A Creative Guide to saving more on Utilities
What if I tell you that you can keep your bills in check without giving up on a dime of your monthly entertainment supply? Not enough to keep you reading? Give me a minute and I bet you will thank me later!
With the burden of inflation building on our shoulders every year, we all truly deserve some time of relief to ourselves. From picking up a book, watching a movie or our favorite TV show, to taking a walk to the central park, I have one thing sorted for you, for the last time. Trust me, it does not require an act of heroism but once it is sorted, you are all set for a ‘lifetime’.
I suggest we start from the areas where a major part of our entertainment budget goes. After a bit of research, I found out that the major part of our entertainment expenses goes into TV and internet bills. If you find yourself stuck in the middle of a galaxy of offers finding it hard to choose from and saving some dollar bills at the same time, I feel you! Read on and find out simple yet effective ways to save more just as I did.
The average standalone TV device costs $74.2
Let us have a quick run through the numbers. I compared famous TV service providers for a basic 190+ channel package costs around $74, so a single channel costs you around $2.5 per month thus making it $888 per annum of your utility bills. That is quite a lot of money, right. Well honestly, I almost had a mini heart attack when I came across those figures. Weighing your options before concluding is the only logical way to approach a decision-making situation. I am listing a few tricks that I swear by to help you save on your virtual entertainment spend.
Bundle-up!
Prospective Savings: Over $90 per annum
Add the number of cords. Surprising, isn’t it? By increasing the number, I mean bundling up your services from the same provider. It works like kinship in schools, as you get discounts on tuition if you have a sibling studying in the same institution. Some service providers offer lucrative discounts if you bundle up their services. You can always go online and explore those packages.
Set yourself free of channels that you do not like to watch anymore
If cutting the cord altogether is not an option for you (I would suggest it should not be an option at all) then you need to spare some time, I will tell you why. Now that you are mentally and physically prepared for this mini-ordeal, jot down the names of channels that you either watch less or do not watch at all. Once done, pick up the phone, dial your ISP’s toll-free number, and ask them to rid you of these channels. If not all, wave tv service lets you customize your channel lineup, negotiate the bills, and lighten up the burden on your shoulders. However, What if the bargain isn’t as rewarding the first time around, as you were expecting it to be? This is a game of persistence; hold your ground and you are bound to be rewarded.
Pro tip: If you have a great history of timely bill payments and a good reputation with your provider, trust me you are bound to have an upper hand in the negotiations.
Reduce your internet speeds
An average household with multiple users requires 12-25 Mbps of internet speed for ideal internet connectivity. This is the range endorsed by FCC itself. So, if you have been lured into subscribing for higher speeds, get rid of them as soon as you can.
Bargain any extra fee
Dig in the policies and look out for any extra fee being charged. If you find any, pick up the phone, dial the toll-free number and ask them to adjust your billables accordingly. If you think that you don’t have the stomach for bargains, no worries, there are professional services that do the same for you. They usually charge 50% of what you save after the bargain. Not a bad bet to make. After all, you are getting a discount on your bill without having to wait in queue for the customer representative.
Register your connection in your partner’s name
Prospective savings: Over $240 p.a.
Some service providers offer a signing-up discount for a set period. How can you exploit this fact? Once my promotional period expired, I unsubscribed to the services I registered under my name and after careful analysis, decided to purchase a new connection and got it registered in my spouse’s name. However, there is a limit to the number of times you can benefit from this tactic. The same can be pulled off if you have a roommate as you can ask them to share this responsibility. You might be switching a couple of connections but it is going to save you more than a few dollar bills in the longer run.
This is all I have for now but do let me know what you think and if you have any tricks of yours mentioned in the comments below!