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Now’s a great time to get that gadget your boyfriend/girlfriend /significant other/cat Fluffy has been hinting at for months.

Of course, before you go on a spending spree because of the so-cheap-therefore-must-have-it sales, look at your income and expenses this month and see what you can afford to pay. It’ll be hard, but it’s better for your bank account if you stick to that amount.

Keep these in mind when you shop around:

• There’s less than a week to buy Xmas presents…as if you needed a reminder.

• Before starting the shopping expedition, think through what features your gift recipient would want and prioritize them.

o If it’s a digital camera, what’s more important to him or her: speed, zoom, amount of megapixels, memory, etc.? (Yep, someone became an expert on cameras last Christmas).

o Same for other tech stuff. Search Google for “important features for [fill in the blank]” to see what you should be thinking about. Picture your recipient and his or her regular uses of the gadget. That’ll help you prioritize features and tailor it to the person receiving it.

• Think about if this gift will end up costing the recipient afterwards. If it’s a fancy new PDA, will he/she be charged for using the internet each month? Or, maybe it’s a portable reader or MP3 player. If so, how much do books or music cost to download?

• Check out Consumer Reports at your local library (it can be a big help to narrow your search).

• Once your search is narrowed, compare the technology online. I like Shopzilla to compare stuff, but there are tons of other comparison shopping sites.

• If you’re in college, you might be able to get a good deal on computers or software through your school. Try to find your school’s technology store by searching for “computer and technology” on your school’s site (this worked at my alma mater).

• Remember: if you can only afford X, just buy X. It’s easy to feel like the gift’ll be inadequate without the lovely add-ons and cool new features. But, those extras can be way outside your budget.

• Buy only what you think the recipient will use on a regular basis…you can add on other stuff at a later date if it’s reasonably priced. Save yourself something to get him or her for a birthday or anniversary gift.

• If you predict the gadget’ll be dropped, stomped, or plopped in the future, make sure that whatever you buy comes with great customer service. That doesn’t necessarily mean buy the extended warranty (everyone and their brother have opinions about this, but Consumer Reports has a great article on warranties). Check that the company is known for being good with repairs.

By comparison shopping, you’ll get a better deal and a quality gift for your loved one. And with that, Holiday Spendsters, I wish you good luck on your tech buying endeavors!

If you’re an awesome tech gift buyer, share your tips below.

Contributed by: LitterLady

Photo by: rick