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Frugal Advice for the Gadget Addicted

Jesse Lynch — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:00:10 +0000

Hi, my name is Jesse, and I’m a gadget-aholic. But I’m also a believer in frugal living, and new toys can add up quick. Small handheld gadgets are my weakness, but I’m learning to control the addiction. Here’s some advice to live frugally and enjoy your tech without compromising your financial goals.

1. Admit That You Have a Problem

Stop justifying every iPod, iPad, smartphone, or new laptop you buy. You know you don’t “need” them. You want them. And sometimes a want is OK, just don’t kid yourself.

2. Address Your Needs

Now that you know what you want, assess your tech needs. Is this new gizmo really going to improve your life? Is it really an upgrade from your earlier gadget? Are the features worth it? Do you need more memory and a front-facing camera? If not, maybe you can wait.

Also, make sure you are not overspending to buy features that you won’t use. For example, if you live in a small apartment, you probably don’t need a TV bigger than 42”.

3. Buy Used When Possible

Maybe you won’t get the newest and greatest thing on the market, but you can save a lot of money and still have a great time with your new purchase. Check out eBay and Craigslist.

4. Sell Your Old Gadgets When You Do Upgrade

Why leave a used phone, MP3 player, or digital camera collecting dust in a drawer? You’d be surprised how much people are willing to pay for some used gadgets. It helps if you take care of your current stuff to preserve resale value. In addition to Craigslist and eBay, sites like Gazelle specialize in buying old electronics, and they’ll even pay for shipping.

5. Buy Manufacturer-Refurbished Items

Apple and Dell sell refurbished products on their websites, complete with warranties. I’ve had a lot of luck buying items that were for all intents and purposes new. Often “refurbished” means returned and re-boxed.

6. Capitalize on the Serial Upgrader

We all have friends who buy a new phone or the latest and greatest gadget every few months. Capitalize on their addiction by buying their only slightly old stuff. I scored an iPad this way when a friend decided to upgrade to the 3G version. And usually your friends will be willing to cut you a deal.

7. Set Time Frames

Set a time frame for purchases and upgrades. Like every three years for a computer or two years for a phone. If it’s a new item, wait for the second generation if possible. First generation items are notoriously buggy.

8. Buy a Generation Older

While they might not be the latest and greatest, you can score older items at a big discount. This is an especially great option when the latest generation doesn’t offer any big bump in features. Older models can often be found at a discount when stores clear their shelf for the current generation.

9. Upgrade Parts in Your Old Stuff

I’ve gotten big improvements out of older computers by upgrading the RAM and hard drives myself. New batteries, a new hard drive, and more RAM can be easy to install can make your current device as good as a new one.

10. Think Multi-Purpose

Buy devices that can do more than one thing. If your new phone plays MP3s, maybe you can skip the latest iPod Nano. And why buy an e-reader and a handheld video game system when you can get a tablet that lets you read, play games, and surf the web?

11. Recognize That There’s Always Something Newer Around the Corner

Just like death and taxes, you can count on new “must have” gadgets every few months. And the longer you wait to buy, generally the better the next tech product will be in terms of features, specifications, and mostly importantly, price.

Guest Post Blurb:

This is a guest post by Jesse Lynch. Jesse is a Chicago-based marketing professional and freelance writer. When not plotting ways to save money, he writes for his food blog Fast Food Reviewed and his personal blog. Read more by Jesse:

This article is from Jesse Lynch of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

6 Ways to Save Money on iPads, iPhones, and Macs

Carlos Portocarrero — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:00:09 +0000

Apple makes powerful products that are intuitive and sexy. That's why I've been thinking of switching to a Mac for the past year. But one thing is stopping me: They're so damn expensive!

If you can't make your computer any faster and it's time to buy a new one, here are six ways you can "go Apple" and save some money while you're at it. (See also: How to Buy a Laptop Computer)

1. Buy Refurbished from Apple

Apple has one of the best refurbishing programs around. Some of these machines never left the factory and were simply held back due to things like scratches, dents, or additional testing.

You still get a one-year warranty (which is rare for refurbished products) and each product has gone through a rigorous testing process, so you are getting top-notch Apple quality.

The downside is there is a limited selection of products, but if you check out the refurbished store frequently, you're bound to find what you're looking for. This is one of those tips that long-time Apple fans have been taking advantage of for a long time: You're basically getting an almost-new machine at a pretty good discount.

