Cutting Back on Your Budget? 4 Ways to Lower Your Bills
If you’ve found yourself in a financial bind, you may be hoping in vain for a sudden financial windfall. However, there’s probably a great deal of potential money that you don’t realize you have because you’re wasting it. Being a good earner means also being a smart spender. These are four ways to lower your bills.
Cancel Memberships
You can’t cancel things like your electricity or water, but there are probably at least a few superfluous memberships that you can nix.
Maybe it seemed like a great idea to sign up for that gym or meal delivery service, but you ended up hardly using either of them.
Do an audit of all your subscriptions and determine which ones are expendable. There might be some that you feel attached to, but you can always sign back up for them later.
With the money you’ve saved, you’ll be able to have a much more flexible budget.
Negotiate Lower Bills
Companies want your loyalty as a subscriber. If your bill has shot up, you shouldn’t take it lying down.
Call them up and threaten to go to a competitor that has better rates. For instance, if internet providers are over-charging you, tell them you found a superior deal.
Being able to keep you on as a customer at slightly less than they wanted is far better than losing your business entirely.
Use Coupons
If you’ve never considered yourself to be a couponer, now’s the time to. They can shave off an enormous percentage of your grocery bill.
You don’t have to be an “extreme couponer” either. Take your typical grocery list and find coupons that correspond to these items.
You’ll be able to put a serious dent in your food expenses.
Drive Less
It can be a lot to fill up a car on a regular basis, even if you’re not driving a gas guzzler. Some people live far from work and have no public transportation options, so they have to drive a lot.
But if you can access things without a car, such as on foot or bike, do so. You can save plenty of money and enjoy the benefits of exercise as well.
Lowering your bills doesn’t mean you have to lower your quality of life. You can find all kinds of shortcuts that make you realize how much money you’ve been unwittingly throwing away.
This can allow you so much more freedom to put money aside or use it for long-term goals.
Category: Family Finances