We are bombarded everyday with offers and deals to SAVE MONEY on everything from our electric bill, cell phone bill, cable / satellite bill and phone bill. The Budget Diet girl has played the game of SWITCHING all in the name of saving money, but are the savings worth the hassle?

The Budget Diet girl is going to take you on my year of trying to get a better deal, so you can determine if the savings are really worth the hassle.

Electric Company

If you live in a deregulated state this is the easiest switch to make! In Texas, you simply go to PowerToChoose.org, type in your zip code and choose the best plan. In less than 5 minutes I was able to save over $100 a month!

• Annual Savings: $1200
• Was it a hassle? NO!
• Worth it? ABSOLUTELY!

Cable / Satellite

I was lured by an ad! The savings are good, but the time spent on the phone, packaging the equipment for return shipping and dealing with the installation was ridiculous! The worst part is that if they don’t have a better deal in 2 years, I just might be compelled to go through the hassle of switching all over again!

• Overall 2 year savings: $289
• Was it a hassle? YES,YES, YES!
• Worth it? Ask me in 2 years!

 
Cell Phone Companies

Cell phone companies love to lock you into 2 year contracts, give you a FREE phone and lock you into another 2 year contract…it’s a vicious cycle! Earlier this year we thought about switching, but just the mention of this to Sprint and voila…they had a great deal for us! We’re locked into another 2 year contract, but for our loyalty I now get a new FREE phone every year! It was really just switching plans not switching companies!

• Annual Savings: $240
• Was it a hassle? NO
• Worth it? YES

 
Phone Companies

Bundle is the key word with phone companies…they’ll give you a discount if you bundle phone, internet and TV service, but do your homework to make sure it’s really a good deal. We lost our bundle discount by switching to Direct TV, but the savings are far more than the small discount. The other key with phone companies is take a moment to call them and review your bill…make sure you really need all the services you’re paying for like call waiting, caller ID and voicemail. I was quickly able to shave $8 off my bill by dropping the voicemail service because we recently bought new phones with built-in answering systems.

Take a moment today to call your cable / satellite company, cell phone company, electric company and phone company to make sure you are getting the best deal. The Budget Diet girl says, ask and you just might receive a better deal! In most cases, it’s a lot easier to switch plans than switch companies!

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Photo courtesy of Free Web Photos

How’s this for your weekly challenge…take a look at your budget from 1990. You’ll find that it’s a good lesson in need or want!

Yes, we’ll consider 20 years ago “retro” for the purpose of this article!

Let’s suppose that your 1990 budget is missing or maybe it really never existed! No worries…my 1990 budget will suffice! (By the way, everyone should have a written household budget, so please take a moment to fill in the blanks on my budget worksheet and learn to save your money.)

1990 Phone Bill $40.00
1990 Cable Bill $17.00
1990 Internet Bill (didn’t have one!)
1990 Cell Phone Bill (didn’t have one!)
Total 1990 Electronics Bills: $57

2010 Phone Bill $145.00 (includes phone, internet & dish network)
2010 Cell Phone Bill $130.00
Total 2010 Electronics Bills: $275

WOW…we’re spending $218 a month more on electronics than we did 20 years ago, that’s $2616 a year!

Of course, we all feel like cell phones & internet are necessities, BUT if you are really struggling financially you can live without cable, you can live without a cell phone and you can live without the internet! A cell phone, the internet and cable TV are not worth going into debt for! Give up the fancy electronics if you’re headed toward bankruptcy or foreclosure! Free internet access is always available at your local library. Look on the bright side, a life without fancy electronics will give you a chance to simplify your life.

Taking a look at our budget from 20 years ago is a simple reminder of NEED or WANT. Society seems to think that our needs have changed over the past 20 years when in reality advertising and marketing have turned our wants into needs! Think about it!

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Have you checked The Budget Diet’s freebies page today?

Save Your Money – Stop Wasted Electricity

Discover almost instant savings with a tip that’s both budget friendly & earth friendly!

My daughter’s science project on “Phantom Electricity” showed us just how much electricity we waste.

What is “Phantom Electricity”? Phantom Electricity is the electricity that is used when a device is plugged in but not in use.

For example…you leave your cell phone charger plugged in all the time, but you only charge your phone every few days…did you know that your charger is still using electricity when it is plugged in but not charging? This is “Phantom Electricity”, and little bits are being used throughout your home everyday hence the name “phantom.” Wasted electricity is not earth friendly, and wasted electricity is wasting your money!

