Being a cheapskate does not come easy; it takes hard work and dedication to save every possible dollar. For me being a gamer, every dollar that I can save is one I can use to spend on another game. Anyone can say they want to save money but it takes drive and more often lack of funds to try and save money. There are a couple of things to know before going out and trying to save so consider this my guide on being a cheapskate and saving money on Google Play.
Image courtesy of artist Mike DeSantis
The first is the mental part. Everyone loves to play games when they first come out, however having that exclusive moment cost money. Not all games need to be played the day of release; advertising is a psychological art where the advertiser gets in your head to make you want the advertised product immediately. To that I say resist the tempantion and just wait. The early bird indeed gets the worm, however the second mouse gets the cheese.
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The second process is more physical. It involves a lot of homework; once you have it set in you mind you want to save, it’s time to work. Most games go on sale is for special reason. Some offer sales for different holidays or change of seasons, while others are for celebration of an anniversary. One prime example of this was a couple of years back when Google had a celebration sale for reaching 10 billion downloads and had lots of apps on sale for 10 cents; I picked up Minecraft PE the day it went on sale I saved 98% off the cost of the game. Which brings me to my next case: if a game is on sale that you are on the fence, buy it because it won’t be on sale for a very long time. Case in point:Â Minecraft PE has yet to go on sale again since that last sale.
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Lastly is having the tools to make app sales easier to find. One is following your favorite Android site, for example this one that you are on now. Another is an app called AppSales. I won’t get into that too much though you can read the article we have done on AppSales previously. Another piece of advice: if you are a family guy like me, and you have more than one Android device in your house, make a family account. This way, any apps, music, books, etc. can be shared instantly between your devices. My final piece of advice is to sign up for questionnaires that offer gift cards as rewards. For example, I am with one that offers Game Stop gift cards after which I go to the store and buy a Play Store gift card with the card I earned. And of course, there is also Google Opinion Rewards which you can read more about here.
If there is anything you feel I missed please feel free to add it in the comments; information is a resource that should be shared among peers.
