Wondering what to do with your old smartphone when the iPhone 8 & X comes out? While you can certainly sell your old phone immediately after Apple announces the new model, there are plenty of ways to repurpose your iPhone. In general, it’s a good idea to keep an old smartphone as a backup in case your shiny new model breaks for any reason, but you can certainly reuse it elsewhere in your life at the same time.

Here are 20 creative ways to use that old iPhone or Android smartphone that’s collecting dust in a drawer:

1. VR Headset

Utilizing stereoscopic imagery, you can use inexpensive, third party VR head mounts like Google Cardboard, View-Master Virtual Reality or any of the knockoffs sold on Amazon to create a budget VR helmet. While it certainly won’t hold a candle to advanced systems like HTC’s Vive, there’s plenty of fun apps for both iOS and Android users.

2. Dash-mounted Navigation / Camera

While built-in navigation systems have become much more prevalent in new cars, there are plenty of older cars that could use the upgrade. In addition, having a dash-mounted version is likely safer when attempting to pull your smartphone out of your pocket while driving to check Google Maps. If you want to use your phone’s camera, you also have a dashcam.

We really love the MagGrip CD Slot mount, mainly because few people are using physical CD’s anymore. It places your phone in a perfect spot on the dash, elevated above the radio and below your rearview mirror. Some add-on software / hardware you may want to consider:

• ForeverMap 2 on iOS, Scout on Android: Offers offline maps, ideal when you drive into areas without consistent cell phone coverage.
• HUDWay (iOS & Android): If driving in poor conditions, this app uses reflections to create a semi-HUD on your windshield.
• Automatic Pro (hardware): Utilizing a car’s standard diagnostics (OBD-II) port, the Automatic app can display a ton of information related to usage of your vehicle.
• GasBuddy: Helps located the least expensive gas prices in your immediate area.

3. Smart Home Controller

If you are interested in investing in a smart home hub like the Samsung’s SmartThings Hub or the Logitech Harmony Hub, you can use an old smartphone as a controller for all your smart home devices. That’s ideal for guests that want to control smart home functions, specifically because the homeowner doesn’t have to hand over their phone for control.

You also may want to consider wall-mounting your smartphone in a central location around the home. There are a number of options on Amazon. Just be sure to place it near an outlet in order to keep the device powered up.

4. Secondary Home Phone

Utilizing the Wi-Fi calling functionality that was added in iOS 8, you can link it to your new phone over Wi-Fi to transfer calls. Basically, both phones will ring relatively at the same time if on the same Wi-Fi network. This can be useful if you live in a large home and want to dock a phone at a central location for anyone to answer.

5. Universal Remote Control

With select new 4K HDTVs packaged with small tablets to control television functions, utilizing an old smartphone for the same purpose can be cost effective for anyone with an older television. Some of the more popular software options include Peel, iRule and Simple Control.

While the software is free, you will likely want to add an IR blaster to make sure commands are always entered. Pronto makes a popular model, usually between $30 to $40 when on sale. LINK

6. Bedside Alarm Clock / Sleep Tracker

Utilizing a decorative shell, you can insert your old phone into the shell and use an app to display a clock all the time. There are a number of options on Amazon. If you are having trouble sleeping during the night, you may want to use a sleep tracker app like Sleep Cycle (available for iOS and Android). Sleepbot is another good option.

7. Dedicated Skype Station

If you like to use video conferencing apps like Skype to chat with friends and family, creating a specific place in your home to video chat can be very useful. You should probably consider purchasing a smartphone dock to keep the phone charged. You can also find docks with speakers built-in, ideal for hearing the folks you are video chatting with.

8. Baby Monitor

Definitely cheaper than purchasing a dedicated Wi-Fi baby monitor, utilizing an old smartphone to keep an eye on the crib is a smart idea. Likely utilizing a powered smartphone dock (similar to the Skype station above), look at apps like Cloud Baby Monitor for iOS or Dormi for Android.

9. GamePad for Mobile Games

Adding a decent gamepad frame to your older smartphone can be accomplished for less than $10. Look at options like the Logitech Powershell (which comes with additional battery power for charging your mobile device). You can also consider stepping up to a full-sized gamepad, like this Powerlead option, for roughly $30 to $35.

