Easy Ways To Save Money On Your Home Phone Bill

These day's, with the soaring price of just about everything, you may be struggling to make ends meet. While you may not have the power to increase your wages, you can take some easy measures to decrease your bills. In this article I'll explain some ways you can substantially reduce your home phone bill, and save some money to help make those ends meet again!

1. Eliminate Services You Don't Need. Many companies offer bundle packages with all sorts of extras including: call waiting, voicemail, and caller Id. They tell you that these bundle packages are the "best value". If you use all of these features on a regular basis, than it may be a great deal for you. However, if you don't use them, you may as well throw some money out the window.

2. Use An Answering Machine. Okay, so you've thought it over, and think voicemail is something you really need. Wrong! Why not invest a few dollars, and go back to the old school answering machine. This could shave a few bucks off your phone bill every month, saving you money!

3. Use The Phone Book. Don't waste your money calling information for a phone number when you could easily look it up. You could even find the number in an online phone number directory such as http://www.yellowpages.com/ for free.

4. Use Your Phone's Redial Function. Opting for automatic redialing and callback services can add unnecessary charges to your phone bill.

5. Use Long Distance Wisely. Long distance calls are often the most expensive part of a persons phone bill. To cut your long distance cost and save some money, try the following:

• Call During Reduced Rate Periods. This is typically nights, weekends, and holidays.



• Use 10-10 Numbers. Some long distance providers use these dial-around numbers, and may have lower rates than your phone company. Shop around and do some investigating. It all adds up to money kept in your pocket!



• Choose A Family Plan. Family plans offer reduced rates to specific individuals or regions. This is ideal for anyone who makes frequent calls to the same people or places.



• Dial 1-800 Numbers. When calling a company or business, you should always look for a 1-800 number instead of dialing direct.



• Use Phone Cards. Prepaid phone cards offer the best rates. And usually the more minutes you buy= the more you'll save on each call. A prepaid phone card can save you as much as 90% per call when compared to your phone companies rate.

Ways To Save Money On Auto Insurance

1. Shop Around. There are hundreds if not thousands of auto insurance providers out there. Rates for comparable coverage can vary by more than 100$ a month. With that being said, wouldn't it make sense to get as many quotes as possible. There are several sites online who offer valuable free services which will allow you to get quote comparisons from multiple companies.


2. Take Advantage Of All Available Discounts. The types of discounts available will vary from state to state, and from company to company. Here are some that you should ask about:

• Defensive Driving Classes. Insurance companies often offer a 10% discount on premiums when you complete a defensive driving course.

• Good Student Discounts. A student with a GPA of 3.0 or higher may qualify for a discount of up to 25%. Dick Luedke, a State Farm Spokesman, says " young male drivers may especially benefit from this because their premiums are typically higher.



• Retirement Discounts. When you retire you are likely to be driving less, and insurance companies may cut you a break. So be sure to inform your insurance agent that you have retired.



• College-Kids-Who-Are-Far-Away-Discounts. If at least 100 miles separates your child from your car you may be able to save up to 40%.



• Group Discounts. Discounts are available to all sorts of associations - military groups, your alma matter, and professional organizations to name a few. If you are employed by a large company that may also earn you a discount.



• Safety Discounts. These vary by state. In some states such as Florida and New York, drivers must be rewarded for having certain safety features on their cars (anti-lock brakes, airbags, automatic seat belts, etc.). Certain ant-theft devices may qualify you for discounts as well.



• Loyalty Discounts. Some auto insurance companies will give you a discount of 10% or more if you stick with them for a year or more.

3. Increase Your Deductible. The deductible is the amount you'll pay out of pocket when making a claim before your insurance will begin to pick up the tab. Increasing your deductible can decrease your premium dramatically. Raising your deductible from $200 to $1000 for instance, would likely save you 40% or more off your insurance premium.

4. Clean Up Your Credit Score. Like it or not, your credit report score will affect whether or not an auto insurance company is willing to insure you. And if they will insure you it will surely affect your rate.

"Someone who is extremely poor in their payment habits could pay 30% to 40% more than someone without those problems", says independent agent John Costello. Most people do not know this, but you are entitled by law to a free copy of your credit report once every year. To get yours, and for more information see my article: How To Get The Free Annual Credit Report

5. Drop Some Coverage. If your car is older, and has little monetary value, you may want to drop collision and comprehensive coverage altogether. Collision and comprehensive can account for 40% or more of the cost of your premium, and covers only your cars replacement value. If any claim payment you'd receive would not substantially exceed your premiums minus your deductible, than it is not worth it to carry that insurance.

