How To Cut Your Monthly Technology Spending

Nowadays, purchasing a technological gadget can be frustrating. For example, you may have just purchased the latest mobile phone, only to find that this model will be obsolete after a few months because a newer model has replaced it. In regards to technology, you can never be sure of the longevity of a model. It is therefore important to carefully define your requirements and ensure that any new purchase has all the features that you desire. This will inevitably improve its effective lifetime.

Here are a few more ways to cut your monthly technology spending:

Audit your technology inventory

You may have a lot of technological gadgets just lying around your home. Some of them may be redundant and others may need repairing. Therefore, you should check all of your gadgets and determine which ones you can keep and which ones you can either dispose of or sell.

Also, do not assume that you will need to purchase the latest version of a tech product just to keep up with the latest trends. Your existing gadgets will more than likely cater for all your needs and so the purchase of a newer model might just be a waste of your hard-earned cash. In fact, most technology gadgets that are being released in the market today have a plethora of applications, features and utilities. Take a look at a cheap phone from a supermarket, as they can often be the equal of big brand devices in terms of hardware and performance.

Having a multitude of gadgets with overlapping platforms, operating systems and applications may often be more counterproductive than it is helpful. Therefore, one way to cut your technology spending is to thin out your various devices.

Use free web-based software

You can also cut your monthly technology cost by using free web-based software for specific tasks. Sometimes known as virtualisation or cloud computing, web-based services for data backup and file protection will enable you to save more compared to premium off-the-shelf products.

Using cloud services will mean that you don’t need to purchase external hard drives for storage and allows you to easily save your data using a cloud service and access it from wherever you are.

Nowadays, nearly all anti virus companies offer a free download option. Furthermore, these packages are more than adequate for the average internet user and are powered by the same engines as their premium options.

VoIP Services

VoIP is short for Voice over Internet Protocol which allows a person to make phone calls using an internet connection. Skype and Google Voice are examples of VoIP applications that you can use for free or at a significantly reduced cost. What’s more, most mobile phones and tablets that are available today already have the capability to make calls through VoIP. All you need to do is download the necessary application to your gadget. In addition to being able to make phone calls for free through the internet, you can also take advantage of free text messaging applications from a number of different providers.

Minimise your vendors

You may have a few contracts with different technology vendors which makes managing them a juggling act. Consolidate your contracts and select a few companies to minimise renewal costs and on-going fees. Technology vendors will appreciate this move and will often give out special bundle deals in order to ensure your business with them.

Negotiate existing contracts

Many companies want to keep their customer’s business at all costs and will often offer very attractive renewal deals. This is the perfect opportunity to renegotiate your contract with your current supplier. Because of the tight competition, your existing supplier may be open to renegotiate your contract in order to come up with an agreeable payment plan that will be beneficial for both of you. You can renegotiate for added discounts on services or for freebies.

Having a variety of gadgets nowadays is sometimes a necessary evil to keep you in contact at all times. However, maintaining a lot of gadgets, especially those that are redundant, is impractical and may prove to be more expensive in the long run. Learning to streamline your gadgets down to exactly what you actually need will enable you to cut some of your monthly technology spending. Likewise, using web-based services such as Skype and other free applications will also ease the burden on your bank account.