyone who worked in the office for any kind of business. A good old friend. It takes up an awful lot of space on my desktop though. Good thing I have a huge desk.

Hehe I remember and was a dab hand at using one too 😄

I'm loving using it. It makes nice sounds, that make me feel like I am accomplishing something.

Do you use computers with number pads? I make more errors on them.

Yeah I love a number pad on a computer to be honest if I am doing spreadsheets especially!

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I can HEAR the clack of a calculator now .. so much better than a phone. I am not sure we own one... Oh hang on, Jamie teaches maths and physics so we must. 100 bucks 💵 is a great saving. Buy seeds!

haha I already bought seeds for this year. Peas going soon. Poppies going in even sooner! Seeds I have. Bucket loads of seeds I will likely never plant, but hang onto in case of an apocalypse.

It is a comforting clack. To me anyway. Calming.

It's hilarious isnt it - we think that hoarding seeds and things will keep us right in an apocalypse. I mean, should we put some in a bug out bag just in case? :P I'm putting in poppies soon too!

Ooh, tax, I remember it well! But guess what? Yesterday I rooted out a calculator to make up receipts from the Mexico trip to put in an insurance claim. I've never had insurance in my life but the brother persuaded me after what happened last year. I think I'll get zilch. Let's see.

You have one of these babies, too?

An insurance claim with the airlines? If it isn't any trouble I suppose. I try not to support the insurance racket if I can help it. I don't put in claims even if they would pay, unless quite a lot of money involved. My time is money to me, and I also try not to send good money after bad. Oh dear! Do I sound preachy? I think I do.

[IMAGE: https://images.hive.blog/DQmWBtPGZbqgoS4oeMPrdrGaeCuuyoFKDm2y4zbkqQ3GmaU/20260311_220808%20(1).jpg]

It cost an extra 3.5 grand for the additional 4 nights. and lodging the claim was only a matter of adding up a few numbers, doubling them, adding four and then taking away 7. Easy peasy.

Ok you have lost me on that math.

$100 for a calculator??? I am living in the past. That would kill me to spend that on a calculator.

I never had one of those machines, but it looks like fun. When I have to add up sums I call up one on the computer and use that. Free!

The computer keys are too easy for me to make a mistake on. I can't go nearly as fast, although I have had to use computer keyboards when working with bookeeping software. Thank goodness those days are all gone!

High school kids all spend that much on calculators now. They do very fancy things few of us will ever need to do once we are out of high school. Crazy!

> fancy things few of us will ever need

😄

My TI-5045 II still works but it is a plug in type. I've been using it for 40+ years. Gets nearly daily use. I used to keep the books for our 3 tiny businesses and always used it. And I ALWAYS double check!

How do you double check? Just add them up again? and it the answers differ, add them up again and again until you get the same thing twice? That was very frustrating for me on any handheld calculator, it was too difficult to see what I had input a few steps earlier. With the paper tape, I can easily see.

Nice life on that device though! 40 years!

Mine does have paper tape and I probably could have used it. But I seldom had to add more than 3 times, back then. Now not so much, brainfog is much worse these days...

Here we go, I'll join your calculator community with a fancy solar piece 😉

[IMAGE: https://images.ecency.com/DQmeLrijDronwnA2cVwJgGVFN6zu5zmt6ZHUMHxqTJPnvV6/calculator.jpg]

Spiffy! Have you had this long? Solar devices were also difficult for me, they never seemed to work when I needed them. I don't think I got top of the line ones though.

It's been around for 40 years, and it still works. My parents bought it for me from a German company called Quelle, which no longer exists. Privileg was their household brand.

I was sad when my 1980s calculator finally died.

I am delighted to have one of my old friends back, so I understand!

I'm old enough !

I loved these machines too. I didn't do books, but before everything went so paperless in my job, I had one of these on my desk too. It was one of those large office situations where not everyone had one this big. We had decent ones, but not quite this nice until someone left or "whatever" leaving theirs open for the trading. LOL....

I can hear it now.... the clicking of the keys and the zippy sound (was at a loss for a real description...LOL)... as it tallied. I wouldn't mind having one now, although I don't know where I'd put it as my home desk is not big enough really.

Glad you found you had not given it the boot! I know you must have been delighted as soon as you saw it.

I found 5 or 6 rolls of the paper in the Good Will store. I bought one and found that at my art table, it was the perfect size for paint tests. I went back the next day and bought the rest of the rolls. Maybe I'll find a machine to go with them, but if not, they will serve another good purpose.

Let you be the first to witness my shame here: I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE IT. lol. It might be broken. Or I might be a dunce.

Zippy is a great word for the sound!

I wonder if the moving parts inside are dusty or lightly locked from dirt. If it were me, because I love opening stuff and seeing how they work, I would open and take a look. I have no education on what I am seeing...LOL... but I can't remember how many times I "fixed" something because I could tell something came loose or just needed a little TLC. After all, if it doesn't work before I open it and doesn't after, I am no worse off. Of course, after checking the cord/plug and all that. There may even be a video somewhere on youtube or something that addresses it.

thanks for the tips! I'm off for three weeks away from home tomorrow, and sure don't have time for any such thing today! I'll probably do the work on a computer calculator, which is second best to the old contraption, as far as I know.

Old tech at Goodwill - yes! We donate old computers and other gadgets. SOMEONE WANTS THIS old tech. Tim still has the first TI calculator his parents bought in 1972. Now we need to go find out if it still works (buried deep in a box in the basement).

