8 Tips to save on Home Technology
With the world facing ‘the credit crunch’ your personal gadget budget might be taking the hit. The Gadget Show’s Suzi Perry has joined up with BT to offer her top 8 savings tips so DigMo! readers can cut their domestic bills when it comes to home technology. 
1. Pay-per-view – there are myriad broadband and TV deals to choose from all offering different services. Ultimately the package should be good value for money, give you an excellent wireless connection and let you only pay for the TV programmes you actually watch.
2. Save £££’s by health checking your computer – Make sure that when you buy broadband, the deal includes security as part of the package. Over 15 million computers were infected with a virus recently so the more high quality security you can install the better.
3. Greener finances – It’s often cheaper to opt to have your bills emailed to you rather than sent in the post, and if you choose to pay by direct debit. If you have paperless billing and direct debit payments not only are you saving the environment, you’re also saving on your bank balance!
4. Create a big family night in for less – Suzi recommends that instead of going to the movies, create the ultimate ‘better value’ family night in at home and enjoy pay-per-view entertainment as it’s cheaper and more comfortable viewing at home!
5. Cash in on your old technology – we all have handsets that we may have fallen out of love with or mp3 players that have been super seeded by newer, shinier versions.
Why not try selling old home technology online via websites such as www.bestbuytradein.com and www.buymytronics.com, which can help raise some extra cash. Sell items on eBay and get the sale to end on a Thursday lunchtime or Saturday afternoon, as these are the most successful times to make a sale.
Some websites also take broken technology, recycle the parts and send you a cheque or a voucher for the pleasure; other sites send old gadgets to third world countries. But don’t forget to remove all your personal data from IT equipment before selling items on.
6. Go green and watch your bills shrink – one of the best ways to cut your household bills is to turn off home appliances when not in use. Saving power saves money! To see how much electricity you are using, Suzi recommends investing in a Wattson, a small device that counts used energy and it could save you 20% off your electricity bill.
7· Buy smart – and look at the small print. BT recommends checking for extra costs before you enter into a contract. BT has made all calls to their helpdesks free and is the first UK telephone company to include 0870 and 0845 numbers in call packages and offering cheaper calls to mobile and international numbers – saving many callers a significant amount of money. BT is also the first UK mobile company to make calls to 0800 numbers free for its BT Mobile customers.
8· Hunt out the latest bargains online – the Internet is the best place to find brilliant bargains, so use your broadband connection to find hundreds of different sites designed to help you save money on your home gadgets.
Following Suzi and the Gadget Show on twitter.
Links:
The Gadget Show
BT Total Broadband
