Are you quashing your gadget-purchasing in the wake of the ‘credit crunch’?

I think it’s safe to say that we are now firmly in the grip of a recession – certainly in the UK anyway, barely a day passes when the ‘naysayers of doom’ (TV News, and Newspapers) don’t have something very negative and depressing to say!

But then there are those of us that are (a) optimists and (b) somewhat practical. We look at our expenditure, and assess whether we’ll be able to continue our lifestyle in all respects, or if we need to tighten the proverbial belt.

One respect in which belt-tightening can occur of course is in expenditure on both Mobile services, and Mobile devices – the two might even be intimately related (for example, if you got a device free with your contract, you might be locked in to pay £ X/month until the contract expires).

For those of us lucky not to be within contract period, or on Prepay, here’s a question: do you now have a different view of when you might change your handset next? Have you decided to adopt a different strategy in the wake of the economic turmoil, or alternatively, are you still just waiting for the next handset you wanted to come out, so you can buy it (i.e. no changes)?

I have to say personally I have swapped to a SIM-only deal, which anecdotally a lot of people are doing I hear. This has two big advantages: (1) no contract lock-in and (2) lower monthly contract payments.

Of course there is another way you can affect your monthly service charge – and that’s to use your mobile LESS. Now, if you have a contract with generous voice & data & text allowances, that might not be very effectual – then again, if you are on a leaner contract, it might have a major effect!

So let us know if you are adopting strategies to manage your money vs mobile…..comments very welcome!

[Image via: Wikipedia]