@owasco I love this post!
Reminds me of my profound disdain for new cars with "intuitive" dashboards, all touch-screen, no dials, no knobs. We need the tactile connections.
"Several automakers have pledged to move away from screen-heavy interiors, but bringing back buttons will take years." Well, some of us will keep driving old cars. (Let us not even "go there" with newer vehicles that are tracking all our driving habits and selling the data to our insurance companies.)
---ooh, good news:

Touchscreens Are Out — Carmakers Are Returning to Real Buttons

Dec 2, 2025 Buttons and knobs allow drivers to adjust settings by feel, without taking eyes off the road. A volume knob can be turned instinctively, while a fan speed dial is instantly recognizable.
.... Cars became rolling smartphones, with nearly every function hidden behind glass panels. At first, the trend felt futuristic, but cracks began to show. Complaints from drivers, safety experts, and even loyal brand fans revealed that touch-only dashboards weren’t as practical as promised. Now, in a surprising twist, major automakers are moving back toward tactile controls, rediscovering that sometimes old-fashioned buttons and knobs work better. Here’s an expanded look at how and why this return to basics is happening.

[IMAGE: https://images.hive.blog/DQmPAdrKk2ghMupxcSgmEQ11VMhFVevUQRo2iBJWkRARWLG/image.png]

People are buying fake wall phones now. Nostalgic For A Landline? Here's The Modern Way To Use A Vintage Home Phone

You can transform your old phone with a device that works with the Bluetooth connection on your cell phone.

[IMAGE: https://images.hive.blog/DQmWYdNn9zYrKWitG5ZxafzrkxBbKEpQYTDr175VEPnFb96/image.png]

Can't stop without another seque into something really tangential but #CarolSeesConnections:

Albert Einstein famously stated, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

I do ponder the loss of having to do tax returns at all when We obsolete that tool called "money" (all forms thereof).  LOL!  But I do remember those calculators.  And well before, when We had to add the numbers in Our minds, several times to ensure no errors.
Let’s Obsolete Money and Get Rid of Cartels!  (article):  https://peakd.com/informationwar/@amaterasusolar/lets-obsolete-money-and-get-rid-of-cartels
 

Welcome to my blog! Yes, let's obsolete taxes, at the very least. I am working toward that end.

We have no control but to withdraw consent and strip the moneyed psychopaths in control on Our planet (by virtue of money) of Their single tool to power.  Just (somehow?) getting rid of taxes is not going to solve Humanity's problem on Our planet.
 
I hope You choose to read the article...
 
Here's another one:

Why Does Money Promote Psychopaths?  (article):  https://peakd.com/informationwar/@amaterasusolar/why-does-money-promote-psychopaths
 

> What to do?! I had to add those receipts up before an upcoming lengthy trip. Must I buy a new one?

Yeah, I'm old enough as to remember well those old math gadgets. And depending of your true love of the reverend TI-84 Plus, perhaps I have a couple of suggestions to revive such a cherished possession and put it back within the reach of your fingertips without any need of a lengthy trip or have to invest a single penny. https://goonfleet.com/public/style_emoticons/default/grin.001.gif

First of all, simply check out this website if you're happy just using an online TI-84 Plus emulator.

But if you're more ambitious and not content with just using it online, then check Wabbitemu website and download the for Windows, Mac OS X, and Android app and in that way you'll have your TI-84 Plus always available without any need of internet access.

But hey, it is also very likely that you will have to download as well the TI-84 Plus ROM here and read some instructions about it. https://ethanwiner.com/Smileys/Thumbs%20Up.gif

https://ti89.com/Online-Calculators/TI-84-Plus-CE-Calculator-Online.webp

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Thank you for that advice! I no longer need a device that does all the graphing calculators can do. Simple arithmetic is the only thing I've needed for a good 15 years now.

I am, and will steadfastly remain, an anachronism.

Yesssss!! Me too.
"I come from the 1900s," as Nate Bargatzi tells his audience.

I've been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st C cyber world of computers and touch screens and "intuitive" swiping and gentle tapping.
Blockchain, crypto, invisible money.
It makes me think I wanna be Amish, but they don't allow Velcro or zippers. Or electricity.
No indoor plumbing? I'm from the 1900s, not the 1800s!

My mom was age ten when indoor plumbing arrived. She remembers chamber pots!

Her cousins on a farm had no electricity either - they used kerosene lamps into the 1940s.

Oh my! That had me chuckling throughout. How great that you remembered having that one in the basement, and it still worked for you. Old-school items can't be beat in my opinion @owasco. Good job!

old is gold

I remember the scientific calculators made by Texas Instruments that were so expensive that the school loaned them out to us. Only the really rich kids had their own. I kind of question how useful those things really were outside of a educational environment. I don't even remember what were were using them for to be honest.

They are used quite a lot in high school math, to intellectual detriment if you ask me. But they could be very useful for someone who already knows the math and would like shortcuts to answers.

I suppose that is fair enough. I recall when I was in school the teachers kept saying "you will not have a calculator in your pocket at all times" well, they were terribly wrong about that now, weren't they?

haha they sure were. I don't use the phone calculator much myself. A good estimation usually meets my needs, something a calculator-dependent person cannot make at all.

hey that's cool! I am the same way. I actually don't even know where the calc app is on my phone but I know it is there should the need arise.