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Let’s try and make this Christmas spectacular, and go out with a bang! If you’re worried about spending too much money though, we’ve come up with a few ideas to allow you to spend less on a few small things, so you don’t have to compromise on the big things. This week, we’ve explored a couple of the top deals you can get in terms of visual technology, so that you can give the gift of exceptional image quality this year!
If you’re planning to make a few big purchases over the Christmas period, it might be a good idea to cut back in other areas. We’ve listed a few ways to save money during the festive season below – for more ideas, check out our previous blogs on Xmas saving tips.
If you find a perfect gift online, don’t just instantly buy it. You’ll be kicking yourself later if you then find the same product elsewhere for a cheaper price. Instead, compare prices on a number of different websites, or use a handy tool to see where you can get the lowest price.
Google Shopping is one of the most consistent ways to find the cheapest option, searching across a wide range of retailers, including big brands like Amazon, John Lewis and Tesco. Other price trackers include Idealo, which shows you how the price of an item has changed over time and will tell you the cheapest place to currently buy it. Camelcamelcamel also offers a similar service, but only for Amazon products – you can enter the Amazon URL and then see the price changes over time.
Secret Santa is one of the best ways to save money when it comes to buying presents. If you can get your groups of friends, your family or your colleagues to agree to participate in a Secret Santa, you can drastically reduce the number of gifts you need to buy.
This idea does of course mean that you’ll get less presents in return, but with the money you save, you can buy things for yourself that you really want!
Most of us have loyalty cards for the shops we frequently visit, but half the time you forget about actually cashing in the points. Spending these points at Christmas can save you a lot of money! The drawback of this is that you’re often restricted to spending the points in a specific store, but most shops offer a wide range of Christmas gifts anyway.
And if you have Tesco Clubcard points, you can often double or triple their value by checking whether you can use them with a Clubcard Boost partner. MoneySavingExpert has a handy guide to reclaim and boost your Tesco Vouchers. That way you can really make the most of your loyalty points.
If you do manage to save yourself some money over the Christmas period elsewhere, you can feel justified in treating yourself to some new technology. Or get one of the below items as a gift, it’s completely up to you. Perhaps just have a back-up present in mind, in case you decide to keep the item for yourself!
Average Cost: £140
The ELEPHAS LED Projector Q9 comes with full HD resolution support 2K, so you’ll get a picture that’s incredibly crisp and lifelike. Whatever the environment, from watching a movie indoors, to using the projector to play games at an outdoor event, the image quality isn’t compromised. And the ELEPHAS Projector also promises to give you a 80% brighter and 50% sharper image than other comparable projectors on the market.
Average Cost: £65
This webcam offers excellent image quality, with full HD 1080p widescreen video capture at up to 30 frames per second. The built in microphone also has noise reduction features, ensuring you get crystal clear audio with reduced background noise. The PAPALOOK PA150S Webcam additionally has an attractive design, and is made of durable space aluminum and zinc alloy. Easy to set up, and with universal compatibility, this webcam is a great choice for anyone looking for a better video and recording experience.
Average Cost: £380
If the enormous size of this TV isn’t enough to grab your attention, then the stylish design, stunning 4K Ultra HD picture quality, and immersive sound quality are bound to impress. The LG UN710 Smart TV also features an award winning, easy to use, smart platform called LG webOS, which allows you to enjoy more content from streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and YouTube.
Average Cost: £110
The Fire TV Cube is the fastest and most powerful Fire TV on the market. You don’t even have to get up from the sofa to ask Alexa to turn on the TV, dim compatible lights and then start streaming your movie, video or series. You can change satellite channels with your voice, and if you have a compatible soundbar, this can also be voice controlled. With an ultra-powerful hexa-core processor, you can enjoy instant access to 4K ultra HD content with the Fire TV Cube, as well as support for Dolby Vision and HDR, and HDR10+.
Average Cost: £265
As an official Android TV, the Cello C4020G uses a smart user interface designed by Google exclusively for TV devices. This means you’ll have easy access to entertainment apps such as Prime Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. You’ll also be able to use Google Assistant with your TV, as well as Chromecast. You can cast photos, videos, music and other content from your other devices straight to the TV. With a high pixel density, you’ll furthermore get sharper-looking, more detailed images.
If you’re tempted by one of the above products, just remember that the spirit of Christmas is about giving. And there are no rules to say you can’t give yourself a gift! If you are buying for yourself, you can always wait until after Christmas to buy some fabulous new tech. By then it could be on sale. But if you simply can’t wait, want to share the experience with your loved ones, or intend to buy the item as a present, there’s always a way to ensure you can afford the expense.
A lot of retailers will give you the option of paying over a few months. And if this is not an option, you can always look into a loan, and then repay this in instalments. Hopefully our Christmas saving tips will help you to free up a little bit more money too.
My Financial Broker offer short term loans from many loan providers. So you spend less time finding a loan and more time enjoying your Christmas. No matter how much you spend this festive season, we hope you have a brilliant Christmas, and a bright new year!