My daughter used a device called the “Kill-A-Watt” to take exact measurements of “Phantom Electricity”. The results showed that we’re not talking about huge savings…only $5 – $10 per month, but The Budget Diet motto is: Every little bit adds up!

So, how do you save electricity without running around your house unplugging every little thing, everyday? Here’s some easy suggestions:

* Use power strips for both your computer and television. When not in use…simply turn off the power strip.
* Unplug lamps & appliances that you rarely use.
* For goodness sake, don’t leave your chargers plugged in when not in use!
* It’s all about starting a new habit, so give it a chance and soon unplugging will become second nature just like turning off the lights!

As my 6th grade daughter said in her conclusion, it’s not just about saving your money…it’s about saving the Earth! GO GREEN & SAVE!

Save Your Money – Reduce Your Bills!

Take time today to audit your utility bills, and you’ll discover almost instant savings! You’ll save your money with just a few phone calls.

Here’s how:

Call your phone company, cable company, cell phone company & electricity company to make sure you’re getting the best deal on your utility bill…this will take about 5 minutes for each call!

Ask them to review your current services and determine if you can make any changes. For example, my phone bill included voice mail & caller id, but I no longer needed voice mail, so instantly I saved $8 a month! You might be paying for more cell phone minutes than you really need, or do you really have time to watch all those movie channels?

Ask about any new promotions that might save your money. When I called Dish Network, I discovered that I could reduce my bill by $10 a month just by taking advantage of a new package. Cell phone companies are always offering new plans, so you really need to call them once a year to make sure you’re getting the best deal!

Thanks to deregulation, you can even shop around for the best electricity rates! Regardless of which electricity provider you choose…the actual delivery of the electricity stays the same. Your choice will not affect the reliability of your service or how quickly your power is restored after a storm. Click here for a listing of deregulated states.

If you live in Texas, here’s a quick how-to:

#1. Go to www.PowerToChoose.org

#2. Click on “go directly to offers” located in the bottom, right corner.

#3. Enter your zip code.

#4. Take a look at all your offers & choose!

That’s it…you’ll be done in 5 minutes…no phone calls to make, no interruption to your electricity service…just lower energy bills that your budget will love!
Just last week, I was able to lower my rate and start saving about $100 per month on my electric bill!

The Budget Diet says…ask for savings and often you will receive!

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Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Save Your Money – Lower Your Energy Bill!

Photo courtesy of Free Web Photos

If you live in one of these deregulated states, take five minutes and lower your electric bill today! Simply click on your state, compare rates and save money. Your budget will thank you for it!

California
Connecticut
Delaware
Illinois
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Texas
Washington D.C.

Thanks to deregulation, you can now shop around for the best electricity rates! The good news is that regardless of which electricity provider you choose…the actual delivery of the electricity stays the same. Your choice will not affect the reliability of your service or how quickly your power is restored after a storm. You won’t even have to take time out of your day for a workman to come to your home!

If you live in Texas, here’s a quick how-to:

#1. Go to

www.PowerToChoose.org

#2. Click on “go directly to offers” located in the bottom, right corner.

#3. Enter your zip code.

#4. Take a look at all your offers & choose! Please make sure to consider the length of contract! Your best rate may only be for a 3 month contract, so mark your calendar, and check the offers again in 3 months.

That’s it…you’ll be done in 5 minutes…no phone calls to make, no interruption to your electricity service…just lower energy bills that your budget will love!

Just last week, I was able to lower my rate and start saving about $100 per month on my electric bill!

Save Your Money – Use a Clothesline

Looking for an easy way to quickly reduce your electricity bill?

It’s time for the return of the clothesline!

This simple switch will save you nearly 6% on your monthly electric bill according to the Department of Energy…plus your house will be quieter & cooler!

If your city or homeowners association prohibits clotheslines, your best option is a clothes drying rack (available at Target, Walmart and Bed Bath & Beyond for about $30). I use my drying rack until the clothes are almost dry, and then I pop them in the dryer for about 10 minutes to fluff them up.

So, let’s do the math…if your monthly electric bill is $200, your friend the clothesline just saved you about $12 a month & $144 a year!

Save Your Money – FREE 411 Calls!

Put this phone number on your contact list:  800-FREE-411.  You do have to listen to a short ad, but just think of the savings!

Remember The Budget Diet motto? Every little bit adds up!