iPods are for iDiots (like me)

What do you mean, you haven’t seen one of these before. Well duh. It’s an iPod alarm clock: you pop it next to your bed, click in your iPod and get woken up to the strains of your fave playlist. It’s made of the finest plastic. And it’s yours for a trifling £39.99 ($72). Forget the credit crisis: this is where it’s at.

Seriously, now, I never cease to be amazed at all the old tat that is peddled to iPod owners (i.e. lots of us). The iPod socks were bad enough, and the super-swanky speaker-docking-station-things have yet to persuade me to part with my mi££ions, but am I the only one who thinks that these overpriced accessories are being churned out at a rate of knots – and are becoming increasingly ridiculous in their scopes and price points?

I suppose the thinking is that if these mugs will part with £100 for an iPod Nano, they’ll pay over the odds for anything. Hmm, makes sense. Disclosure: my first iPod was supposed to be a good investment, as we emigrated with it – it saved a heck of a lot of space in our suitcases. But it gave up the ghost within two years, leaving me most miffed. But 5GB worth of CDs on iTunes meant that we have been suckered in, dang it. Our second iPod arrived for Christmas last year. Last time I looked it was not dead.

Anyway, here’s the bank manager-friendly, Miss Thrifty Guide to the ultimate iPod accessories:

One. Your old speakers.

(NB: This photo is from the Make: blog, where you can read more about this particular setup .)

Two. A cable.

Three. Oh. That’s it, I think. Have I missed anything worth buying?  

UPDATE: This post was selected for the 33rd Money Hacks Carnival, hosted by Fix My Finances.