Technology doesn’t have to be expensive.
Here are three ways to save money on electronics, cloud storage, and streaming movies and music.
Refurbished and open-box deals: Save up to 50 percent on small appliances and electronics by buying certified refurbished items through manufacturers or authorized dealers.
Returned or overstock items are often inspected, serviced, tested and repackaged, then sold at a discount with warranties of 90 days to a year. You’ll find the biggest savings on older models, but you can save about 30 percent on current-generation items.
Your safest bet is to buy from the manufacturer, according to DealNews.com, a bargain-hunting website. You might not get the lowest price, but you’ll have the security of a manufacturer-backed warranty. Also worth checking out: Amazon, Crutchfield, eBay or Newegg.
Best Buy Outlet sells clearance, open-box, refurbished and preowned items at BestBuy.com and at outlet and warehouse locations. Open-box appliances are typically up to half off list price, and you can get refurbished tech products — including smartphones, smart watches and smart speakers — for up to 30 percent off.
Low-cost cloud storage: Free and cheap cloud storage is widely available, but Google Drive stands out for its 15GB of free storage for users who have a Google account.
Drive can serve as a storage shed for your files or for backing up your device, but it’s also a workbench, allowing you to edit documents, spreadsheets and other files on the go and share them with others.
If you want more space — say, to store large files or back up your computer’s hard drive — Google Drive is still a deal. For example, 1TB of space costs $10 a month.
Apple users should consider iCloud Drive. You’ll get 5GB of free storage, and a 2TB storage plan costs $10 a month and can be shared with your family.
No-strings streaming: Fees for cable and streaming subscription services can add up.
But many public libraries are branching out, partnering with streaming and other digital media services to offer library-card holders free access to tons of movies, TV shows, music and e-books.
For example, Kanopy.com partners with more than 4,000 libraries and features more than 30,000 films. Its selection focuses on indie flicks and educational titles rather than blockbuster productions, but unlike most other free streaming services, Kanopy doesn’t show ads.
Hoopla (www.hoopla digital.com) offers patrons of more than 1,500 libraries free access, without ads, to movies, music, audiobooks, e-books and television shows.
