What can you do with the 50-60K you have saved up, aside from satisfying your urge to own the latest flagship? Here's your answer
Do you really need a new smartphone? The last three months of the year see a barrage of smartphone releases. As we all now know, premium smartphones from eminent manufacturers are refreshed on a yearly basis. In some cases, the refresh-cycle has even been reduced to a few months (Sony fans would know). We now stand just a few hours away from the first ever ‘made by Google’ devices and a few days from the market launch of the Rs. 60,000 iPhone 7 in India. For now, we have already witnessed the launch of Sony’s flagship bet for 2016, the Xperia XZ at Rs. 49,990 and the Motorola Moto Z at Rs. 39,999 (might we add, with really expensive Moto Mods). Word is that Samsung’s non-explosive Galaxy Note 7 is also making its way to the Indian shores this Diwali, while we already have the likes of LG G5 priced at Rs. 40,000, Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge at Rs. 55,000, Nexus 6p at Rs. 40,000 available for purchase.
Let me throw an interesting fact at you. Do you know how many hours on an average do Indians have to work to buy an iPhone? Well, according to a recent video released by the World Economic Forum, it would take 349.4 hours of hard work to afford the luxury smartphone in India. For New York, the number is 24 hours!
Do you really want to work 350 hours to buy the latest phone when you already have a decent, not-so-outdated, working device? That’s almost 44 days of 8-hour work days, which actually turn out to be 12 hours considering daily travel to work, waking up at wee hours to get dressed, and finally heading back home jostling traffic, both human and vehicular!
So, what can you do with the 50-60K you have saved up, aside from satisfying your urge to own the latest flagship, which might just be a little faster, have a slightly improved camera and maybe some more added fluff? Here’s your answer
Go Solo or Take Your Family for a Holiday
Studies around the globe have shown how travel can be way more rewarding than spending on material possessions. A study from the Journal of Positive Psychology also reveals that people devalue the worth of expensive purchases on products right after they buy them. But, do you really need studies to tell you that! Check out the number of travel sales happening on Makemytrip, Yatra, Expedia and the likes. In Rs. 50,000 – Rs. 60,000 you could actually plan a decent vacation to the hills, or even the popular beach destinations in India. And, if you are the true budget traveller, you could even fly to some neighbouring country and have yourself a gala time.
Make Home Improvements
It’s festive time and Diwali is considered to be the most auspicious occasion to make some much awaited home improvements. Thankfully, we live in the online shopping era and right now is the best time for you to get your hands on some great festive deals on Pepperfry, Urban Ladder, Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and more. Thinking a whole new geeky look for your den?
Load Up on Accessories
Okay, so we get that you want to geek out with your savings and get some cool tech toys for yourself. Think! Do you want an unnecessary phone upgrade or would you rather buy all of these – a decent pair of earphones, an expensive power bank, a much needed hard drive or NAS box, a printer, a wearable, some cool cases, a funky laptop bag. You get the drift?
Invest In a Console
Have you always wanted to own a gaming console, but have ended up buying a smartphone with all that money instead? Well, if yours is a generation old flagship smartphone, then you really don’t need to rush for an upgrade (unless of course, you played ice hockey with yours). You can get the new Xbox One S for anywhere around Rs. 30,000 or you can wait for the upcoming PS4 Pro, PS4 Slim coming to India soon.
Crowdfund a Tech Startup
Want to be the first one to make phone calls using your fingertips? Or communicate without any cells, WiFi or satellite? Or even own a robotic 3D printer? Well, you can do all these ultra cool things if you become an investor in a tech startup. These ingenious startups are always looking for crowd-funding and are more than happy to share the spoils with those who invest in them. You can check out more of such innovative ideas on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and more such crowdfunding platforms across the web.
Get a New Wardrobe
Have you heard of H&M? The swedish fashion brand has now opened shop in every nook and cranny of India and with 50-60K you can expect to make a bumper addition to your wardrobe. Even if you don’t find your way to a mall, you could always get your dapper on with some fresh merchandise from your local markets for that next Tinder date!
Invest in a Health Insurance Plan
Your life and that of your family is definitely more valuable than a smartphone. For as low as Rs. 8,000 you can a great health insurance plan, in Rs. 50,000 you can get one for your entire family.
Enhance Your Skills
Want to be a web developer? Learn to build Android apps? Be a Digital marketing ninja? Get your groove on with some salsa? Speak in Chinese or Japanese? It’s time you started investing your hard earned money in yourself. There are a bunch of cheap, short-term course available both online and offline for learning everything we just mentioned and more. So get your noses out of that smartphone display and bury it somewhere it matters.
Buy a Cheaper Phone
Ok so you are a rough user of technology and have broken your premium smartphone many times over. So what? You don’t need to put in another 60K just to get a very similar experience. Try something new. There are a bunch of budget smartphones with awesome specs in the market which come at half the price when compared to premium flagships.
Give Back to Society
Charity might just be the toughest thing you can do with your money, but it’s also very rewarding. Afterall, it is for us to hold the mantle of being responsible citizens of our country. Find a legitimate charity or just help those around you. Remember karma is real and you don’t want to be looking over your shoulder all your life.
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Adamya Sharma
Managing editor, Digit.in - News Junkie, Movie Buff, Tech Whizz! View Full Profile
