It's the curse of a lot of gadgetphiles out there to fall in love with gadgetry but just not have enough to support the gadget lifestyle. Most just sit and wait for prices to go down (only to have a new and better gadget crop up). But going back to the point. Perhaps you wanted an iMac but your budget just doesn't cut it? Maybe you'll consider getting one now: Apple is offering a bunch of refurbished iMacs and tossing them out at a discount. Most of them are going for as low as 17% off. More in the full article.

ColorEnvy is a company that does everything to give your beat up iPod its luster back. They can custom paint your iPod to any color of your choice, repair scratches and do custom plastic painting of all kinds.

They are holding a rather interesting contest that will run until August 1, 2006 titled "The World's Worst Scratched iPod Contest". All you have to do is send in a picture of your iPod along with a short description on how you got it scratched. If you get chosen by the judges as having the iPod with the most scratch, you'll get your iPod refurbished and painted in the color you want. And to prevent any future disasters, they'll also throw in a Do-It-Yourself scratch repair kit.

Do not get any ideas of deliberately scratching your iPod just to win the contest, though. ColorEnvy has made it clear that they will not be held liable for any damages your device will incur.

We reported earlier about refurb MacBook Pros and iMacs that you could entertain as an option if the latest Apple babies are way, way out of your league for now - financially speaking. Now to add to your cheaper list of options are refurbished black and white MacBooks. The Steve Jobs camp is offering refurbished 13.3-inch Intel Core Duo MacBooks, each featuring a built-in iSight camera.

Apple's refurbished White 1.83GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, a 60GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive is available for $949, which will give you $150 worth of savings.

On the other hand, the White 2.0GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, a 60GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive is priced at $1,099, and it entails a $200 off.

If you're the type who believes that black is the sleekiest way to go, then maybe you may like the sound of this offer: Apple's refurbished Black 2.0GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, an 80GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive for $1,299, a $200 discount.

If you missed out on Apple's previous offer of refurbished nanos and iPods, don't fret because Apple Store is back with an even more enticing offer of refurbished iPod bundles and Mac minis.

A $49 512MB iPod shuffle comes with a free iPod shuffle armband. Ok, that may be an offer you can refuse, but can you say 'no' to an external battery pack? If you're through with the shuffle, you can get one of those 20GB clickwheel iPod with free iPod Dock for $169. For just an additional $30, you can have a 20GB color display iPod.

Refurbished Mac minis powered by 1.5Ghz Intel Core Solo with 512MB RAM and 60GB SATA hard drive/Combo drive is offered at $519. If you want bigger storage capacity of 80GB, you can get it at a discounted price of $699. The 1.42GHz G4 with 512MB RAM, 60GB Ultra ATA hard drive, a Combo drive, and a  32MB ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card is a steal at $519. The 80GB with SuperDrive, DVI or VGA video output version is only $599.

You've hold off buying an iPod long enough so don't miss the chance to grab one at a super low price. That is if you don't mind buying refurbished items. The Apple Store is now selling refurbished 2GB and 4GB iPod nanos for $169 and $219, respectively. Both models are available in black and white. Fifth generation iPods with video capability are also being offered for $259 and $339 for the 30GB and 60GB, respectively.

If the 14% to 16% discount is still not enough to entice you, then perhaps refurbished iPod Shuffles might just do the trick. The 512MB model is at it's lowest price point of $49, a 51% discount from the retail price. The larger capacity 1GB Shuffle is being offered for $79. If you fancy iPod with color displays, the 20GB and 60GB are going for $199 and $279, respectively.

As always, refurbished Apple merchandise comes with a one year warranty, and are shipped free of charge.