Lower Bills to Save Money
Lower bills using practical tips to save money on all your household expenses. Budget not balancing? Need money to achieve debt free living goals? If you're tired of overpaying for everything, it's time to start saving money everyday. Here are some practical strategies to save money on your monthly bills, personal expenses, and just about everything you do or buy! Why pay more than you have to? Stop wasting your money now!
A Money Saving Tip a Day Keeps the Credit Card Away! Use Money Saving Tips everyday to lower bills, save on groceries, clothing, utilities, home decorating, gifts, weddings and much more.
Review and Analyze all Expenses to Lower Bills
Eliminate all unnecessary expenses: ask yourself, do I really need this or have I just become accustomed to having it?
Make a list of pros and cons.Your pros would include the benefits of keeping such an expense. The cons would be the consequences of not having the expense.
Continue doing this until you have a list that you consider essential expenses only.
Remember, when you have met your savings and debt reduction goals, you can always include some of these "luxuries" in your life again.
But for now, what’s more important to you is what you have to determine. The choice to save money can only be a good one! There is no downside to that. You will be surprised at the number of things you can eliminate or reduce and still enjoy your current standard of living.
Lower Bills by Studying Your Bills
Once you determine which expenses are necessary and which you'll be eliminating, you need to get those monthly bills remaining in the budget as low cost as possible. A great way to lower bills is to make sure you're not paying extra charges for uneccessary services.
You should make it a habit to review every bill you get for your utilities or other monthly services. I find charges that I don’t understand or that I know should not be on the bill. If you don’t use a service or you don’t really need it - get rid of it.
Call the companies that provide service to you. Explain that you have found it necessary to cut back on expenses and lower bills but, would like to keep their service. You will be surprised how helpful they are.
I approached my cable company to see if I had the lowest cost package available, when I explained that I would rather go to a lower package than "completely drop the service" (which most companies don’t want to hear) the representative was extremely helpful.
It turned out that I did currently have the lowest package available, however they would grant me a $10 reduction in my monthly bill for the next 12 months to help me out. I was very grateful and very surprised! That was $120 for the next year that I could use somewhere else in the budget and I could keep my cable service.
I did this with all of the services, I decided I should keep, and ended up saving between $5 and $10 on each service per month.If you move through your budget expenses one by one and consistently eliminate or reduce everything possible, you will lower bills and bring that budget into balance with your income.
This may take sacrificing some luxuries that you think you can’t live without. But, you will find as your life becomes simpler, you become less stressed and much happier. You may never want to go back even when you can afford those little luxuries.
Continue to eliminate and lower bills until your expenses fall within your income level. You may be surprised at how much you can lower bills just by eliminating wasteful spending. Saving money will eventually become an everyday habit. You'll live to learn more money saving tips!
Lower Bills on Debt Payment
f you have several debt payments, you could use a credit counselor to not only lower bills, but get you out of debt faster. This is a great way to free up money for other areas of your budget and gain control of your finances.
Would you like to be debt free? Need to get control of your over-extended debt obligations? Reduce interest and lower bills with the help of an experienced debt counselor.
Choosing a credit counselor is a serious matter that requires serious standards. When choosing a counselor, consider these important factors:
Are they experienced?
Do they provide customer-focused service?
Are there convenient payment options and account access?
Do they offer resources to help you manage your money and remain debt free?
Choosing a Credit Counseling Agency that provides CareOne Credit Service is a Good Place to Start.
Lower Bills on Cable T.V.
Does anyone remember the day when you didn't have to pay to watch television? You still can use the old fashioned antenna to get local channels. However, I think technology has spoiled us beyond return on this luxury!
If we must have cable or satellite T.V., lets at least make sure we are smart about it. Ask yourself these questions and evaluate what you need against what you're paying for.
How many movie channels do you really need? Do you need them at all? Does your family utilize the movie channels you are paying extra dollars for or is it really a waste of money.
Perhaps you have a video/DVD movie rental membership as well. Are you getting the best value for your money?
Do you really need both cable movie channels and the video/DVD rental membership?
Which one does your family use more? Which one will provide the best value for dollars spent?
Compare satellite service prices to costs for cable in your area. Can you get more for your money or the same service you get now for less?
Analyzing each expense and using several money savings tips helps reduce costs and bring the budget into balance. By process of elimination you start reducing your expenses.
Lower Bills on Phone Expenses
Cell phones: Are you getting the best price for your needs?
Do you need and use all the services you may currently be paying for?
Can your cell phone service replace your home line service as well? If so, you can consider eliminating your home based phone service.
Call your customer service representative. Explain that you have found it necessary to lower bills. They can review your normal cell phone usage patterns and recommend any beneficial changes in your plan. Be sure to understand all the terms offered if you decide to switch plans. If you have a contract, you may be asked to extend it. You should study the offer carefully to be sure it actually meets your needs before making a decision.
Home phone service - Analyze all the services you pay for. There are a multitude of additional expenses when it comes to this expense. Make sure you're getting the lowest rates.
Review your bill to be sure you are not paying for services you don't use. Caller ID is usually a very expensive add-on costing about $8 or $9 per month. Do you really need it? I know many of you have become accustomed to it, but to lower bills you will need to evaluate how important is it.
If you are always getting unwanted calls and find it necessary to monitor calls, let the answering machine pick it up. You can always pick it up mid-message if you want to speak to the party. If they don't leave a message, chances are it wasn't that important, or it's someone you didn't want to speak to anyway.
