Just a friendly reminder to do a quick review of your recurring monthly bills and see if you can easily lower anything! I do this every 6 months or so, and it's a pretty painless way to make sure you're not paying for things you don't need, but also ensuring that you get the best price for everything.
First, I make a list of all of my recurring bills (eg. phone, internet, cable, etc.). Then, I call every company I can and just straight up ask if I can pay less. I don't ask to change my service or features unless I want to. I just ask politely if I can pay less money. And guess what? A lot of times, it works. Companies REALLY don't want to lose your business, especially when there are similar alternatives (eg. cable vs. satellite TV) or much cheaper alternatives (cable vs. cord-cutting), so they'll usually bend over backwards to retain you. All you have to do is ask. And as far as total time involved? I wrote most of this while on hold with Comcast for 15 minutes, and the whole process took under 2 hours.
Here's a list of things I currently pay and ways I reduce my monthly bills:
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Internet (Comcast): I only have internet with them, and right now I'm paying $50/month for their blast internet, which is fast enough for me. Every time I call, they lock me into that rate for another 6-12 months. If I just accepted their current rate, I'd be paying around $100/month. Despite their horrible reputation, they're actually very easy to deal with and I've only ever talked to an American. They're usually very nice, too. Probably because they know how much we hate them. Total "saved": $50/month.
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TV (DirecTV): I LOVE tv, so I'm never going to be a cord cutter. Love as in pay WAY too much for 300+ channels. So my bill would normally be nearly $200/month. Instead of accepting that, I just call and ask for their best rate. Right now it's at $150 for the next 6 months. Rinse and repeat. Total "saved": $50/month.
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Satellite Radio (Sirius XM): Inspired by a similar reddit post, I call these jerks every 5 months and threaten to cancel. My current rate is supposed to be $45 for 3 months, or $15/month. They'll offer you their "best" rate. You say no. They'll offer you their new "best" rate, which is $25 for 5 months. That's the best I've ever gotten, so I accept. Total "saved": $10/month.
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Gas/Electric: Depending on your state, you may be able to lower your monthly gas and/or electric bill by switching your supplier. I'm in a state (Pennsylvania) that allows you to choose your supplier and change it pretty much whenever you want. It doesn't change how you pay your bill or who actually sends you gas or electric, but it changes who supplies your electric/gas company. It's weird and I don't fully understand it, but I don't really care. Total "saved": Varies. Usually between $10-20/month.
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Cell Phones (Verizon): Almost impossible to change by simply asking, but you can monkey around with things like your data plan (assuming you're not on unlimited). Sometimes I'll have a ton of rollover data or bonus data one month, so the next month I can adjust how much data I buy. I also make sure to remove anything I don't need or use, like insurance or add-ons. Other than that, calling them will generally make almost no difference. Total "saved": Varies. My bill fluctuates ~$15 depending on my data.
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Insurance (Car/House/Life/Medical): This one is more of a review of your finances, but I've done things like raised my deductible on my homeowner's insurance, gotten in better shape to reduce monthly premiums on life insurance, and chose a health insurance plan that was more in line with my needs. Total "saved": Varies. This time it was nothing because I didn't make any changes.
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Drop anything you don't use. This may seem like common sense, but I was surprised at how much I was throwing away on things that I never used. Sometimes I guess I just get on autopilot and forget to cancel things. Hulu? Gone. Wife's gym membership? Cancelled. Netflix? Well, we're still in arbitration since Always Sunny got dropped. Last we left it, Dee had filibustered and Charlie had a motion pending. Total "saved": Varies. This time it was $40/month (Hulu + Gym).
Total monthly expenses cut: $160/month.
EDIT: Since this is getting a little popular, are there any other services or bills that you guys negotiate with any success? I'm sure people would appreciate hearing it!
Submitted December 22, 2017 at 11:46AM by landmanpgh http://ift.tt/2pfdbD6
