Shopping cleverly for technology can actually become a positive thing when you look carefully at the genuine benefits for your lifestyle or productivity. But before you head to the checkout, keep these money-saving tips top of mind.
Stick To Your List
It is all too easy to get overwhelmed and overexcited when there are sales going on. It is just as easy to get carried away and spend money on things you don’t need.
By creating a list of the products you actually need or specifically want, this keeps your focus and it means you won’t be tempted to stray and pick up tons of things you have no use for. This not only prevents buyer’s remorse, but also means you’re not overspending, and sticking to a strict budget.
Research The Retailer
This can mean checking you have all the facts about the product you want, but you should also make it a priority to look up the retailer or the company that you want to buy from. Visit their website and check out their delivery- and returns policies, if they offer any cash-back or price matches, and their customer reviews. This will give you a better idea of whether the site is trustworthy.
Price History
Retailers often try to entice shoppers with specials, so they might hike up the price in the months before, only to bring the price back down to its original price and then pretend it’s now on sale, and all so you think you are getting it for much cheaper. Get prices from a few retailers so you get a realistic idea of how the product has been priced over time.
Shop A Year Behind
Having a sale is often a way for retailers to clear out last season’s stock in preparation for newer models. This is most often the case with TVs, but laptops, tablets and phones that are only a year old may get huge price cuts, specifically, because they’re not the newest on the market. By shopping a year behind, you can find some of the cheapest prices on top products that may work perfectly for you, even if they are not the very latest tech.
Sign Up
Depending on where you are shopping, you could sign up for a newsletter to receive marketing information. Although this sounds like inviting more spam, you’ll also be notified first about any deals and discounts, so you can get your order in before it’s out of stock or the price rises again.
Alternately, if you do register on a shopping site, you can often set reminders that alert you when certain products drop in price or are back in stock.
Know Yourself
Look beyond the marketing messages and sales hype and figure out what your tech needs really are. Then get the product which best meets those needs, but invest in one or two ‘stretch’ features that you can grow into with time. This might be a touchscreen on your new laptop, 4G on your new tablet or waterproofing on your new phone.
Be A Conscious Consumer
By buying the best-quality product you can afford instead of simply buying the cheapest item, you’ll ensure your gear will last much longer, and the longer you can utilise your products, the better the value you are getting.
Don’t buy for cheap; buy for the best value. Electronics is one of the biggest contributors to the greenhouse gases that are causing global warming, from making the products to using them to disposing of them at the end of their life. So, shop smart, buy less and save the planet.
