Friday, March 30, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Make a Call or Switch Providers....Get an intant raise!
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I am willing to bet many of you have at one time or another noticed this same turn of events with your service. It starts out so low and reasonable and then one day you are trying to figure out, "When did my bill get so high"?
Cable and Internet Providers today often get new customers with their Teaser Rates.
They advertise extremely reasonable rates in hopes of gaining new customers and then once you are "sucked in" its pretty easy to keep you. These are simply introductory rates to keep you happy during the "Honeymoon Phase" and then as time passes (6 months to a year depending on the deal you score) the teaser rate expires and the regular price kicks in. By this time many of us are comfortable with our service, we have stopped paying attention to our monthly bill, and quite possibly, we don't realize the opportunity to save is out there! All the while the company is earning more, and you are saving less.
Make a Change! There is a simple way for you to save money on your cable/internet bill. It involves 4 easy steps and no more than 30 to 45 minutes of your time.
1) Check your options - See what else is being offered out there. For me this wasn't that hard. My email inbox gets advertising for lower internet and cable offers almost daily, and the the number of commercials on TV now? Need I say more. It's obvious the TV and internet companies are out there trying to win you over. From your competitors ads, select which offer fits your needs and is the most reasonable to you and have it ready lying in front of you. This offer, your possible new bill, looks pretty appealing doesn't it?
2) Just Ask - Before you make any changes, pick up the phone and call you current provider. Let them know you noticed a jump in your bill and ask what can be done to reduce your rate back to the teaser rate. Feel free to let them know there are other companies out there that can offer you a lower rate. Most often they will tell you nothing can be done or a very little discount is offered. That's ok. You are on the right path and these operators don't have a lot of leeway with decisions they can make.
3) Ask again - There is always going to be someone higher up the chain you can speak to. Ask to speak to their manager or another department, such as a Retention Department. Going up the ladder of command will give you another shot at getting the savings you deserve. Remember, I asked you to check your competitors offers first. Be ready to use this as back up as you are speaking to the representative. Never be forceful or demanding. Be kind and let them know you appreciate their service, and you would like to know your options. Let them know you have better offers on the table and you may have to cancel your service if you can't get a better deal. *Be ready to follow through with this* You may be surprised at what they can do!
4)Make the change - If your current company can't match the offer you are seeing with another company, then be ready to make the change. If will save on your monthly bill and it will be worth it.
5)Repeat the above -Remember you just signed on to a new deal. This new deal is either with your current company because they gave you an extension on your discount or a new one altogether, or you went with a new company. This new deal is almost always just another "teaser rate" because the company will do it's best to eventually get you back up to their regular rate. Mark your calendar for 6 months to a year from now and be ready to repeat the steps above in order to keep saving!
Here is proof with my personal experience.
Current Provider - Internet only Compitors Offer -Internet Only
Monthly bill = $48.95 Monthly Bill = $29.95
Monthly modem lease = $7.00 Modem Purchase = $100
(mine to keep)
12 Month Total = $671.40 12 Month Total = $459.40
**My current provider couldn't offer me any more of a discount because this amount was a discount from the regular rate of $92 a month! When I couldn't get my current provider any lower, I switched. I just saved myself $212 for the year PLUS I have a modem that is mine to keep rather than having to lease one! This switch only cost me about 30 minutes of my time to do the research and make the phone calls**
Good luck and don't let the providers rob you of your money any longer!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Expect the Unexpected
I hit a bit of writers block this weekend struggling with the topic of my next post, and then it came to me!
I hit the road on a beautiful drive back from Tennessee this past weekend. As I was enjoying the Spring colors, feeling the warmth of the sun shine through my car windows and, and singing at the top of my lungs to a blaring radio, I suddenly noticed it staring back at me......My engine light had come on and I was 2 hours from home. What? I gripped the steering wheel and prayed my car would make it...
Thankfully I made it home with no problems and I popped right on over to a service mechanic this morning and 4 hours later walked about the door with a car good as new. Without giving too much of the details, I will share that it was a $300 hit to my bank account. All of this occurred in a 24 hour period and not one little sign of stress, anxiety, or doubt entered my mind. Several years ago, if this had happened to me, this peace of mind I was experiencing now, would not have been happening back then. I would have been a complete wreck because a $300 dollar bill out of nowhere was not something I used to plan for. However, because I have learned to improve my budgeting techniques, I have been able to stay in better control of my finances. The added bonus, my stress and anxiety has remarkably improved!
So my point being, I was prepared. Are you?
As you work on your budget and try to figure out how much you should expect to spend each month in all those little categories, remember that their are 2 kinds of expenses in life. Those that you expect to happen, and those you have no idea are coming and smack you right in the face when you least expect it.
These "expected expenses" are a little easier to budget. We know that we have to pay our housing bill. We know we have to keep the lights on. We know food has to go in our stomach. It's the unexpected that we don't want to budget for because we hope and pray they never happen, but I'm here to tell you know, YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO PREPARED.