6. Choose The Right Vehicle. If your looking to buy a new car, keep in mind that models with high theft rates and high repair costs will cost you more to insure.

5 Ways To Save Money On Homeowners Insurance

1. Insure Your Dwelling Only. Lots of homeowners have the misconception that they need to take out a policy that covers the full value of their home. This is unnecessary. Your policy really only needs to cover the cost of rebuilding your home and any other structure on the property. After all, if a disaster were to occur your home may be destroyed, but the lot surrounding it is still there.


2. Buy Auto And Home Insurance From The Same Company And Save. Insurance companies offer deep discounts when you insure both with them. Pet owners who are looking for pet insurance may want to use this method as well.


3. Take The Highest Deductible You Can Afford. Raising a deductible from $250 to $1000 may save you about $150 per year. This may also discourage you from filing minor claims, which brings us to the next tip.


4. File Claims As Seldom As Possible. The more often you file a claim; the more likely they are to raise your premium. If it is a minor issue it may be wise to pay out of pocket. This could save you money in the long run.


5. Choose Pets Carefully. Believe it or not insurance companies could raise your rates depending on the breed of your pet. Take the Pit-bull for instance. This breed has a bad record of causing liability damages, and the insurance companies will raise your premium as a result.

10 Ways To Cut Energy Costs Around The Home And Save Money

1.Make Sure Your Home Is Sealed Properly. Once a year you should do a walk through with a caulk gun, and make sure their are no drafts coming in.
2.Don't Run The Dishwasher Until It Is A Full Load.
3.Use Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs. They may cost a bit more than conventional bulbs, but they use a substantially less amount of energy, and last for years. They will easily pay for themselves and save you hundreds of dollars a year on your energy bill!
4.Install Light Dimmers. This is a great way to control the amount of electricity being used, based on the amount of light you need at a particular time.
5. Unplug Devices When They Are Not Being Used. Most devices will suck up energy while plugged in even if they are not being used (ie: cell phone chargers, blow dryers, radios, etc.).
6. Clean Or Change The Filter In Your Furnace Once A Month. Dust and dirt will make your unit much less efficient. Filters are very cheap, and having a clean one will save you lots of money.
7. Install A Programmable Thermostat. You can lower your heating and cooling costs by about 10% just by programming the thermostat to adjust itself during certain times of the day. Click here for a video guide to installing programmable thermostats 8. Make Sure Your Attic Has Adequate Insulation. Install more insulation if necessary. This will save you hundreds of dollars each year on your heating and cooling costs. And the cost for the materials and labor are tax deductible!
9. Take Showers Instead Of Baths. A bath uses many more gallons of water than a shower does.
10. Use Cold Water For Laundry. Their are cold water detergents on the market that will get your clothes as clean as they would be if you had used hot water, but will save you money on your energy bill!

Wake Up And Smell The Savings! The Savvy Saver Way!

Many of us coffee drinkers have gotten caught up in the craze of overpaying for coffee. Chances are if you are a coffee drinker your first stop in the morning is a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or other coffee shop.
The average cost for a large cup of coffee at one of these shops is about two dollars. And that's just for the regular plain old coffee. Some of you I'm sure are hooked on these "designer coffees" (cappocinno, lattes, espresso, etc.) which can enter the 3-5 dollar range.
Okay, so for the sake of simplicity we'll just assume you are buying just one cup of regular coffee peer day. So lets do a little math here:

1 cup of coffee per day.........................$2.00 per day
$2.oo per day x 30 (avg days in a month)........$60.00 per month
$2.00 per day x 365 (days in a year)............$730.00 per year

Wow! Seems like alot of money huh? Let's see if we can tighten our belts a bit, and maybe save a few dollars. How about if we start brewing our own coffee at home. Lets see if that will cut those numbers down a bit. For this example we will break down the cost of a cup of coffee when brewed at home with items purchased at Samsclub.com

Folgers Classic Roast 39oz(makes 120 16oz cups)...$9.85 or 8 cents per 16oz cup
BrewRite coffee filter 700ct pack.................$2.34 or less than 1 cent each
Domino Sugar 25 lb bag(approx.2yr supply).........$10.74 or about 1 cent a day
Coffee Mate creamer 50oz (approx. 1yr supply).....$6.12 or about 2 cents per day
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Total cost per 16oz cup.......................... $0.12
Cost per month...$3.60 a savings of $56.40 per month!
Cost per year...$43.80 a savings of $686.20 per year!

That's alot of money you could be saving with little effort and sacrifice. So just think what you could do with that $686 every year.