When hubby and I moved in together and got our first place we tried to save money when we could. Back then I thought the only way to save money was to put change and dollar bills (on the rare days we had some we didn’t need) into a big empty water bottle. After time went by I learned that saving money also meant spending wisely and cutting costs where possible. Here are five tips that Betty shared with me on saving money, shared with her permission.
Being Economical: Money Saving Endeavors For Phone, Internet, Cable
The shaky economy is putting many of us in money saving mode. Making a budget is becoming inevitable but there are essentials you can’t just avoid such as your phone, internet and cable television. That adds up to hefty bills.
How can you save money on these services? The answer is not one, but many. Here’s how to stay connected and entertained, while keeping more money in your wallet.
Consider cord cutting
With the number of online streaming services increasing every year, many consumers are choosing to give up cable service and switching to watching movies and TV shows through the web. However, many channels are still asking users to connect with a valid TV account.
Most though, are available to stream free of cost on your PC, smartphone or tablet. You could even stream online channels directly to your television by connecting your computer or mobile devices. Make sure you weigh in the cons, of course, like how you will be deprived from major sporting events, or how channel broadcasting just doesn’t work as in conventional cable.
Bundle services
According to a Consumer Reports study, most consumers are satisfied with their cable, internet and phone bundles. The source says that bundling can indeed save money, and consumers who add their cellphones to the bundle get to save even more.
Also, it doesn’t have to be one-price-fits-all as conventional dictates. Moneyning.com, for instance, lists many AT&T promotional code options for different packages allowing consumers to mix and match services depending on their usage. This could be anything like high speed internet paired basic cable services for families using several internet-connected devices, or phone and internet bundle without cable for families used to watching channels online.
Research inventory
Take out a while to look at different channels offered by your cable provider. Do you need the most expensive channel subscription? How often do you switch to upper tier channels? Can they be streamed online? Maybe you can cut back and save more money with a basic channel plan.
Likewise, a high speed internet connection won’t fit the bill if you only go online for sending emails. On the other hand, when you’re looking to watch some channels online, you’ll want to keep the plan with high speed internet, or else streaming the channels will bog down and take ages.
Check bills frequently
Usually, bills for household communication services vary each month, but don’t assume these differences as normal. Review your bills for new charges every month, as it is an indication of changing habits, and mistakes.
Read the statements even if you’ve linked them to your bank account or credit cards for automatic deduction. This habit would give you an insight on your current preferences, based on which you may save money by selecting a more suitable plan next month.
Take advantage of sharing and free services
Sharing an internet connection with a neighbor could be a good way to save on costs. However, ask your internet service provider to ensure you are not violating any terms. You may also skip the internet altogether and use free WiFi hot spots, such as in public libraries and nearby cafes.
Always take permission when sharing another person’s WiFi connection as it is punishable by law otherwise. Cellular internet may be another option – it makes use of your smartphone’s connection.
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These are great ideas. One of the best tips I have is don’t spend it if you don’t have it and don’t ever spend everything you have.
We cut back on cable and tivo. We switched to netflix. The savings have really added up!
The thing that helped me is learning how to live on what I make and not using credit at all. It took discipline, but it made all the difference in the world.
I use all of those! Since we cut the cable cord, we have saved a ton of money!
Great tips and they are SOO worth it. Keep an eye on your bills and make sure no one else charges is very important; thanks for sharing.. loved your post
I am trying so hard to get my bills reduced. It is so hard to get it all down.
Great tips. I have definitely learned that bundling services can save money.
I am an avid bill checker. On several occasions I have been charged for services that I didn’t request and was able to have them removed from bills.
We saved a ton of money on our bills by bundling. We also check all of our bills monthly because we have been charged numerous times for services that we don’t have, but it’s always nice to have the reminder.
We are trying to save money and just cut our cable tv last week!
I wish we could part with cable. It’s so darn expensive. But, we like Game of Thrones too much. LOL The hubby is too impatient to wait for it to come out on Netflix, too!!
When they did away with the old fashioned analog TV; we gave up TV. We do all online streaming. Only use our cell phones; no house phone. We have saved a lot of money. We only keep up our cell phones which we have to have; and internet which I have to have for work.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount if you see a better promotion offered by that company or one of their competitors. More often than not, they’ll adjust your rate to match their current promotion (or to be competitive!) Also don’t be afraid to ask for a bill adjustment if you’ve been without service due to some kind of outage!
Great tips! We are in saving mode right now!!! Saving is a good thing. You never know when you need it!
Great tips, especially this day in age when money is really tight and a bad economy. BTW the whole left side of your post is cut off with the ad on the side.
I also save extra money during the year for high utility bill months.
Those are nice tips. On the tv thing, if you live in the city you should be able to use an antenna as well. It’s free once installed and actually offers a better HD picture than cable!
This is a good list. I try to regularly go through my bills to make sure i need every service I am being charged for. It is amazing how they sneak little charges in or increase your bill. Those small dollars add up fast.
We cut cable and switched to Netflix. So much cheaper plus we don’t have crazy ads in between!
Good tips. I’ve heard that calling and talking to your provider can sometimes get you a deal if you say that you need to save some money or you will switch to another provider, sometimes they offer deals.
WE are cutting the cord on our cable this summer…….we are starting to live more simple than ever!
Great tips and suggestions. I know that if you threaten to cancel your cable tv bill they will lower your bill. We do this every few years to try and save money.
Use cash not plasticaand use credit cards only when you can pay in 30 days