We are bombarded everyday with offers and deals to SAVE MONEY on everything from our electric bill, cell phone bill, cable / satellite bill and phone bill. The Budget Diet girl has played the game of SWITCHING all in the name of saving money, but are the savings worth the hassle?
The Budget Diet girl is going to take you on my year of trying to get a better deal, so you can determine if the savings are really worth the hassle.
Electric Company
If you live in a deregulated state this is the easiest switch to make! In Texas, you simply go to PowerToChoose.org, type in your zip code and choose the best plan. In less than 5 minutes I was able to save over $100 a month!
- Annual Savings: $1200
- Was it a hassle? NO!
- Worth it? ABSOLUTELY!
Cable / Satellite
I was lured by an ad! The savings are good, but the time spent on the phone, packaging the equipment for return shipping and dealing with the installation was ridiculous! The worst part is that if they don't have a better deal in 2 years, I just might be compelled to go through the hassle of switching all over again!
- Overall 2 year savings: $289
- Was it a hassle? YES,YES, YES!
- Worth it? Ask me in 2 years!
Cell Phone Companies
Cell phone companies love to lock you into 2 year contracts, give you a FREE phone and lock you into another 2 year contract…it's a vicious cycle! Earlier this year we thought about switching, but just the mention of this to Sprint and voila…they had a great deal for us! We're locked into another 2 year contract, but for our loyalty I now get a new FREE phone every year! It was really just switching plans not switching companies!
- Annual Savings: $240
- Was it a hassle? NO
- Worth it? YES
Phone Companies
Bundle is the key word with phone companies…they'll give you a discount if you bundle phone, internet and TV service, but do your homework to make sure it's really a good deal. We lost our bundle discount by switching to Direct TV, but the savings are far more than the small discount. The other key with phone companies is take a moment to call them and review your bill…make sure you really need all the services you're paying for like call waiting, caller ID and voicemail. I was quickly able to shave $8 off my bill by dropping the voicemail service because we recently bought new phones with built-in answering systems.
Take a moment today to call your cable / satellite company, cell phone company, electric company and phone company to make sure you are getting the best deal. The Budget Diet girl says, ask and you just might receive a better deal! In most cases, it's a lot easier to switch plans than switch companies!
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Photo courtesy of Free Web Photos
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In full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links to help support The Budget Diet girl! My advice will always be unbiased and free, but free won’t pay the bills! Thanks!