10. Document Scanner / Data Storage

Ideal for turning paper documents into a digital format, there are plenty of apps that can use digital smartphone photos to scan documents. Look at apps like CamScanner or Evernote Scannable to scan all your important documents.

In general, utilizing an old iPhone or Android device as an offline data storage solution could be a great idea for private data. Similar to keeping important paper documents in a safe deposit box, having a digital backup could be very useful. Look at apps like USB + WiFi Flash Drive on iOS and File Manager on Android. For additional security, you may want to consider a Safe Inside locking smartphone case to keep that device secure.

11. Dedicated Voice Recorder

Rather than spending $75 to $100 on a popular voice recorder, just utilize your old smartphone to record your notes. Voice Record Pro is popular on iOS and Easy Voice Recorder Pro is popular on Android. You also may want to consider purchasing an additional microphone, assuming you prefer higher quality recording or have an interest in podcasting (higher quality mics).

12. Kitchen Cookbook

If you spend a ton of time in the kitchen cooking meals, having a dedicated mobile device to watch cooking YouTube videos or read recipes can be extremely useful. You can also consider photo scanning in those old recipes that your grandmother passed down to you, ideal for a digital backup. If you are looking for solid kitchen apps, here’s a great list for shopping helpers, timers and recipe organizers.

13. Upgraded Digital Camera / Camcorder

While having a mobile device in your pocket is great for capturing the right moments, you can really step up your photography game with aftermarket lenses and flash attachements. Photojojo is a great spot to pick up items like lenses, improved flashes and tripods. If you want to your your DSLR lens on your smartphone, there are plenty of clip options on Amazon.

14. Vehicle / Bike Tracker

Creating a makeshift LoJack system for your car or bicycle, just reactive your phone with a cheap pay-as-you-go account and securely attach it on your ride. Then just use apps like Find My iPhone to locate the device if you ride ever gets stolen.

15. Barometer / Weather Center

If you have a an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, it includes an internal barometer sensor. If you are upgrading to the 7, you can definitely use your old phone as a mini weather center. Many Android phones offer a similar sensor. For Android, check out the Barometer app and DS Barometer. On iOS devices, check out Thermo-Hygrometer and Bar-o-Meter.

16. Home Security Cameras

Rather than purchasing a $200 Nest camera for internal home security, using an old smartphone for recording areas around your home is a less expensive option. Check out a cloud recording option like ManyThing (iOS or Android) for this purpose. In addition to live streaming video as well as motion alerts, you can setup up to five smartphones as security cameras and record up to 30 days of video.

17. Portable Recording Studio

If you are a musician, the ability to record your music anywhere is extremely useful. Look at apps like GarageBand and KORG Gadget (electronica) on iOS as well as Walk Band and FL Studio Mobile on Android. Of course, you also may want to consider some studio quality microphones to get the best audio.

18. Digital Picture Frame

Ideal when paired with a powered dock, using an old iPhone as a photo frame for guests to check out or browse through images is better than handing them your personal phone (in case you have some inappropriate photos in your stream). Of course, you will need to disable dimming as well as screen lock. A fantastic iOS app for this is Picmatic. It includes options for framing photos as well as transition effects and filters.

19. E-Reader

Rather than spending money on a Kindle, you can easily turn your old smartphone into an e-reader with apps like Marvin Classic on iOS or Moon+ Reader on Android.

20. Wireless Music Hub

Great for parties, using a smartphone as a dedicated music controller is definitely handy. Of course, you will need a Wi-Fi connected receiver or standalone speaker system to take advantage. Beyond apps like Pandora or Spotify for listening to streaming music, check out Tune-In Radio for access to live radio stations.

20 Creative Ways to Reuse Your Old iPhone

According to a 2016 study, nearly 70 percent of seniors achieving an undergraduate degree will leave college with more than $35,000 of student loan debt! Resulting in monthly payments around $350 (average in 2012), that’s a decent chunk of money that students have to repay over terms usually ranging from 10 to 20 years.

