There are quite a few ways of wasting money on technology and you may not realize what a drain they’re having on your budget. We know that to participate fully in life in the 21st century you need a computer and cell phone, but you probably have so much additional stuff you don’t need or can do without. Know the ways of wasting money on technology and you won’t fall into the sinkholes that damage your credit card or end up with loads of gadgets you don’t need.
This is one of the dumbest ways of wasting money on technology. It starts when you are young and you spend money on phone cases, and it builds to you searching Amazon for a tablet holder that can attach to your curtains and has purple fur. The sheer number of accessories you can buy makes online/offline catalog shopping fun, but it is a massive waste of money.
For example, don’t buy the Apple phone, it only has an 8MP camera, buy the Samsung because it has a 13MP camera. What difference does it make? Maybe you can tell if it is the difference between a 4MP camera and a 10MP camera, but you are looking at your pictures on a small phone screen. You are wasting your money trying to get the one with the most RAM, the longest-lasting battery, or the one with the most up-to-date operating system. Is it fit for purpose? That should be your main priority.
The classic example was probably all the people that tried to upgrade from XP or Windows 7 to Vista, and then they regretted it. Many upgrades are unneeded for people’s purposes, but people still spend money on them.
Take most people’s phones and you will find a bunch of apps that have not been used for months. Sure, maybe you downloaded Adobe PDF ages ago and may still need it in the future, but there are probably lots of apps on your phone you never use and have wasted money on.
This is one of the most common ways you are wasting money on technology. The amount of people that opt for the most expensive Apple products when they could get just as good from Samsung is shocking.
Maybe a secondhand computer is not such a great thing because it will probably be out of date and will have compatibility issues, but do you really need a new media player or tablet? They have a few added extras or upgrades that don’t matter in the long run. If you are happy to buy a tablet and keep it for six months, then why are you so afraid of buying a tablet that is already six months old?
This is a common PC and Mac issue. There are plenty of times you can get in touch with the manufacturer and fix your problems online for free. There are also times when you can find simple fixes online that you can do manually or where you can download software to do it for you. There is no need to spend money on software repairs unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
It is scary hearing people find out there is a newer TV that is an inch or two bigger, or one that has a slightly higher resolution. The fact is it is a big box with pictures on it; do you really need the most updated version? Why not wait until your TV breaks and then buy a new one.
So many people buy netbooks and then regret it. A netbook only allows you to look at the Internet, and even then, they are not often fantastic at it. You can download apps, but it is still often only a fraction as productive as using a PC or laptop.
How many ways of wasting your money on technology are you guilty of? Are you going to change your habits?