Six ways to save money on your technology: How to cut costs without sacrificing your digital lifestyle

There’s something quite satisfying about being able to come home after a long and stressful day at work and being able to relax by using the tech that you have at home to take your mind away from everything.

There is one downside though - all tech and everything that comes with it costs money, and usually a pretty penny too! This can leave us feeling deflated about the money we’re spending on something that’s essentially, a pass time. Luckily, there are clever ways in which you can save money on these luxuries and in this article, we’re going to tell you exactly how!

Use game passes to your advantage

If you’re someone that loves gaming, you’ll know all too well how expensive new games can be. It can be anything from £40 and upwards, and that’s usually just for the base game! However, there are really smart ways around this. Depending on what console you use for gaming, you’ll be able to get some sort of game pass. For example, for Playstation users, you can subscribe to a PSN account for much cheaper per month than buying a brand new game. And, you’ll have access to a myriad of new games while you’re subscribed.

The same goes for Xbox users or even PC gamers. There’s the Xbox game pass or EA subs you can activate for around £15 a month that will give you access to loads of games under their umbrella. While it’s still costing you some money each month, you can enjoy more games for less money!

Not only that, when you’re subbed to these kinds of services, you’ll notice that your system will detect and download updates for your games, meaning you no longer have to wait around for downloads or installations.

Sell unwanted games and tech

As mentioned briefly above, there sometimes comes a time when you either don’t have time for certain games and tech, or you’ve outgrown it and would like to make some money from them to put towards your next upgrade. Lots of stores buy all sorts of games, consoles, phones, and other tech from people in exchange for cash. While you can do this on the website, it might be easier to head to your nearest store so that your items can be checked there and then in store, and you can walk away that day with the cash. Selling your old phone, games or console is a great way to make extra money when you’re in a pinch.

Switch internet providers

It’s all too easy to wake up one day and realise that you’re paying an extortionate amount for your broadband deal. The first step that you should take is to phone your current provider and ask them for a cheaper deal. More often than not they will be able to lower your price by a small amount.

However, you shouldn’t always settle for this figure as there are many other internet providers around the world that would be more than willing to do you better broadband deals. Make sure that you know you’ve got the cheapest price before settling for a company so that you can save yourself that little bit of extra money each month and not feel so guilty!

Make the most of free trials!

There are so many free trials these days, so why not make the most of them? Services like Netflix and Spotify offer a month’s trial completely free of charge. If you use these kinds of trials in a clever way, you can enjoy lots of free entertainment without having to spend a single penny. For example, you could trial Netflix for a month and then try out Disney+ for a month.

It’s not just entertainment deals you should be looking out for either. Services like Canva offer free pro trials that are a month long, meaning you could create high-quality media if you need it for work or a personal blog. The same goes for cloud storage - there are loads of services that will give you the space for free for a whole month! The only thing you have to do is remember when your free trials are ending so that you can cancel the subscriptions before they renew!

Downgrade your phone bill

Like many, there’s a chance that you have games on your phone or you use it for personal reasons like social media and chatting to family and friends via text message. Like with your internet bill, it’s too easy to add on features and then end up with a large bill that you don’t truly need. Most providers will claim that they cannot reduce your bill because obviously, they want to continue receiving money from you. This however, is untrue, so make sure that you push it with them so that they offer you a much cheaper deal. You may even find that your cheaper deal doesn’t actually change many of your current terms, so it’s definitely worth a shot!

If you’re on pay as you go, it might be an idea to use a messaging service like Whatsapp with your friends and family so that all of you can save some money on your phone bills. Whatsapp runs on the use of the internet, so if you’re in Wifi range you’re able to text, video, and call for absolutely nothing!

Go second hand

It’s understandable that when a new game comes out on a console that you don’t have, that you want to rush out and buy that console so that you can join in on the fun that everyone is having. However, new consoles no matter how long they’ve been out can still cost you a fair amount of money. Instead, consider buying second hand consoles so that you can still join in on all of the fun, but save yourself a nice amount of money! Often people sell their consoles because they are simply too busy for them, so there’s actually nothing wrong with them! Just be sure to have it all turned on before handing over any cash!

Try these easy yet clever ways of saving money on your tech so that you can have some spare cash for other things in life that you want to enjoy!