America has long been a throw-away society. If something starts to go haywire, it seems simpler to ditch it in favor of a new model.

This has always been the case for many things, and we even encouraged to do it by advertisers. Everything, we are told, is disposable.

Thanks to this recession, that mindset may end up discarded instead of the old computers people are used to ditching for newer models at a rapid rate.

As the economy continues to languish, more people are looking for ways to extend the life of their belongings, and to many Miami and Fort Lauderdale computer repair institutions, that means opportunities for new business.

“I never really repaired stuff. I was the kind of guy that used to throw it away,” one Miami computer service technician himself said recently.

“I don't have as much money as I used to. I've been fixing my computers and equipment because I can't afford them new but I can pay to fix them.”

He is hardly a unique case.

“We've certainly seen more repairs because of the economy,” said another Miami computer repair shop owner.

This creates benefits beyond the economic viability of computer repair institutions, of course. With more people looking to repair and reuse, less trash ends up making its way to landfills, which is a good thing for the environment, as well.

Recessions affect how people treat possessions. When times are good, the average consumer is likely to spend less than 1 percent of their household budget on repairs.

During an economic downturn, the amount spent on repairs climbs as high as 5 percent, which may not sound like a lot, but is still a 500 percent increase.

Beyond the economy, the push to live green is also changing behavior. For instance, recycling rates increased from 16 percent in 1990 to 33 percent in 2007.

But even a global economic slowdown and burgeoning environmental movement might not be enough to change modern consumerism – at least not in the near term.

It has been the marketing mandate of most companies - and not just in regards to computer services - that you should replace older items with brand new models and not fix your current model. That mentality is not likely to simply vanish.

On the flip side, the threshold at which a consumer considers Ft. Lauderdale computer over a new computer has definitely shifted considerably.

Whereas a $100 repair used to spur customers to scrap a computer, many computer services now say clients are considering $300-500 repairs rather than buying new.