Armando Triana, 27, loves his gadgets. He's got an iPhone, an iMac, high-speed Internet and satellite TV service with a digital video recorder. But he's also got a mortgage and a newborn and has to deal with high gas prices and the economic crisis like everyone else. So he has scaled back on his technology spending to the tune of about $150 a month.
"You are spending less, but you have to work a little bit harder, which is fine," said Triana, who works at a marketing agency. "I wish we could say we were putting (the money saved) away in savings, but I'm using it for gas to get to work, formula for the baby, just our basic necessities."
With so much uncertainty about the economy, many are scrutinizing their monthly expenses for places to save money. And one of the first places people turn is the money they spend on technology. One bright spot is that unlike expenses such as gas, there are a lot of options for home entertainment, meaning some consumers have found ways to cut spending on TV without having to give up their favorite shows.
For instance, some are getting rid of cable altogether and instead using a combination of over-the-air TV, watching shows on the Internet and renting DVDs from the library.
Others are choosing to upgrade existing electronics instead of buying new ones or repair instead of replace other items.
Sara Brady, spokeswoman for Bright House Networks, Central Florida's largest cable provider, said more consumers are calling to try to save money by adjusting their services. She also said usage of Bright House's On-Demand movies is up significantly as people try to save money by not going out to the movies.
John Domino of Fruitland Park, Fla., has not only cut his tech expenses by $50 a month, he's also planning on repairing electronics instead of replacing them, if he takes any action at all. For instance, he's got a 25-inch tube TV in the bedroom that he had planned to replace with a flat-screen set if the set broke or if he saw a good deal in a store. Not anymore.
"It wasn't high on the list, but it was on the list," said Domino, 54, a furniture salesman. "Now, if it died, we'd just do without a TV in the bedroom. When you have money, you don't mind almost wasting it. But when you don't have it, you've got to cut back."
Domino said he's using the money he's saving to pay his bills. When the economy gets better, he doesn't think he'll add back the services he cut out.
But technology spending doesn't always have to take a hit in a bad economy. In fact, some people are willing to shell out more money for gadgets if it means they can save in other areas.
A recent study from comScore found that more lower-income people were buying iPhones. The reason might be that the phone "can replace other devices like an MP3 player, another computer or even a broadband connection," said Jaimee Steele, spokeswoman for comScore.
Mandy Kimmer of Winter Garden, Fla., doesn't have an iPhone, but she said spending more on technology has helped her cut costs in other areas. She had been planning a road trip to Atlanta to visit some friends, but because of high gas prices, she decided against it.
Instead, Kimmer recently bought a new laptop that makes it easier to share photos and connect with her friends.
"It probably would have cost $120 or $150 in gas to go up there," said Kimmer, 47, who works for Orange County (Fla.) Parks and Recreation. "As much as we would love to go see this couple in Atlanta, at least we know we can shoot some photos and plug in those JPEGS to an e-mail and send them off and say 'here's what we're doing, here's what's going on.'"
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