#5) Review Your Other Recurring Service Subscriptions
Let’s review some common services folks pay for each month that you should review to see if you can find more affordable options:
Cell Phone/Internet
Did you know most major carriers offer discounted services that use the same towers as the major provider? Look into a few of these:
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Verizon: Visible, Total Wireless, Xfinity Mobile
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AT&T: Cricket Wireless, h2o Wireless, Consumer Cellular
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T-Mobile: Metro by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile, Republic Wireless
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Sprint: Boost Mobile, Tello Mobile, Twigby
Cable/Live TV
First, decide if you really need Live TV! If you do, there are a ton of affordable options out there that could potentially save you some money each month – here are just a few:
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Sling TV
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YouTube TV
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Hulu + Live TV
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AT&T TV Now
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Philo
All of these options range from $20 – $65/month (as of the original article published date), which is considerably cheaper than most, if not all, major cable subscriptions today.
Streaming Subscriptions
Want to replace Live TV with a subscription service? Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+ (the list goes on & on) are all different companies offering streaming services these days. Take an honest and critical look at these services to figure out which ones you really want – if any – and cut the rest!
Keep in mind that Netflix alone has (by some estimates) over 34,000 hours worth of content available to stream. Consider that before purchasing multiple services to get access to “more content!” Those monthly fees for each service can add up quickly, even if they’re each a small dollar amount.
Music Subscriptions
Do you really need to pay money to buy each song or album you want to listen to in the future? How about paying money each month to listen to your music without ads? If not, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and many others offer you all the music/podcasts you need to get through the day at $0.00 to you! You just need to sit through a few advertisements every now & then, and everything you could ever want to listen to is at your fingertips!
Home Energy Bills
Energy bills don’t typically come to mind as something we can cut expenses on, since they’re not really “discretionary” because we have no choice but to pay them. However, there are plenty of ways to make sure you are running a tight ship at home to make sure you aren’t paying more than you have to!
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Update your light bulbs to CFL or LED to save on energy consumption. They may cost more up front, but they last longer & use far less electricity, so they pay for themselves in the long run!
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Keep an eye on the thermostat! Chilly? Put on a sweater! Too hot? Open the windows! Do what you can to regulate your body temperature without breaking the bank to do it.
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Consider lowering the temperature on your hot water heater. The Department of Energy recommends keeping your temperature at 120 degrees, but most default settings are 140+ degrees. Take a look and make sure you aren’t wasting money on keeping that water hotter than it needs to be!
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Unplug unused electronics. “Phantom” or “Vampire” charges are small electrical currents that stay connected to the item when it’s plugged in but not in use, which is a totally unnecessary waste of money, and is easily saved by unplugging devices that aren’t being used!
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Turn the lights off & any electronics when you leave a room/space that you aren’t using – simple, but a big one to remember!
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Seal off air leaks. Check the doors and windows to see if you can find any areas you can seal off to keep that thermostat steady!