16/05/2026 7:55 am
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I just bought my first tablet ever its an ipad just the normal one not the pro or anything because the pro was way too expensive and I'm already feeling super overwhelmed by it all. I bought it because I want to start selling my crochet patterns on Etsy and maybe watch some Netflix in bed but when I was at the store the salesperson was like shoving all these extra boxes at me and I just got so nervous I said no to everything and ran out. Now I'm sitting here with just the tablet in a box and I'm terrified I'm gonna drop it or scratch it or something.
I have like maybe $100 left in my budget for this month to get 'the essentials' but I have no idea what that even means. Do I actually need one of those screen protector things? My logic was that I should get one but my cousin says they are impossible to put on without bubbles and that would literally drive me crazy. And what about a case? There are like a million on Amazon and some have keyboards and some dont and I was thinking that I should get a keyboard to type my patterns but then I realized I dont even know if they're hard to set up with the bluetooth or whatever.
So I was thinking about these things but I dont know what is actually a must have vs what is just a waste of money:
- a glass screen cover thing
- a case with a stand
- a keyboard
- one of those pens
Is a stylus worth it if I'm just doing simple stuff? I saw a pen that was $130 and I almost fainted because that's like half the price of the tablet itself. Are the cheap ones okay or will they break the screen? I'm sorry if these are really stupid questions I just feel like I'm drowning in choices and I dont want to waste my money on junk that I wont use but I also dont want to break my new toy on the first day... I'm in a small town so I have to order everything online and I'm scared of picking the wrong thing.
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16/05/2026 7:55 am
Honestly you did the right thing by walking out. Those store markups are insane and you really dont need to spend half the price of the tablet on a pen. I have been very satisfied with my budget setup and it has held up perfectly for over a year with no complaints. First, get a screen protector. I use the amFilm Tempered Glass Screen Protector for iPad 10.2 inch because it comes with a plastic frame that makes it basically impossible to mess up the alignment. No bubbles at all. For a case, a ESR iPad Case with Trifold Stand is plenty to keep it safe and it works well for propping it up in bed. Since you are on a budget, skip the Apple Pencil and get a Jamjake Stylus Pen for iPad. It is way cheaper and works great for tapping around. If you need to type your patterns, the Logitech K380 Bluetooth Keyboard is super reliable and easy to set up. You can get all of this for way under your $100 limit.
