Do you know how much you are overpaying on bills? Are you losing money you could be saving?
Most people just pay their bills and don't take the time to analyze them. By just taking a few minutes to review statements for unnecessary charges, current specials, or contacting customer service can help to reduce your monthly payout. Service providers will NEVER contact you to offer you a promotion that is less than what you are currently paying. Watching the finances is your responsibility!
Here are a few tips that work for me everytime!
1) Use online chat when available instead of placing a call. This gives you proof of what was discussed and you can always refer back to it if things don't go as planned!
2) Tell your provider you saw a recent promotion on tv you want to take advantage of or ask if there are promotions for existing customers.
3) Tell them you want to downgrade your products or services to lower your bill.
4) Watch what other service providers are offering in the marketplace. They may have better pricing to give you a reason to switch!
By doing these things, I have actually actually reduced my credit card APR for 6mos at a time, received a monthly credit on my cable or cell bill for being a loyal customer and in other cases switched to a new provider that is cheaper!
Let's do some simple math to show you some results!
For our cell phones, we weren't anywhere near the usage we weres paying for at $90/mo. I was actually able to downgrade to a plan that was $30 cheaper/mo! That's a savings of $360/yr!
For cable/internet, new customers typically get discounted pricing the first 2yrs so we recently switched from AT&T to another provider! We got all the same services with faster internet speeds, better equipment, and saving $30/mo or $360/yr! Honestly, switch providers bi-annually unless our current one matches their competitor to keep our business.
Watch auto or home loan rates and if it makes sense you may be able to pay less interest over the life of the loan. A few years ago I refinanced my auto loan before I went on maternity leave. I was able to lower my rate and not extend the term of my loan! Saved me $20/mo or $960 in interest over the life of my loan!
How do you lower your bills?
