Marketing forces are doing their best as always, and students belong to their target audiences as well. These days, it’s a must to tell people that they need this and that item, even if it doesn’t perform any important function. You see a lot of ads where you can clearly read between the lines that your gadget is not that good, and you definitely deserve better. Or, you just have to buy this new device that will serve one single purpose.
The younger the person, the easier it’s to convince them that they need to buy all that stuff we see in our social media feeds. So, being one of the susceptible groups, students do open those ads and, before they know it, the whole feed is riddled with new ads of similar products. Now, you will definitely buy something.
As a result, the impulsive purchase leads to the inability to pay for basic stuff like food, bills, and clothes. Instead of googling “write my paper with WritePaper writers” and ordering some urgent coursework your studies depend on, you google “cheap diners in the city.” So, to avoid such situations, let’s go through the most costly and least useful items that can eat your money —electronic devices.
Smartwatch
Have you seen a lot of people who wear it and use at least 50% of its functionality? If you’ve met at least someone who does it, how necessary is this information, really?
Smartwatches are indeed useful for those who must track their physical qualities. It’s also useful for the modification of your sleeping schedule. Unfortunately, most people tend to only look at all that data, and that’s all.
Another function is cool for busy people —a smartwatch sends you notifications from your phone for you to be able to see important calls and messages. So, it’s good to have it if you have numerous meetings every day and can’t constantly get distracted by your phone. Otherwise, it’s mainly another thing you need to wear and charge regularly.
Apple Products
They are not of poor quality, of course. They are quite good but still overpriced. And if you remember the title and introduction to the article, the point of this text is to save you from unnecessary spendings.
Apple gadgets do offer smooth operation. Yet, with time, buying them turned into a cult or competition. There are plenty of devices that can last the same number of years. Sure, they may not offer some fancy features, but paying extra for the latter makes sense only when your basic needs are addressed.
Meanwhile, not being able to purchase quality groceries or the stuff essential for everyone’s daily life just because you bought an iPhone doesn’t make sense at all.
Web Camera
This thing may be useful for students only in three cases:
- Their inbuilt web camera doesn’t work.
- They earn for a living via video blogging.
- They can’t afford a laptop that goes with the inbuilt web camera.
So, this item is relevant only for cases when you don’t have a working web camera or need an extremely high-quality image.
ALSO READ: TECH GADGETS UNDER UGX100,000 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CAN GET
External Hard Drive
The use of cloud services has discarded the need to buy one more gadget you will leave at home when it’s needed urgently. Moreover, hard drive disks are quite sensitive to shaking and a mild toss, so all your projects and books can be easily lost.
If you’re still in dire need to have access to some huge amount of data and do not really trust the cloud, consider buying an external SSD. At least it won’t break down as easily as an HDD. The most convenient option would be to replace the old inbuilt disk with an SSD that has bigger storage. Just don’t forget about creating a backup copy on an external device.
Smart Alarm Clock
There are definitely other ways to wake you up for classes, and the most viable option is to simply fine-tune your smartphone alarm. Also, you can go with;
- Smartphone apps.
- A funny melody or someone’s voice that will wake you up for sure.
- Another smart device (if you have one) that is rather noisy — schedule its work for the time when you need to wake up.
- Asking your neighbor, friend, partner, or roommate to be merciless and stand in the way of you falling asleep again (or, you can just make it a tradition to have a morning talk via phone).
If you’re hopeless about waking up in time, reconsider your sleeping schedule but only in combination with a consultation of a professional.
InstaX Camera
Sure, this thing is everywhere, there are pretty cases for it, it’s stylish, and the photos are nice. You’d also be happy if someone gave this camera to you as a gift so that you do not regret buying it when realizing that you haven’t used it for months, right?
Fancy-looking products often misguide us, so imagine this camera having a poor, gloomy design — the functions are the same, though. Do you still need it to remember the brightest moments of your college life? That’s the algorithm you can use for any purchase.
Printer
This device is rather outdated in terms of personal usage. If you have a hobby or a part-time job that requires printing something quite often, it makes sense to buy it. However, if all you need it for is printing your drafts, notes, and final papers, a printer is
- Not sustainable.
- Another item you will need to dust.
- One more thing that will make your life harder when you move out.
- Rather expensive if you buy a printer that won’t break down in a month and consider the cost of its maintenance.
Finally, you can visit any print shop or use the printing office at your learning institution. It would be wonderful if you go further and reassure your teacher not to waste a ton of paper on a draft that will have to be reprinted anyway.
Summing Up
Marketing trends can push us toward unnecessary purchases and turn off our rational selves. So, make it a habit to add an item to the list when you feel that you really need to buy it although it’s not urgent.
Revise the list every two weeks or even every month. If you still can’t live without that gadget, do buy it. Otherwise, do not waste your money on stuff that will not benefit you in learning — as a student, you will probably need that money on something more important.
ALSO READ: TECH GADGETS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR UNIVERSITY/CAMPUS STUDENTS
