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If you are someone who enjoys your gadgets, who works in an industry where you need lots of different gizmos and technology, or who runs your own business, then you might find that you end up spending an awful lot on these different devices. Tablets, smartphones, laptops and computers are not cheap in general, and by their very nature they often need upgrading, repairing and replacing. Just when you’ve bought the very best device you can find something else on the market that you want more and this can start to eat into your balance. Here then we will look at how you can save money and still enjoy the best gadgets.
• Early Adopters
If you’re the kind of person who buys new devices the moment they come out then this is a tendency you should try to moderate. While you might feel like you absolutely have to have whatever is the latest gadget, sometimes this can end up costing you a lot more money and leaving you with a worse device in the long run. Like the looks of the Microsoft Surface tablet? Well if you rush out and buy one in October then you actually won’t get the best experience because the Surface Pro that can run all your Windows 7 software won’t be out until there months after. Playing a waiting game can help you to make the right decision regarding the tech you want and can also of course allow you to buy products when they have come down in price slightly.
• Buy in One Go
When you buy your technology don’t be tempted to buy on finance. Sure it might feel a lot cheaper at the time, but obviously you’re going to end up paying a lot more in the long run or they wouldn’t offer the option. This goes as well for getting smartphones and tablets with your mobile data plan – you’ll pay so much more a month for your contract and be tied into it for so long that you could probably have bought the device you wanted several times over before you spent anywhere near that amount.
• Buy Second Hand
Often a gadget or a device will be hardly any different second hand than it would be new – and this is particularly true if the device is still a fairly new one. Look for the device you want in shops like CEX and you can get a significant saving but without any impact on the performance – and this is another good reason to wait a bit before buying of course.
• Choose Well
How well you choose your technology can also save you an awful lot of money in the long run. Try to choose your device to be as ‘future proof’ as possible – in other words ask yourself which phone, tablet, computer etc. is likely to still be competitive and relevant in the next two years and go for that one. Think about what you like to use, and do your research into which devices are coming out in the future to ensure that you don’t find yourself wishing you had something newer.
• Sell
And when you do upgrade, think about selling your old device and seeing how much you can get for it. If you can plan this in advance when choosing your device too, and if you choose a gadget that’s likely to still be worth a lot of money in a year’s time then you can upgrade more quickly by simply trading in your old gadget for a slight upgrade rather than having to pay for one outright. For instance if you are an Apple fan and you have an iPhone 4, then you can probably sell it for a good profit and then only need to put $100 or so towards the iPhone 5 when it comes out – a benefit of buying more premium hardware.
Image credits respectively: herval | SpicaGames | Håkan Dahlström | Ed Yourdon
This is a guest post by Martin Speedie. He is a finance consultant and a tech-freak and He shares his views on the latest gadgets through his blogs in debtconsolidation.com.au
these are some nice tips you got there….i hope it works..
manik sharma recently posted..Sony Xperia P Review, Specifications & Pictures
Follow the tips and hopefully it will work. Thanks
Hi Martin,
I have been a gamer ever since I can remember and you can safely say I am an early adopter when it comes to game consoles. In fact, I still have my old cartridge-based consoles as well as the modern consoles along with the games proprietary to them. However, when it comes to other devices and gadgets, particularly mobile phones, I never really buy them as soon as they are released. Although I always buy my gadgets new, I never really seem to sell them because maybe I am a bit sentimental. I know I should change and sell them while some still have value, but I just feel happy knowing that I have them.
Felicia recently posted..WPT Grand Prix de Paris: French Musician Tops Day 1b
You can keep them, if you feel that you are happy
Thanks Felicia for your insightful comment !