Sample Deal: 16GB Wi-Fi iPad for $429
Typical Discount: 15-20%

2. MacMall

MacMall is a great place to find brand-new iPads, Macs, and iPods at a slight discount. It's rare to find a vendor that doesn't simply sell at the retail price, but MacMall manages to pull it off.

They are authorized by Apple to sell their products, and they offer Apple's full warranty program. If you want brand-spanking new and you don't want to pay full price, this is a great option. They'll even give you free shipping for orders over $49, which shouldn't be a problem with Apple's prices...

Sample Deal: 11.6" MacBook Air, 2GB RAM, 64GB Storage for $969
Typical Discount: 3-4%

3. The EDU Discount

Students and teachers can get up to an 8% discount on all Apple products. Pretty sweet, huh? You can even shop online at Apple.com and get the discount by looking up your school and purchasing via the Education Store portal.

I haven't gone through the process online, so I don't know if you can just say you go to a certain school or not, but if there is a check, I'm sure you can find a relative or a friend who can hook you up.

There are limits to how many products you can purchase with this discount in any given year, so make sure you review their terms and conditions beforehand.

Sample Deal: 15" MacBook Pro, 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive for $1,999
Typical Discount: Up to 8%

4. Buy Used

Buying used has always been a great way to save some money. But you will have to do your homework. Craigslist and eBay are my favorite places to buy used anything, but please make sure you meet these people in a public place, check out the machines/devices carefully, etc.

And make sure to shop around: You might find a machine that's in better condition for a little bit more, and that might be a good sign that the device will last longer while you own it.

Sample Deal: 16 GB iPhone 4 for $440
Typical Discount: Sky is the limit

5. Buy the Previous Generation

You can save a lot of money by simply buying the previous version of any Apple product. Every time a new version comes out, the old ones lose a little bit of luster and a little bit of their wow factor. That means there are a bunch of people who want to upgrade, and they will sell their old Macs and iPods for cheap. You might not like the idea of being a generation behind, but unless you're a heavy-duty user and actually need the fastest hardware (most people don't), then why not save a few bucks?

There are already rumblings that the new iPad will be coming out this year and the current ones will be selling for cheap (cheaper, anyway).

Sample Deal: 13.3" MacBook Air with 2GB RAM and 2.13GHz processor for $1,125 on Amazon
Typical Discount: 20-40%; sometimes more

6. Other Discount Programs

There are lots of other places you can find discounts depending on where you bank and where you work. I have a Bank of America credit card, and that means I can purchase some products via their WorldPoints Mall and get extra points that I can then turn in for cash.

It's not a straight discount, but it does help bring the price down some.

For example, MacMall and Apple both give me two bonus points for every dollar I spend with this program. That means buying a $1,500 Mac would net me 4,500 points, which are "worth" $45. If I shop at MacMall, that's a $45 discount on top of their already discounted price!

Government employees can also get a discount, whether they are federal or state employees. There are also limitations here but the discount covers military members too, so make sure to read up on the details.

Sample Deal: 27" iMac with 4GB RAM and 3.2GHz for $1,595
Typical Discount: ~3%

I'm curious to hear from readers if they've found other ways to save money when shopping Apple or from people who have used these discounts successfully.

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This article is from Carlos Portocarrero of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

FREE 8GB iPod Touch From BBVA Compass Bank (Colorado)

Paul Michael — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 05:10:57 +0000

You only have 30 days left to take advantage of this one, but it's a great offer for a great product. The big picture is simple — open up a BBVA Compass Build-To-Order Free checking account in Colorado and you get a FREE iPod Touch valued at $199.99.

Of course, the small print does ask a little more of you, but nothing you wouldn't be doing with your current checking account. You may see other offers like this have ended, but I picked up the promotion card today at my own branch (so I'm not eligible, obviously) and asked when it ended. April 30th was the answer. There may be similar promotions in your state, so do some checking.

Here are the major details:

To qualify for this offer you must open a new BBVA Compass Build-To-Order Free Checking account by April 30th.
The minimum deposit must be $25.
Within 6 weeks of opening the account, have your first direct deposit of at least $300 from an unrelated third party (your paycheck most likely).
For at least 6 months after opening the account, have your minimum $300 direct deposit continue once each billing cycle.
You will have to pay $9.95 shipping and handling for your iPod Touch.
If you don't comply, you'll pay $180 for the iPod Touch.

