by Hope
I shared sometime last summer/fall that my audiologist felt that I needed new hearing aids. My hearing had significantly degraded in the last 3 years, and my current hearing aids just weren’t cutting it any longer.
I knew my hearing had gotten worse. Even with my hearing aids in, day to day interactions had gotten increasingly difficult. But after spending $7-8K on my current hearing aids, I just couldn’t stomach another $5K for a new pair. I also didn’t understand how newer, better, more powerful hearing aids were so much cheaper than my original ones.
So I didn’t make any changes; other than some programming on my existing hearing aids.
One Year Later
Living alone for most of the past year, made my hearing loss less innocuous. I mean, no one was really around to notice i.e. my kids. And I stayed to myself for the most part, so it didn’t bother me.
But now I’m around others 24/7. And I’m in a shared space for conference calls, which I have 2-5 times daily most days. I’m loud. My conference call speaker is loud. And frankly, even with my hearing aids in, I struggle to hear my dad speak. (Fun fact: He got his hearing aids yesterday at the VA. He was not happy about it. But I think he’s already seen the benefits.)
So, my solution:
AirPod Pros as Hearing Aids?
Gymnast called me some months ago excited about this new feature with AirPods – hearing aids. I didn’t think much about it at the time. But after this move, the challenges with work calls in a shared space, and the crazy cost of new hearing aids, I decided to check it out.
The price…less than $300.
The battery life…about 6 hours. (I have confirmed this.)
The ease of support…schedule a Genius Bar visit.
The peace and quiet…well, not exactly quiet, but quieter it brings to the house when I’m working…priceless.
I’m still in the testing phase. I’m on my second pair (the first pair was dysfunctional.) I’ve taken the hearing test 3 different times now, all with different results, but not too far off.
My first opinion
I don’t think they could replace my hearing aids. I definitely “hear” better with my hearing aids.
But they are magic when it comes to being able to take work calls without disturbing anyone in the house. Hang out with friends at the pool (they allow me to play music, hear ambient noises, and quiet themselves when I start talking.) And I love that they seamlessly integrate with all my technology so I can jump around without constantly having to change settings or connect to different devices.
Hope is a resourceful and solutions-driven business manager who has spent nearly two decades helping clients streamline their operations and grow their businesses through project management, digital marketing, and tech expertise. Recently transitioning from her role as a single mom of five foster/adoptive children to an empty nester, Hope is navigating the emotional and practical challenges of redefining her life while maintaining her determination to regain financial control and eliminate debt.
Living in a cozy small town in northeast Georgia with her three dogs, Hope cherishes the serenity of the mountains over the bustle of the beach. Though her kids are now finding their footing in the world—pursuing education, careers, and independence—she remains deeply committed to supporting them in this next chapter, even as she faces the bittersweet tug of letting go.
Since joining the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015, Hope has candidly shared her journey of financial ups and downs. Now, with a renewed focus and a clear path ahead, she’s ready to tackle her finances with the same passion and perseverance that she’s brought to her life and career. Through her writing, she continues to inspire others to confront their own financial challenges and strive for a brighter future.
Why will you not invest in your health here? You deserve the equipment you need to hear, not a kinda sorta stop gap. You did this when you refused to buy quality shoes for your catering job too. I do not understand why you do not respect yourself enough to spend money on the proper tools to support your health and well being.
I have $8K hearing aids. They are 4 years old. Spending that kind of money when I’m just getting on my feet financially is tough.
And I don’t want to take on debt. So this is a stop gap. Not a permanent solution.
You’ve spent $300 to cheap out on hearing aids. My mom is deaf and my sister is an audiologist. If you have actual hearing problems that require real hearing aids (not self-diagnosed or Miracle Ear BS), then this was a waste of money. It’s true that hearing aids are not cheap and often not covered by insurance, but this is one of the reasons why you need a budget and savings. It’s like trying to use Dollar Tree reading glasses when you have actual vision problems.
Actually the FDA has approved AirPods as hearing aids for low to moderately hard of hearing people.
This is not a all the time fix, this is a when I need to be on conference calls or when my hearing aid batteries die. (One of them only charges to 50% now.)
I will eventually get new hearing aids. But man, $5-8K, when I’m just getting on my feet is a tough pill to swallow. So I’m holding out using my existing ones and this new tool in the meantime.
You can get excellent quality hearing aids from Costco for about $1500. They even come with a 3 year warranty (including loss!). I’ve had mine almost 3 years and love them. They are way less expensive than was you get from the doctor but just as good, if not better. I highly, highly recommend checking them out.
$1500 seems very good but tbh Hope doesn’t even always have that hanging around on the best of days 🙁
I was thinking of trying that…I have a Sams membership and I know they have some.
But the AirPods are definitely working in a pinch especially for work purposes. I can hear much better on conference calls since they link directly to my phone and computer, and they have a mic so it’s helping me be a bit quieter. I think. I talk loud.
The fact that you won’t even publish comments here or respond to anyone who takes time to try and help kind of shows that you don’t want to change.
Hi Anonymous, I’m the admin. Hope doesn’t approve all of the comments, I do. And I can’t get to them every day. Thanks.
Perhaps you should get help with moderating comments. Its currently taking multiple days to get comments approved which stifles conversation, and really lessens the interest in participating in this blog.
Marezy-d,
Good point, I’ll look into it.
I don’t own the site. If I log in, I do approve comments…unless obviously spam. But right now between work and care taking, I don’t sit down on the site very often.
Is this a new approach? Because I have been reading Hope’s blog posts for years and there is a repeated pattern that when she posts something controversial or something she is avoiding, there will be crickets for comment approvals. All the while Ashley’s are approved within a day or so.
The comment moderation is at the discretion of the site owner. If I log on to the site, I will approve comments, but I don’t spend a lot of time here outside of writing my posts as I am working full time and helping care for my mom/dad and now my daughter/fiance. It’s not intentional.
when the “admin” hides behind a cheesy stock photo i tend to not believe anything they post. if hope is not going to engage with the readers of the website maybe it is time for her to go.