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Saving money at Christmas is not always easy. And this year, we’ll probably want to go out with a bang! But being smart with Christmas spending doesn’t have to be complicated – it’s about cutting back in areas you won’t really notice, and then treating yourself and your loved ones where it matters.
This week, we’ve looked at some of the deals you can get in regards to sound systems and devices. Whether you’re investing in such products for your own home, or if you plan to give them as gifts, now could be the perfect time to buy something that will deliver brilliant sound quality, and stand the test of time.
Before you go out and buy every item in sight, to make this Christmas as spectacular as possible, perhaps first consider ways you can save money elsewhere. We’ve listed a few simple ideas to save money at Christmas below, and you can find a couple more in our last Xmas Saving Tips blog.
If you have any hidden talents, whether it’s baking, sewing, painting, creating music or even writing poetry, homemade gifts can be much more personal and touching than store bought presents. If you’re able to tailor a gift to a specific person, they’ll probably appreciate it far more than a generic present of chocolate or socks.
When we think of our best Christmas childhood memories, chances are most of us don’t remember the specific gifts we were given. The majority of the most outstanding moments are about spending time with our family, whispering about Santa and trying to steal a few tasty treats from the kitchen before Christmas day arrives.
Fantastic Christmas memories don’t have to cost anything. Perhaps you can start a tradition of looking at the local Christmas lights and decorations, or making gingerbread houses with the kids. Try experimenting with mulled wine recipes, or even start a competition to create the most beautiful (or most hideous) Christmas decorations!
Whether you want to sell online via sites like eBay, or locally using Gumtree or the Facebook selling pages (colloquially called Facebay), you can make a surprising amount of money flogging your old stuff.
If you do decide to sell, it’s important to consider whether it’s worth paying for postage or only offering collection, as well as how you advertise your product. Make sure you include as many key words as possible, and double check your spelling! That way buyers will be more likely to come across your item when searching for that type of product.
So you’ve sold last years’ unwanted presents, and made yourself a bit of money. The question is now what to do with it. Why not invest in something that can bring the whole family joy – the gift of amazing sound quality! For most of the below options, it doesn’t matter who you buy the present for – you’ll all get to experience crisper sound and easy to use technology.
Average Cost: £100
If you’re a lover of vinyl records, when listening to your albums you’ll want both fantastic sound quality and a stylish addition to your home. The Victrola Portable Suitcase Turntable offers this and more – with built in stereo speakers and Bluetooth, you can wirelessly stream music up to ten metres away, as well as listening to all your favourite records. And with four different designs to choose from, you can pick the option that best suits your taste.
Average Cost: £235
If you’re looking for a cinematic experience at home, this Logitech surround sound speaker system threatens to shake your house with its thunderous sound! The speakers come with multiple inputs, which means that you can connect up to six components simultaneously, including your TV, Blu-ray/DVD player and gaming consoles. You can also customise your hifi – the wireless remote allows you to adjust the surround sound, volume levels and device input.
Average Cost: £280
Bose headphones are some of the best on the market, and these Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are no exception. The signature active EQ provides an immersive listening experience, with up to 20 hours of wireless battery life. These headphones also come with easy access to voice assistants, ideal for things like music and navigation. And when it comes to taking calls, the headphones have a four-microphone system that picks up and isolates your voice, cancelling the noise around you.
Average Cost: £80
The BOMAKER sound bar promises deep bass with its built-in subwoofer and DSP technology, powerful sound with a frequency of between 50Hz and 20KHz, and customisable features at the click of a button. The design is elegant, with ironing net and luxurious fabric, along with scratch resistant paint to avoid any mishaps. This sound bar comes highly recommended for any TV of 38” or above.
Average Cost: £150
The Apple Airpods offer a sleek design and are incredibly easy to set up and use. They’re automatically on and connected, and the new Apple H1 headphone chip means that you’ll get a faster connection to your devices. The sound quality has been described as rich and of a high performance, so you can listen to all your music, podcasts and shows in style. The charging case these airpods come with also allow up to five hours of listening time on one charge, and more than 24 hours of battery life.
As mentioned above, it’s up to you to decide who you’re treating this year – it could be a loved one or yourself! But Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a bit of indulgent spending.
Hopefully you can save some money this year by doing things like making handmade gifts or trying out free Christmas activities, to mean you’re able to buy a new sound system or high quality headphones. If not, some websites will allow you to pay monthly, or a loan can cover the cost, which you can also pay in monthly instalments.
However you decide to indulge yourself, your family and your friends at Christmas, just make sure that you shop smart! Don’t spend more than you need to on things like the food and decorations, and try to get the best online deals when buying presents.
My Financial Broker offer a unique and professional loan matching service, we have designed our loan application process to be as fast as possible and we will help you find the loan for you, easing the pressure of XMAS and giving you an affordable option.