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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

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.