7 simple ways to save big bucks in 2017
Many of us have resigned ourselves to the fact that Donald Trump simply cannot keep his promise. Unions are what made a thriving middle class in America and I suspect the death of unions is something Trump celebrates. Automation is another inarguable fact that our President-elect does not acknowledge. We grownups have learned that a problem must be named before it can be solved. We've strapped ourselves in because it's going to be a bumpy ride. See you in D.C.
However, thanks to technology and good old-fashioned resourcefulness, there are a number of ways to save significant money in 2017 to partially offset the continuing war on the shrinking middle class.
1. Cut the cord
How much money do you spend on your cable bill? $150 per month? $250 per month?? When mine was approaching $300 per month (and I was moving) this former television producer finally made the decision. I was nervous, but more than 2 years later I can honestly say I do not miss
anything and I have saved a serious bundle.
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| Mohu HD antenna |
You will make an initial outlay of as little as $29.99 for a
Roku to stream programs and $49 for an HD antenna (I bought mine from
Mohu). Then I subscribed to
Netflix (movies and original programming) for $7.99 per month,
Hulu (almost everything one day after broadcast) for $7.99 per month, and later
Sling (for sports and news) at $19.99 per month. So after my initial investment of less than $100, my monthly "cable" bill is $33.97 per month! I "borrow" the codes for HBO and
SHOWTIME from my cable paying parents (thanks, Mom & Dad). HBO GO, which shows HBO content 1 day after it appears on HBO, allows up to 3 people to "share" codes. Ditto for SHOWTIME Anytime. See my previous post Cut the Cable for more details.
2. ditch your old hard wired phone
Full diclosure: I still pay $60 per month to TimeWarner, now Spectrum, for a hard-wired phone (and wireless service) because with my MS I (foolishly) believed I needed a FAX machine to deal with all the medical paperwork. Over the holidays, my 26 year old son looked at me incredulously and said, "Mom, just scan it and email it."
The phone only rings w/ robocalls and this week, I'll be happy to ditch it! I'll let you know how Spectrum figures out a new way to overcharge, but by my calculations this should cut my bill in half.
3. change every light bulb to an LED
About a year ago, I made a bet w/ my Dad, who lives in a typical, suburban 3 bedroom house. I replaced all of his light bulbs w/ LED or CFL bulbs for one month. If his electrical bill wasn't reduced he wouldn't have to pay for the bulbs.
In 1 month, his electrical bill was reduced by almost $10! Again, it requires an initial outlay to buy the bulbs, but they last forever and you will never have to replace another light bulb. LED's/CFL's are costly, so I recommend waiting for a sale at target, taking careful inventory of what you need, and start saving big time. For more tips, see my post Save Money, Save the Environment.
4. make every credit card purchase with at least 2% cash back, preferably 5%
Many of you feel the way lots of credit cards change their rewards every quarter is a pain. Fair enough, but if you don't want to do the little stickers every 3 months, just get yourself one of the 2% cashback cards. I have one from
Citibank, and there are others, like
Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature. Google 2% cash back credit cards. We're talking about potentially thousands of dollars a year!
5. bring your lunch to work once or twice a week
This is one of the good, old-fashioned resourcefulness tips. When I was a child, my Mom used to make lunch for my Dad (who
was in a union) to take to work
every day. Going out to lunch is often social, and ordering in is certainly convenient, but this year why not try bringing a sandwich or yogurt and a piece of fruit for lunch a couple of times per week? Pack it the night before while planning your outfit and maybe take a walk with your co-workers after lunch, You will save money and be healthier!
6. call your insurance broker to find discounts on bundling, safe driving, taking teenagers off your policy, etc.
Insurance is especially competitive and especially if you have been w/ the same broker for years, it would be worth a friendly call to see if you can reduce your bill. Raising your deductible is a classic money saving strategy, as is dropping collision coverage if your vehicle is more than 3 years old. I get a discount from
Travelers because I insure both my car and my apartment w/ this company. Take a 1 day safe driving course for more discounts.
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| 5% cashback |
7. get an Amazon Store credit card
This is brand new and seriously recommended. This year for the first time, I did all of my Christmas shopping online. I realized that I bought almost everything online from Amazon. With the Amazon Prime store card, you get 5% back on everything! You can only use it on Amazon, but isn't that where most of us begin our shopping search? OK, maybe Google first, but usually all online shopping roads lead to Amazon, so why not get 5% back on the bluetooth speaker you bought for your crazy uncle?
If you learned something useful in this blog please forward it to your friends, and if you sign up you can post a comment and I promise to reply!
Keep calm and carry on...Lori Bores