Heck, if it's really bad, change your phone number, get it listed on the DO NOT CALL list to weed out telemarketers and be careful who you give the number to.
Tip to lower bills on your phone even more: I discovered that the my local phone company has an economy plan. Most people pay for the basic service plan which includes unlimited local calls. If you are someone who rarely picks up your home phone to call out, this plan could lower bills on your home phone by about 40%.
The economy plan usually limits the number of local calls to a maximum and then charges a set rate per call for all calls after that maximum. Even if you go over the maximum, you could still save money if you don't go over by too much depending on what your companies per call rate is. It's worth a try anyway.
Today, many people use their cell phones 99% of the time anyway and only keep the home phone as an emergency precaution. This could be a real money saving option in those situations.
Lower bills on long distance. If you have long distance included in your cell phone plan, USE IT! Why make long distance phone calls from your home phone for an extra fee when you can call from your cell phone with no extra charge?
For those with internet connections, email family and friends as opposed to calling on the phone. Email, chat and instant messaging are becoming the new generations communication of choice. My kids spend more time chatting with friends online than on the phone.
You can save money on your long distance service by taking advantage of these tools whenever possible. These services are usually included to some extent, if not unlimited, with most internet service providers.
I have not tried it myself, but have also become aware of computer microphones which allow you to speak to each other! So, if you really feel the need to actually speak to someone, try this technology out on your computer. No long distance fees for any of these options. That is of course unless you are paying these fees to access the internet. Everyone's situation is different. Use the tools available to you to reduce phone expenses as much as possible.
Lower Bills on Internet Service
If you are a casual user of the internet then you can find free limited internet service that will probably suit your needs. Do your research! There are providers that offer free and low cost options online.
Shop for the best prices on Broadband, T1, DSL, and high speed internet service.
Even if you're a frequent online visitor you should compare prices and services. Whether you want a free isp provider, cheap internet access, or to compare discount internet service providers, All Free ISP can help you out. Complete Free ISP Listings by State or Area Code!AOL Users: AOL offers several programs to reduce your fees for services. One that I use is the Opinion Place. CTRL K and type in OP. This should bring you to Opinion Place. You may qualify for surveys that will pay you up to $4.50 credit. This is directly credited to the payment method you use for your AOL account. You can complete surveys about every 2 weeks, this mean a potential to save up to $9 per month.
On average I save between $6-$7 per month completing surveys. Amounts are determined by the estimated time it takes to complete a survey and eligibility for surveys. Everyone's profile is different.
I have a reduced rate on my AOL as well because I commit to a six month contract. Not a huge commitment for a reduced rate. In the end, I'm usually only paying about $3 a month for AOL.
NOTE: I piggy back my AOL on my Verizon Broadband connection so my rate ($4.95) may be lower than accounts actually connecting through this service. In any event, no matter how you need to use it, you can save money with surveys and short commitments.
Reduce that Electric Bill!
Money Saving Tip for Heating and Cooling
Learn to naturally cool your house in the summer. Did you know that a simple decision like what color to paint your house can actually save you money on cooling costs? It's true! Lighter exterior colors reflect more sun light whereas darker colors absorb the suns rays. This absorption of the sun's heat will eventually cause temps inside the home to increase making it harder for you to cool the house.
Using heat deflectors is one way to cut cooling costs. Learn more Energy Savers and save more money on energy.
Review these energy conservation tips to lower bills on electric, gas, water, heating, and cooling.
Lower Bills on Car Expenses
I recently made a decision to evaluate my car expenses when the price of gas starting rising out of control. Read about how I actually reduced expenses and ended up with a new car! Being a frugal gal this was a real challenge for me to accept. But after careful consideration and reviewing all of my options I found it to be the most practical and logical decision. If interested, you can read the article.
Thanks to our subscriber, Danielle, for sharing her insights. Danielle says ....
I just recently traded in my SUV for an economy car w/a very good warranty, and also came to the conclusion that a new car was the best way to go.
-New cars have lower interest rates - more money is going toward the purchase vs the financing.
-New cars are covered under warranty, so there are little to no repair costs.
-By trading in my old vehicle, I was able to pay less tax on the purchase of the new car (the taxable purchase price is brought down) than if I had sold my car on my own and purchased another used car.
-In this economy - w/ gas prices and employee discount pricing (which drives down the purchase of new cars as well as the value of used cars), the resale value of economy cars has increased, and the resale value of SUV's and vans has decreased. My car is a good investment.
- I know my car will still be running when I finish payments - no guarantee w/ used cars.
Analyze all expenses for your car and reduce them as much as possible.
Lower Your Car Payment - Not an option for everyone, but it may be that you will qualify for auto refinancing. Some companies offer not only financing but refinancing of auto loans.
Lower Bills on Car Insurance: Shop around and compare rates with different companies to make sure you're getting the best rate. Ask your agent what discounts are available and if you qualify for any. For example, some companies offer discounts for non-smokers or students with good grades.
Save on Gas - Some gas expenses are not exceeding the monthly car payments! It just makes sense to re-evaluate. Are you driving a gas guzzler? Maybe you can lower bills on gas and car maintenance with the purchase of a newer, more economical car. With gas prices so high, it's certainly worth considering. At the very least, review some Gas Saving Tips to get the most mileage for your money.
Maintenance and Repair - Keeping your car maintained will save you money in the long run. Small problems usually lead to bigger problems if left alone. If you're not sure if a repair is actually necessary, or if it is a very expensive repair, it never hurts to get a second opinion. Compare services and prices like with any other expense. Informed Consumers = More Savings!