If you have built yourself a budget I would like you to go back and visit it now and make sure you have the following categories included. It may not be easy to set money aside for these things, but it will give you peace of mind, and the ability to pay the bill when the worst case scenario happens.
Housing Maintenance - Think about all your major appliances and other amenities of your house. Refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher, heating and air, water heater, swimming pool, fire place, etc. Are you prepared in the event one of these things breaks down or all the way dies on you? Even if it is far from its life expectancy being over, you never really know if you'll have a problem. Save a little money each month. It's up to you to decide the amount. The more you own, the more you should save. The older your belongings, the more prepared you should be.
Car Maintenance - Even if your car is brand new and you are fully insured, you never know when that out of the blue nightmare will happen. Someone smashes your window, a flat tire, etc....I'm not that savvy when it comes to the maintenance of a car so I set aside a little more than most people might to keep my peace of mind. The more you own, the more you should save. The older your belongings, the more prepared you should be.
Emergency Fund - As much as I sit down and try to prepare myself for the unexpected I still like to have an extra cushion. I set aside a little money in this category for the truly crazy unexpected things I cant think of with my most creative imagination at work. For instance, 6 months ago someone smashed my car and stole my laptop. I didn't ever see this coming, but thank goodness for my emergency fund!
Here are some other categories where you may not need a completely separate category, but I still encourage an added buffer in the amount you budget each month just to be safe.
End of Year Reward - At the end of each year, if I have money left over because I didn't need my emergency funds I have an added bonus of money. I then allow myself to either put that money towards goals or wishes I have set for myself. (More on that later)
I hit the road on a beautiful drive back from Tennessee this past weekend. As I was enjoying the Spring colors, feeling the warmth of the sun shine through my car windows and, and singing at the top of my lungs to a blaring radio, I suddenly noticed it staring back at me......My engine light had come on and I was 2 hours from home. What? I gripped the steering wheel and prayed my car would make it...
Thankfully I made it home with no problems and I popped right on over to a service mechanic this morning and 4 hours later walked about the door with a car good as new. Without giving too much of the details, I will share that it was a $300 hit to my bank account. All of this occurred in a 24 hour period and not one little sign of stress, anxiety, or doubt entered my mind. Several years ago, if this had happened to me, this peace of mind I was experiencing now, would not have been happening back then. I would have been a complete wreck because a $300 dollar bill out of nowhere was not something I used to plan for. However, because I have learned to improve my budgeting techniques, I have been able to stay in better control of my finances. The added bonus, my stress and anxiety has remarkably improved!
So my point being, I was prepared. Are you?
As you work on your budget and try to figure out how much you should expect to spend each month in all those little categories, remember that their are 2 kinds of expenses in life. Those that you expect to happen, and those you have no idea are coming and smack you right in the face when you least expect it.
These "expected expenses" are a little easier to budget. We know that we have to pay our housing bill. We know we have to keep the lights on. We know food has to go in our stomach. It's the unexpected that we don't want to budget for because we hope and pray they never happen, but I'm here to tell you know, YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO PREPARED.
If you have built yourself a budget I would like you to go back and visit it now and make sure you have the following categories included. It may not be easy to set money aside for these things, but it will give you peace of mind, and the ability to pay the bill when the worst case scenario happens.
Housing Maintenance - Think about all your major appliances and other amenities of your house. Refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher, heating and air, water heater, swimming pool, fire place, etc. Are you prepared in the event one of these things breaks down or all the way dies on you? Even if it is far from its life expectancy being over, you never really know if you'll have a problem. Save a little money each month. It's up to you to decide the amount. The more you own, the more you should save. The older your belongings, the more prepared you should be.
Car Maintenance - Even if your car is brand new and you are fully insured, you never know when that out of the blue nightmare will happen. Someone smashes your window, a flat tire, etc....I'm not that savvy when it comes to the maintenance of a car so I set aside a little more than most people might to keep my peace of mind. The more you own, the more you should save. The older your belongings, the more prepared you should be.
Emergency Fund - As much as I sit down and try to prepare myself for the unexpected I still like to have an extra cushion. I set aside a little money in this category for the truly crazy unexpected things I cant think of with my most creative imagination at work. For instance, 6 months ago someone smashed my car and stole my laptop. I didn't ever see this coming, but thank goodness for my emergency fund!
Here are some other categories where you may not need a completely separate category, but I still encourage an added buffer in the amount you budget each month just to be safe.
- Pets - unexpected illnesses
- Children - unexpected ANYTHING, they are kids :)
- Medical Expenses - accidents and illnesses not covered by insurance
End of Year Reward - At the end of each year, if I have money left over because I didn't need my emergency funds I have an added bonus of money. I then allow myself to either put that money towards goals or wishes I have set for myself. (More on that later)
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