Common interest rates for student loans are between 4% to 10% per year. As an example, let’s say your $35,000 student loan has a 7% interest rate. If you choose to pay that over a 20 year period ($270-ish a month), you will pay the original loan balance plus another $30,000 in interest; basically paying $65,000 for your education! If the rate was 10%, you would be end up paying over $80,000!

This is where refinancing can come into play (and impact your financial future significantly). There are a number of popular third party lenders (like SoFi and Earnest) that are offering refinancing services to help you bring down your rates. However, there are pros and cons to the process.

Pros:

You will pay significantly less money over the life of the loan.

As an example, let’s say you decide to refinance your 7% student loan and bring the rate down to 5% over the same 20 year term. Paying $230 a month, you will pay $55,000 over the next 20 years; $10,000 better than your old rate). If you shift that to a 10-year term, you will come out even better paying $44,000 over the life of the loan. The downside is that your payment would go up slightly. But that’s a $10,000 to $20,000 difference in your bank account over that time period!

Savings are even more evident for future doctors and lawyers graduating with a few hundred thousand in debt. Let’s someone with $250,000 in debt shifted from 7% at 20 years to 5% at 10 years. While their payment would move up by about $700 a month, the total interest paid over time would drop by nearly $150,000! They would end up paying around $318,000 for their graduate education instead of $465,000.

You can focus on a single monthly payment rather than payments across a collection of loans.

Basically identical to consolidation, you can roll all your loans into a single loan with a single payment. However, you would want to avoid doing that if one of your loans has a lower interest rate than the refinancing rate. You could refinance the rest of the loans though.

You can remove a cosigner from your original loans.

If you had a parent or friend cosigner your original paperwork for a federal or private loan, refinancing will remove them and release them of any further responsibility. Once a cosigner is released, it’s possible that their credit score would be impacted positively.

You can still claim student loan interest as a tax deduction.

Even if you refinance, you will have the ability to claim up to $2,500 in student loan interest off your taxes each year (assuming you make less than a specific income threshold, $80K for single filers, $160K for joint).

Cons:

You lose protection benefits on your federal loans.

Easily the most risky issue with refinancing, federal loans come with a variety of attractive repayment plans (full list); particularly ideal for someone starting at their first job. For instance, Income-Based Repayment sets your monthly payment at a maximum of 10 percent of your discretionary income. This can be ideal for a recent graduate that’s trying to pay all their living expenses for the first time and a student loan payment as well.

If you plan on moving into a public service career or teaching, you would also be forgoing loan forgiveness options like PSLF. Basically, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer. That’s can be huge savings, possibly better than refinancing if you plan on sticking with the same line of work for ten years.

Of course, these federal benefits do not apply to private loans. In addition, if you see a greater opportunity to make more money in the private sector (compared to public service), you may actually be doing yourself a disservice to utilize a loan forgiveness program.

You lose deferment and forbearance options.

If you lost your job for some reason, federal loans have the option of postponing your payments. that can also be used when reentering college, such as attending a graduate program. A refinanced loan won’t offer the same option and will continue to require payments over time.

So What Should You Do?

I’d say refinancing your student loans is most ideal when you have a stable career, a decent emergency fund built up, and consistent cash flow each month. The potential to save tens of thousands of dollars over the life of loan can impact your financial future in an extremely positive way, especially if you invest that money into your retirement.

Personally, I’ve helped my wife refinance her graduate school student loans twice, each time a different company. The first time, we reduced rates between 7% and 8.5% on multiple loans down to a 6% fixed rate. The second time, we reduced the rate down to 4.4%, a move that will save us an additional $30,000 over the next 6 years.

Assuming you have a majority of federal loans, take a look at the full list of federal benefits to see if you want to give those options up in favor of saving money. If you have private loans, refinancing is a no-brainer; especially if your interest rates are high.

More Resources:

• 11 Best Companies to Refinance Your Student Loans: NerdWallet
• /r/StudentLoans subreddit for asking questions: Reddit
• Student Loan Payment Calculators: FinAid – SLHero
• Fixed vs. variable student loan interest rates: Credible

Refinancing Student Loan Debt could save you Thousands

Developed by London-based illustrator Mr. Peruca, this collection of “Notorious Baldies” illustrations offers up one of the best collections of famous pop culture characters that also happen to be bald or going bald. Characters within the collection have been pulled from comic books, movies and television shows that include Star Wars, Breaking Bad, The Avengers, Batman, Superman, Lord of the Rings, The Karate Kid, Family Guy and The Goonies.

In addition to this collection, Peruca has also created a number of illustrations that uses isometric art to create popular figures such as Iron Man and Carl Sagan as well as a series on animals camouflaged in a specific color. If you have any interest in purchasing the Baldies series of images, you can find Peruca’s online shop here at Art&Toys. But first, be sure to check out the entire collection below:

Bane

Darth Maul

Dr. Manhattan

Charlie Brown

Gollum

Mikhail Gorbachev

Hellboy

Homer Simpson

Lex Luther

Mr. Myiagi

Nick Fury

Pennywise

Pinhead

Professor X

Sloth

Stewie Griffin

Walter White

Yoda

18 of Pop Culture’s Most Famous Baldies of All Time

Paying homage to the collection of 1920s vintage mugshots of Australian criminals posted on Laughing Squid last year, Canadian graphic artist Jason Mark has applied the same type of look to a handful of classic Batman villains. Giving off a Gangster Squad vibe, Mark’s “The Usual Suspects” set includes his take on the Joker (John Doe), the Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot), Two-Face (Harvey Dent) and Mr. Freeze (Victor Fries).

The first three are dated in the early 1940s while Mr. Freeze’s mug shot is dated in the late 1950s. My guess is that the artist is working under the assumption that the technology keeping the good doctor alive didn’t exist until the late ’50s.

Mark’s other work includes a variety of DC and Marvel superhero-inspired art including Batman, Green Lantern and Wolverine. Check out “The Usual Suspects” below:

Vintage Batman Villains

Batman Villains Envisioned in Vintage Mugshots

Definitely solidifying his place in the Hall of Fame of Amazing Fathers, David LaFerriere has been drawing illustrations on his kids’ clear, plastic sandwich bags since 2008. Basically a fun surprise when they popped open their lunchboxes at school each day, the creative graphic designer used a Sharpie to draw robots, food, animals, fun objects and a ridiculous number of monster variations that put the Pixar team who worked on Monsters University to shame.

In an interview with Mashable, LaFerriere said, “I used to work nights at a newspaper, and I’d be up early in the morning making my kids sandwiches. I started drawing on the baggies, sort of as a way to channel my creative juices in the morning, and it just ended up sticking.” LaFerriere started his illustrations when both of his boys were in elementary school, but has continued since both sons still enjoy checking out the illustrations each day in middle school and high school.

You can check out over 1,000 of the sandwich bag art designs on LaFerriere’s Flickr account. We have also picked out a handful of some of our favorites that you can check out below.

Our Top Ten Sandwich Bag Art Illustrations

Amazing Dad Draws Sandwich Bag Art Every Day For Five Years

It seems like the school year starts sooner every year. With tax holidays, sales flyers and special promotions to keep track of, it’s tough to make sure you’re saving money when filling up your shopping basket with back-to-school clothes, electronics and more. Be sure to check out the main Ben’s Bargains deal feed updated multiple times daily with the latest back-to-school deals for the new school year.

With nearly two decades of experience under our belt, we have seen countless back-to-school sales and promotions. In order to give you an accurate forecast on when you will be able to get the best deals on back-to-school shopping, we compiled historical data on all back-to-school sales and deals.

Specifically, we looked at the popularity of each deal within our community, the volume of deals within a product category and the average price of those deals. On a monthly basis, our data set included between 4,100 to 4,400 deals. That’s approximately 17,000 deals over the four-month period between July and October.

While we have provided a handy guide below to help figure out when to start shopping for  back-to-school products, here are a few of the highlights:

1. When shopping for back-to-school clothing and shoes, there’s no better month than August. Specifically, prices of apparel deals are about 18 percent lower than September and October. Shoes are discounted at an even larger margin, approximately 30 percent cheaper than waiting until September or October.

2. If you can wait until early October to purchase a new laptop for your student, you will end up saving nearly 10 percent over prices in July and August. Obviously, waiting until the Black Friday shopping period would offer even greater savings, but your student would be without a laptop until the end of November. Keep an eye on Amazon, Newegg, Dell, HP and Lenovo for the best deals.

3. Mid to late September is the best time to purchase mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and eReaders. Many manufacturers introduce new models prior to the fourth quarter, thus previous generation models are heavily discounted. Smartphones are a particularly good buy during September at Best Buy and Amazon, about 15 percent less than other back-to-school shopping months.

4. If you’re outfitting a dorm room or college apartment with home theater gear like televisions, headphones, media players or speakers, September is your best best. However, if you need furniture, kitchen appliances or tools for that first place away from home, it’s best to wait until October in order to save the most money. Of course, your college student will have to get by on cheap Craigslist couches and a handheld can opener until then.

Ben’s Bargains Back-to-School Shopping Guide

(Click to expand)

6 More Back-to-School Shopping Tips

1. Take an inventory of what you already have. There’s no reason to purchase a duplicate of something that you purchased last year, as long as it’s still useful. For example, with computers, look to upgrade your current hardware over purchasing an entirely new laptop or desktop computer. Simply adding an SSD hard drive or more RAM can significantly boost the performance of your computer without breaking the bank. Simple tutorials for both upgrades can be found on YouTube.

Regarding basic school supplies, set up a central location within the home to collect and store all supplies. This will help you see what you have and restock as the school year progresses. Watch for major back-to-school sales at Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples during the first half of August.

2. Figure out what you shouldn’t buy. Put yourself in the shoes of your student. Do they really need a printer or can they print off their assignments in a computer lab? Do they really need a USB flash drive or can they simply use a service like Dropbox to share data between computers? Are the majority of school assignments going to be submitted digitally? If so, reduce the portion of your budget dedicated to office supplies.

3. Don’t pay sales tax if you don’t have to. Be sure to check out the list of 2018 sales tax holidays to see if your state participates. While mostly offered in Southern states, some states offer huge savings for families. For instance, South Carolina has no cap on back-to-school purchases that qualify for the no sales tax benefit.

4. Team up with other families for bulk purchases. Reach out to other families within your school’s community and talk about purchasing school supplies in bulk. Many times, warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco will offer great deals, but the quantity is too big for the traditional family. Joining forces with another family can cut down the cost even more and allow you to split up the supplies.

5. College students should investigate textbook rentals. Textbook rentals are extremely helpful in order to avoid insane textbook prices at the college bookstore. While the go-to retailer is Amazon for physical textbook rentals, be sure to check out the Google Play store if your student has an Android device and wants to rent a digital textbook. Chegg is also an option.

6. For big ticket items, set up a deal alert. If you are shopping for something expensive like a laptop, let us do the work for you with a deal alert and send you an email notification when something hits your price point. With the 17,000+ deals we publish during the back-to-school period, we can definitely help you save money this year. You can also take a quick look at the main Ben’s Bargains deal feed to see the best deals on any given day.

The Best Time to Find Amazing Back-To-School Deals

Enough cannot be said about the ridiculously cool design work of Fernando Reza, a graphic artist from Los Angeles. Just taking a look at his site, you will notice a variety of posters and other illustrations on the subject of various movies, television shows, video games and everything else related to pop culture.

This particular set of Mario Propaganda illustrations highlights the patriotism being promoted to residents of the Mushroom Kingdom, mainly a call to action to fight the dangerous menace known as Mario. You will see Goombas, Bullet Bill, Boo and a variety of other Super Mario enemies portrayed as heroes as they continue to battle the evil mustachioed plumber.

King Koopa must have his hands full cranking the propaganda machine in order to keep the Mushroom Kingdom united against Mario. Reza’s work was also used within the popular First Person Goomba video that details the typical life span of a Goomba.

Check out the full set of Reza’s Mario Propaganda Posters below:

10 Amazing Mario Propaganda Posters

Looking for some great gift ideas for Dad and want to save a little money at the same time? Kristin Cook, Managing Editor of Ben’s Bargains, says “Father’s Day sales have really begun to kick-off since Memorial Sales have ended. Expect to see some sales coincide with early back-to-school deals on items like laptops.”

