I’m a technology expert – here’s how you can save money (and YOUR LIFE) by making smarter tech choices

You don’t need me to tell you that money is tight. And yet, in July, Amazon hit record sales during their Prime Day sales — worth $12.7 billion. So maybe we can all benefit from making more disciplined choices online.

Some things don’t last and others we don’t treat as well as we should.

But if you want the latest and greatest, there are ways to save money. However, be careful or you may end up costing yourself more money while trying to close a deal.

Here are some fail-safe tips to stretch your cash while expanding your own personal technology capabilities.

Set TWO calendar reminders to cancel free trials

Free trials are great for binging a season of a show or watching a movie – if you’re thinking of canceling before you have to pay. It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll remember, but streaming companies are counting on you to forget.

When you sign up, you put a reminder in your phone or calendar app about a week before the trial ends. Also schedule a backup reminder the day before the trial ends.

If you don’t use the service much during the trial period or feel the price isn’t worth the service, cancel. You usually have access for the rest of your trial period.

Monthly costs add up. Check what you’re paying for and make sure you still need it. Open the App Store, sign in, tap your profile picture or initials, then tap Subscriptions to find out

View your subscriptions in Apple’s App Store

Maybe you signed up for an app that only costs a few dollars a month. “Of course,” you thought. “I will meditate every morning. This is totally worth $2.99.”

Over time, those monthly costs add up. Check what you’re paying for and make sure you still need it.

• Open Apple’s App Store and sign in if you aren’t already.
• Tap your profile picture or initials, then tap Subscriptions.
• Select the app you want to cancel and choose Cancel Subscription.
• Open your device’s Settings app.
• Next: Tap Google > Manage your Google account.
• Select Payments & Subscriptions.
• Under Subscriptions, you’ll see a list of apps you’re paying for and the next billing date.
• To cancel, tap “Manage Subscriptions” and choose the app subscription you want to delete. Choose Unsubscribe at the bottom of the page.

Don’t skimp on technical security

Being cheap can cost you dearly. It’s easy to find charging cables that cost just a few dollars, but don’t expect them to last.

Even worse, cheap charging cables can be dangerous. A girl woke up in her bed in flames after her charger caught fire. If you are looking for a phone charger or replacement cable, buy an official or certified cable. When it comes to third-party options, choose a reputable company like Anker or Belkin.

The same goes for cheap e-bikes and other tech that can do real damage if the lithium-ion battery goes up in flames.

If it’s not broken, skip the upgrade

Let’s face it: you fall for the marketing. We all do.

So what if the latest fill-in-the-blank is faster, more powerful and shinier! Do you really need it?

If the technology you’re considering upgrading works well, don’t get caught in the vicious circle.

Whether it’s a TV, laptop, phone, drone, desktop or wearable, there will always be something new, better, smaller, bigger, more powerful and faster that you can buy.

So give your credit card a break. It’s costly to upgrade all the time, and it takes time and effort to switch from the old to the new.

Only buy used technology with a good return policy

As with used cars, shop carefully to make sure you don’t end up with a lemon that isn’t working properly.

Used technology goes by several names, including “refurbished,” “refurbished,” “off-lease,” and “refurbished.” The manufacturer or site usually offers a return policy or special warranty.

And make no mistake, you need these warranties with every technology you use.

Second-hand devices sold by individuals on sites like eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace can be cheaper for good reason. You rely on the seller’s opinion to vouch for the condition of their device.

Unless you set certain conditions before purchasing, such as using an escrow service, you get no guarantee that their device will work as advertised. You could end up with a PC that’s just a huge paperweight.

Stick to options like Amazon Refurbished, Best Buy, and others that have solid returns policies. You’ll be thankful you did.

Free software is often just as good as the expensive stuff

Usually you get what you pay for. However, sometimes talented developers create useful apps that work just as well as the most popular paid software.

Consider LibreOffice, Focus Writer, or Google Docs as an alternative to Microsoft Word.

FreeOffice TextMaker is another solid alternative to Microsoft Office. It is useful when you need to open .doc and .docx files. Unlike other free word processing programs, it offers a spell check feature in 58 languages. Like Word, you can insert tables, pictures, and drawings.

Another great offering from FreeOffice is PlanMaker, their free Excel alternative.

Photoshop is powerful, but you may not need everything it offers. Canva makes it easy to quickly create photo edits and graphics. And GIMP is a solid Photoshop copycat.

Do your research before spending money on an expensive program, even really complex software like audio and video editors.

Not only is audio track editing complex, especially for beginners, but the programs for this task can also cost you an arm and a leg. Not so with Audacity, one of my favorite free programs.

It is easy to use once you get the hang of it. Even a novice can pick up the process after watching tutorials on YouTube for a few minutes.

If you need to edit videos on the cheap, try DaVinci Resolve 17. As with any powerful editing software, there is a learning curve. But this one is a beauty and the tools go way beyond simple cropping.

It is available for Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems and allows you to quickly edit your video clips or packages.

VLC is another great free program: it’s a free, open-source media player that plays almost every existing audio and video file format.

If you shop online without using a browser extension to score discounts, you’re paying too much. Try camelcamelcamel, Honey or Capital One Shopping while you watch

Score deals with these browser extensions

If you shop online without using a browser extension or a third-party site to help you score discounts, you’re paying too much.

• Capital One shopping offers simple coupon codes that apply directly to your shopping cart at checkout.
• The Camelcamelcamel extension tracks price drops on Amazon so you don’t have to keep renewing.
• The Honey browser extension can help you search for coupons on over 30,000 websites. It can also automatically apply discounts when you check out.

Sales: Set them up so you don’t forget them

Shopping for something specific – and expensive? Set up a Google Alert so you know when it goes on sale. This is worth it if you are making a major purchase.

• Go to Google.com/alerts and sign in if you aren’t already.
• In the search box, type the product name and a word like “sale” or “discount”.
• Click the pencil icon to edit the notification. Here you can choose how often you want to receive alerts, resources, etc.
• Click Update Notification to finish.

Sound like a tech pro even if you’re not! Award-winning, popular host Kim Komando is your secret weapon. Listen to more than 425 radio stations or download the podcast. And join over 509,000 people who get it her free daily 5 minute email newsletter.