1. Buy the Xbox Used: Xbox's are not longer being manufactured so you pay a higher price for a new console. Buy a used system that has been cleaned and tested. A used console will usually work just as well, but will save you about $50.



2. Buy Online: The best prices on Xbox consoles are online. You might have to shop around to find the best prices, but they are out there. Price comparison websites are great place to start the search. Plus, you don't have to pay sales tax when you buy online. But watch out for high shipping! It will cut into a large portion of your savings if you aren't careful.

3. Bundle Games and Accessories: Buy games and accessories at the same time you buy the Xbox. Many retailers give discounts on bundled items. And Shipping is almost always less than if you bought everything seperately. This makes a big difference when it comes to the controllers and other heavy items.

4. Buy Used Games: Buying used games is a great way to save money. They will usually be at least 50 percent less than the game was new and with many Xbox games the discounts are more than 75 percent! Be sure to buy games that are in good condition though. If the game has a bunch of scratches it might not load, or might break later in the game. Be sure you see a clear description of the game's condition before you buy it.

5. Read Game Reviews: There are a lot of games for the Xbox, and to be honest many of them are no good. Do a little bit of research into the games before you buy them. What are critics saying? Or better yet actual gamers? Many websites like gamerankings.com and gamestats.com give overall rankings for Xbox games. Some good video games to start with are: Halo, Halo 2, Project Gotham Racing, Ghost Recon, and Medal of Honor.

6. Buy Games that Interest You: Reviews can only take you so far because the critics might have different opinions than you. If you love skateboarding, you will probably enjoy a skateboarding game. If you son is obsessed with Spiderman, he will probably enjoy a Spiderman game. Even if the reviews aren't very good.

7. Buy Microsoft Accessories: You will probably want an extra controller, or memory card, or some other accessory to go along with your Xbox console. When at all possible, but accessories made by Microsoft. They will be more expensive initially but many third party accessories (especially controllers) will break on you. Microsoft's controllers and accessories will cost more upfront but definitely be worth it because they last longer too.

8. Buy Useful Accessories: There are lots of accessories made for the Xbox, but many of them are not worth your money. The most important extra accessory to buy is a controller. Each console comes with one controller but if you want to play with friends, you will need an extra (or three if you really want to have a good time). Memory cards for the Xbox are not as important as other systems because the Xbox has a built in hard drive. You will only need a memory card if you want to bring saved data to another Xbox.

Follow these 8 tips and you will save money and start enjoying your Xbox console, games, and accessories.

Copyright (c) 2007 JJ Hendricks