We’ve put together a solid list of options for you based on the type of dad you have. All of these products are on sale in June as well, ideal for anyone that’s on a budget. Check out our picks:

Chef Dad: Dishware / Pots / Pans

If your Dad loves to whip up meals for the family, June is a fantastic month to find deals on pots & pans as well as general dishware. Why? It’s wedding season and promotions on popular registry items are abundant. Look for great deals on high quality pots & pans sets, usually in the 40 to 50 percent off range at stores like Kohl’s, Wayfair and Macy’s.

Workout Dad: Fitness Gear / Gym Memberships

If your Dad loves to go for a morning run or bike ride, June is a killer month to find deals on fitness related items. That includes sneakers as well as general apparel. Look for sales between 40 to 60 percent off from stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods and REI.

Interestingly, this is also a month when your local gym lower rates to get more memberships, specifically because the weather is warmer and more people are running outside instead of the treadmill. You can also find lots of deals on sports magazine subscriptions to ESPN, Sport’s Illustrated and Runner’s World at sites like DiscountMags.com.

Tech Dad: Laptops

If Dad’s old laptop is more trouble than it’s worth, June usually kicks off the start of back-to-school sales and that includes laptops. Look for great deals on touchscreen and SSD Windows 10 laptops in the $400 to $550 range as well as less expensive 15-inch standard laptops in the $300 to $350 range. The majority of June sales will come from the Microsoft Store, eBay, Best Buy and Dell.

Be aware that this advice doesn’t apply to Apple MacBooks. Apple generally announces new MacBooks at the WWDC conference in June, thus discounts on previous generation models usually don’t hit until late August / early September.

Garage Dad: Tools / Hardware

If your Dad loves spending time tinkering in the garage, this is a fantastic month for snagging tools and other hardware at a major discount. Look for great deals on hand tools from 40 to 65 percent off as well as power tools / combo sets between 25 to 40 percent off at stores like Sears, Home Depot, eBay and Lowes.

Outdoors Dad: Fishing Trips (National Fishing Week)

While the end of fishing season (September) is the best time to buy discounted fishing gear, June is actually the best month to plan an inexpensive fishing trip due to National Fishing Week in early June. Nearly all states run promotional free fishing days during June, excellent for anyone that wants to fish without getting a license. You can find a full list of promotional days to plan a trip with Dad at TakeMeFishing.org.

How to Save Money while buying a Father’s Day Gift

Grumpy Cat has hit the Alabama art scene faster than a barefoot jackrabbit on a hot greasy griddle in the middle of August! Yee haw! Spongebobian colloquialisms aside, the Grumpy Cat Art Project is an actual ongoing event at the Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment center in Hunstville, Alabama.

Starting on May 27, local artists will auction off their takes on the extremely unhappy feline. Not in the Hunstville area? No problem. Interested art collectors can bid online in order to snag one of these pieces; hopefully ousting that boring family portrait you have hanging over the fireplace. (So long, Great Nana.)

Auction proceeds will go to the artists in addition to funding the development of a children’s playground at the Lowe Mill center. Utilizing a variety of mediums, Grumpy Cat appears in paintings, ceramic sculpture, stained glass, tissue paper, 3D sculpture, paper pulp, charcoal, wax, yarn, soap, copper and — still not joking here — chainmail.

All of the Grumpy Cat artwork is viewable here. However, you can check out our top 10 favorite pieces below. Oh, and if any of our readers purchases one of these ill-tempered masterpieces, we demand a picture of it hanging up in your home!

This is a Thing: The Grumpy Cat Art Show

One of the biggest detractors to living in an apartment over your own home is a lack of freedom when it comes to upgrading your apartment’s technology, specifically when it requires changes that are forbidden by the landlord. We’ve compiled a list of 10 tech upgrades that will make your life easier while still keeping your property manager happy.

Concerned about your safety and belongings in your apartment?