There's some more legal jargon, but that's the big idea. Basically, if you change banks and do what you do now with the new BBVA Compass Bank account, you'll bag your iPod Touch. If it's just not worth the hassle, fair enough. Certainly something to consider though, especially if you're looking for a new bank anyway. And the iPod Touch also allows you to do mobile banking, which is another reason to take advantage of this deal.

This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Can cheap AppleCare on eBay be trusted?

Torley Wong — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:39:43 +0000

After my previous article about too-good-to-be-true iTunes gift cards, I turned my attention to another discounted Apple item: AppleCare, essentially an extended warranty for your Apple products, including Mac computers and those omnipresent iPods. Like so much insurance, it promises "peace of mind". There's just one problem for many: the price.

Especially in today's recessed times, having to pony up to $350 (for the MacBook Pro) for 3 total years of tech support and phone coverage can be hard. That's why a lot of sellers are selling cheap AppleCare.

My AppleCare adventure

In my ongoing tradition to not recommend something unless I've done it first — helping you mitigate risks by diving through that unexplored portal beforehand! — I landed on eBay, and easily found numerous listings for discount AppleCare. I have a Mac Pro, and AppleCare normally costs $250, but I spotted it for $92 — that's $158 saved!

After some scanning, I paid 480sherry, who has a 99.9% feedback rating, and as of this writing is continuing to sell AppleCare. Surely those 2,200 buyers can't be wrong, right? In my own experience, I was pleased to receive a code less than a day afterwards.

That's right, just a code you enter at Apple's site along with your product serial number. I did so, then received an email "certificate" confirming its validity from Apple. No actual box, as is often the case — but I encourage you to scrutinize each seller, for some offer this option at a higher cost.

Does this mean you miss out on anything? Not really, since the TechTool Deluxe diagnostic suite, which would normally be bundled in the physical package, is a free download at Apple's site. You still need to burn it to DVD, which might be a problem if you're really not tech-savvy, but the software itself is included.

What's the real story here?

Unlike the distinctly more dubious world of iTunes gift cards, AppleCare is morally relaxed. I asked over a dozen discount AppleCare sellers how they managed to do it, the answers were consistent in most cases: they bought it in bulk and are passing the savings on. One fellow said:

We buy from dealers and other sources, some going out of business, some trying to reduce excessive inventories. Everything is 100% Apple, so no risk to you. We sell hundreds of these each month

Another reinforced:

I buy in bulk so I recieve a better price that the average person. There are no limitations. Thanks for looking.

Further research also substantiates this, altho as is par for the course, there's the usual skepticism. There've also been academic situations where teacher/student discounts are used. Outside of eBay, there are some strange sights, such as this guy hawking bulk AppleCare from Singapore, with the most thread self-bumps I've ever seen.

Conclusion

I've had no problems with my cheap AppleCare coverage so far: I haven't had a troublesome incident to put it to the test, but I haven't received a notification from Apple nullifying my cert either.

Provided that the eBay seller is backed by an excellent reputation as in my example, you could easily get AppleCare at a much lower price than face value. I only wish the same could be applied to the cost of Macs themselves. ;)

Have you had an adventure in cheap AppleCare? Do share!

This article is from Torley Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

FREE 2GB iPod Shuffle from Compass Bank

Paul Michael — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:02:10 +0000

Key Bank clearly did very well from their iPod promotion, because Compass Bank is now running almost the exact same deal. With Compass though it's a very cool 2GB iPod Shuffle, and it's free to new customers.

There are a few stipulations (aren't there always?) but they're reasonable. Here's the lowdown on the deal:

Update: MOST IMPORTANT (thanks Bloggrrl):

You must register BEFORE opening a Compass Build-to-Order Free Checking Account online. To ensure timely delivery of email to your inbox, please add getgift@compassbank.com to your trusted email senders list.)

It's for NEW Compass Bank customers only
You need to open the Compass Build-To-Order FREE Checking
You must not have received any promo gifts from Compass in the last 12 months
You have to be over 18 (19 in Alabama)
You need to make a $25 deposit (which you can always get back later)
You have to apply for your Shuffle within 30 days of opening the account
You pay for shipping ($9.95)
Only for residents of Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Texas.
Offer available online only through 06/30/2008. So, hurry!

You can read the full details of the deal here , but trust me when I say I did it a few years ago with Key Bank and it was well worth it. I got the Nano for a $50 deposit and it's been terrific. Brand new, not a refurb, quickly shipped to me and the checking account is great. And as I have a Compass Bank free checking account, too, I can also tell you I'm very happy with that one.

May the music be with you.

This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: