A Creative Guide to saving more on end-of-the-month bills
What if I tell you that you can keep your bills in check without giving up a dime of your monthly entertainment supply? Not enough to keep you reading, give me a minute and I bet you’ll thank me later!
With the burden of inflation building every year, we all truly deserve some time of relief to ourselves. From picking up a book, taking a stroll in the nearest park, to having a marathon of your favorite season, I have one thing (your cable bill) sorted for you, for the last time. Trust me, it won’t be a herculean task, but once it is sorted, you are all set for a long time.
Let’s begin from the areas where our major chunk of entertainment expenses goes, shall we? 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.
Average standalone TV device costs $74.2
Let’s 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’s a huge amount of money, right? Well honestly, I almost had a mini heart attack when I came across those figures. I’d say it is only reasonable to weigh your options thoroughly before landing a decision. I am listing a few tricks that I personally swear by to help you save on your virtual entertainment spend.
Giddy… No, Bundle-up!
Prospective Savings: Over $90 per annum
Add the number of cords. Surprising, isn’t it? By increasing the number, I mean bundle up your services offered by the same provider. It works just as kinship in schools, as you get concessions on a cumulative fee if you have a brother or sister studying at the same school. Some service providers like Cox offer lucrative discounts if you bundle up their services. You can go online and explore cox cable TV prices, their pricing and availability in your area.
Liberate yourself of channels that you don’t watch anymore
If cutting the cord altogether is not an option for you (I’d suggest it shouldn’t be an option at all) then you need to spare some time, I’ll 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 don’t watch at all. Once you’ve done that, call your service provider’s toll-free number and get rid of those channels. Negotiate the bills and lighten up the burden on your shoulders. What if the bargain doesn’t turn out rewarding enough in the first go? This is the game of perseverance; stay put and you shall be rewarded. Bonus tip: If you have a good record of timely bill payments then trust me, you will have an upper hand in the negotiations.
Bargain any extra fee
Take out some time to dig in the policy manual once and look out for any extra fee being charged. If you find any, take that phone, dial the customer service number, talk to the service representative, and make them adjust your monthly bill accordingly.
If you think that you find bargains a little difficult to pull off successfully, no worries. You can always hire a professional service to do the bargaining for you. They usually charge half of what they saved in bargain for you. This is how you can conveniently enjoy a discount on your bill without waiting in the long queue for the customer representative to talk to you.
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 time period. How can you exploit this fact? After my discount period expired, I unsubscribed services in my name and registered a new connection in my partner’s name. You can do the same with your roommate and 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.
That’s a Wrap. Let me know in the comments what you think of these suggestions.