Interested in home security, but you aren’t allowed to run wires through the walls in your apartment? Check out Canary, a wireless home security alarm solution. The device is placed at a central location in your apartment and connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network. Using a learning algorithm, the device learns when you are typically home versus when you are not. If the Canary senses motion at an abnormal time, the owner receives a smartphone notification and recorded HD video of the event.

The owner can also tune in live at any time, sound a siren or contact the authorities if there’s any trouble. On top of that, it keeps records of when people come and go to the home as well as use cloud storage to save video / audio over the last 90 days. As an added bonus, the device also tracks air quality, temperature and humidity in the home for health benefits.

Pricing: The Canary is a relatively new product that hasn’t seen much of a price reduction yet. The retail cost is $249 and the device is available at Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot and Verizon stores. If you purchase it directly from the company, it comes with a 60-day money back guarantee if you decide it’s not the right gadget for you.

Are bulky chargers making your furniture stick out?

Want all the benefits of USB charging without swapping out outlet hardware or setting up a USB charging station? Take a look at the SnapPower USB Charger, a simple outlet covering that adds a single USB charging station with just a turn of a screwdriver. The unique design of the outlet plate draws power from the screws on the side of the existing outlet. It’s also completely flat to the fall, ideal for small apartments that have limited space for furniture.

The SnapPower USB Charger comes in two designs and three colors, based off the type of outlets in your apartment. To install, you basically just remove the existing outlet cover and screw on the new cover. When you are ready to move to a new apartment or home, it’s easy to retrieve the hardware and replace it with the old plates. This will keep your landlord happy and give you USB charging without the bulky charger.

Pricing:  At the moment, you can only purchase the SnapPower outlet cover from the company that’s making it: LINK. Preorder pricing is based on the volume of your order. Purchasing a single cover will cost $20 while purchasing 5 covers brings the cost down to $16 each. The outlet covers are expected to ship during September 2015.

Does your apartment lack outlets?

Obviously, it’s easy to expand the number those outlets you have by purchasing a power strip. However, it’s not easy to hide a large power strip in an apartment or fit multiple, bulky chargers on a single strip. Enter the Pivot Power strip, a flexible strip that can be transformed into a variety of shapes.

For instance, you could wrap the power strip around a leg of an end table, effectively hiding the strip from guests. The strip also offers surge protection as well as four feet of cord to reach your nearest outlet.

Pricing:  The Pivot Power retails for $20, however you should be able to find it on sale consistently between $13 and $15 at Amazon. It comes in a variety of colors as well, ideal for anyone that’s decorated their apartment recently.

Love cooking, but hate your apartment’s unreliable appliances?

Arriving in Fall 2015, the Meld Knob is a high-tech automated cooking solution that replaces an existing burner knob on your stove. The knob automatically turns the burner to lower and raise temperature based off temperature readings being received from the Meld Clip. The clip attaches to existing cookware that you already own and measures temperature within 1 degree of the food’s actual temperature.

Utilizing the included mobile app, the user can browse through existing recipes as well as upload their own recipes. Communicating with the mobile device, the knob knows exactly how long to cook your meal as well as the appropriate time to stop cooking completely.

Pricing: The knob was fully funded on Kickstarter this year at a $99 preorder price and is expected to retail for $149 later this year, likely available on Amazon and other Web retailers.

Looking to add an extra A/C window unit in your apartment?

As summer temps are climbing, the need to reliable air conditioning is a must. Take a look at Quirky’s Aros, a smart window air conditioner that was developed in partnership with GE. Learning from your living habits similar to the Nest thermostat, the Aros uses your smartphone’s GPS to determine the best time to fire up before you arrive home.

It also uses a predictive algorithm to determine the temperatures you will like at different times of day. Using a mobile application, an Aros user can track an estimate of how much you have spent on cooling each day and compare that against the national average.

Pricing: The device currently retails for $249.99 and is found at Amazon and Walmart. While sales will be scarce during the summer months, look for the best price at the end of summer. Last September, the price on the Aros dipped down as low as $180 as summer came to a close and inventory was still high.

Do you have horrible central air / heat in your apartment?

