You can work on your laptop, too! It isn't generally too hard to replace a laptop hard drive. Google the model of your laptop and "repair manual" or "replace hard drive" or something along those lines. There is probably a manual or guide somewhere on the internet that can walk you through it step by step.
This website is a great place to start:
http://www.ifixit.com/
A new hard drive is much cheaper than a new computer!