Some apartments are notorious for having terrible air flow in different rooms, either the room is too hot or it’s too cold. Ideal for apartment roommates that can’t agree on the temperature, the Keen Smart Vent is a replacement vent for existing air flow vents in most apartments. Powered by four AA batteries, the vent connects to the home’s Wi-Fi network and automatically opens or closes the vent based off the existing temperature in the room.

Similar to other learning devices, the vent will tech itself the best pattern for the person using the room. It can also be controlled manually from a mobile device, but it’s specifically designed to work autonomously.

Pricing: The vents are expected to start shipping in Summer 2015 and can be preordered for a price of $145 for two vents (MSRP: $180). Similar to the SnapPower outlet cover, the price per vent will fall based on the volume of your order.

Do you have a windowless bedroom in your apartment?

Are you subleasing a “bedroom” (probably a closet) in an expensive city like New York or Los Angeles? Does your bedroom simply lack a window? You need the Philips Wake-up Light, an alarm clock that simulates sunlight pouring into your room at the start of each morning. It can also be used as a bedside lamp at night at a variety of different intensities.

Ideally, you should place the clock a couple feet from your head on a bedside table and allow it to slowly wake you up with light. Of course, the alarm clock also includes a standard alarm, FM radio as well as simulated birds chirping to go along with the light.

Pricing: Philips sells multiple models of this design for prices between $69.99 and $99.99. Look for discounts up to 25 to 30 percent off the original MSRP frequently at retailers like Amazon and Walgreens. The device can also be purchased from Philips directly.

Hate fumbling for your keys at your apartment’s front door?

Assuming you have a landlord that’s willing to let you swap out your front door deadbolt, check out the Kwikset Kevo. While there are multiple types of smart locks that interact with your smartphone, this is one of the only models that provides a physical key for the landlord to carry as well as look similar to existing hardware in an apartment complex.

Using Bluetooth connectivity with your mobile device, all you have to do is tap the lock when you arrive home and it will unlock due to the proximity of your smartphone. You can also provide access to guests by supplying a guest eKey that expires after 24 hours. Basically, you can let someone into your apartment without having to be physically at the location. Of course, if your smartphone dies, you always have a physical key as a backup to unlock the door.

Pricing: Retailing for $219 at stores such as Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy and Newegg, you can often find the Kevo on sale at the $199 price point. Amazon occasionally drops the price to $180, but the lowest recorded price to date was $150 at Sears during April.

Want whole-home audio without running wires through walls?

Easily one of the most popular wireless solutions for whole-home audio, the Sonos Play:1 speakers are a compact audio solution that lets you stream music simultaneously to all Wi-Fi connected Sonos speakers. The music you are listening to in your kitchen can carry over to the living room, bedroom and any other room in your apartment.

There are also more robust speakers in the Sonos line, if you need a more expansive sound across a larger space. Music can be controlled from a Wi-Fi connected mobile device, either playing from a personal collection or all the streaming music services available today.

Pricing: The bad news is that wireless comes at a price. A single Sonos Play:1 speaker runs $199 and the more robust speakers run between $299 and $399. However, you can find deals on a set of two Sonos Play:1 speakers at a $349 price point at retailers such as Amazon, Crutchfield, Best Buy and World Wide Stereo. During Christmas sales, you will also find discounts on a single Sonos Play:1 speaker as low as $160.

Hate setting off your apartment’s obnoxious smoke detectors?

Many apartments have smoke detectors placed near the kitchen with a sensitivity that alerts the entire apartment to some slightly burnt toast. Enter the Nest Protect, a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector that allows you to simply wave off the alarm rather than seek out your step stool to reach the ceiling.

Connecting to your mobile devices over Wi-Fi, the advanced hardware sends messages when the batteries are running low as well as constantly runs a test nightly to make sure everything is working. It also uses a human voice alert to specifically identify the problem as well as the area of the home that set off the alarm.

Pricing: At a $99 MSRP, you can find the 2nd generation Nest Protect coming soon to retailers such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Amazon and the company site. Sales on the device are extremely infrequent, rarely dropping below $90. However, the device originally debuted at a $129 price point, thus the reduced MSRP could be considered a deal for people that aren’t early adopters.

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