Called the Cable Company
The big savings this week came from a call to the cable company. I simply made a call saying that the current amount I was paying was more than I could afford, and if it wasn’t possible to get a better rate, I would go ahead and cancel. The fifteen minute phone call netted me a $26 per month reduction for the next 6 months while the service will basically stay the same. I will have to make another call after 6 months when the rate will return to what I was paying, but this week’s call will net me $156 in savings during the year. I even marked my calendar so I know when the rate is going to expire, and I’ll need to call again.
If you have cable, you should definitely try this. It doesn’t always work, but it has worked for me on numerous occasions. With so many people opting to quit cable all together these day, the cable companies seem to be more willing to find a way to keep you than they have in the past.
Saved: $26.00
No Sake
One of the items on my shopping list this week was to get a new bottle of sake (Japanese rice wine) since I had run out. While I don’t drink every night, I will have a glass or two of sake every once in a while. I decided that I really didn’t need to buy a bottle right now which saved me $10 I would have usually spent.
Saved: $10.00
Money Jar
Saved: $1.00
Pay to Use My Car
This week I used my car two times which should mean that I saved only two dollars through this method, but I actually have $3. One of the trips was with a friend and when she saw the big “Pay a Buck” sign upon getting into my car, she laughed and asked me what that was all about. I explained the challenge and that I now pay $1 every time I drive as part of it. She insisted that she also pay $1 since she was in my car. I’m not sure if that $1 should go toward the make money challenge, or this save money challenge, but I am placing it here since the inspiration behind it was for saving money. Once again, I saw a definite change in my driving habits, which I’m sure saved me much more than the $3.
Saved: $3.00
Found Money
I ended up finding three cents at the gas station. Two pennies were on the ground:
Saved: $0.00
This week I was able to save a total of $40.00. I crossed this amount off the chart and placed it into the saved column. That means for weeks one and two I have put away $45.00. The good thing here is that with the savings from the cable bill, I will be able to save $26 five more times this year and there is nothing else I need to do (I’ll place that savings into the account when the bill arrives each month).
Total Saved Week 2: $40.00
Goals for the Coming Week
The main goal for this past week was to go through my old documents and find the monthly bills for the last year. These will allow me to make a comparison between what I paid last year and what I pay this year. The assumption being if I pay less this year, it’s due to the steps I’ve taken around the house to reduce those bills. I somewhat succeeded in this goal. I found most of the bills, but still have a few missing. That was a big impetus for deciding to do the declutter challenge this year as well. I know that they are there somewhere in the pile of papers I have, and it’s just a matter of finding them (and throwing away all the papers I don’t need). Finding the missing bills is one goal for this coming week.
The other goal is to put together a list of steps I will be taking to try to reduce those bills. I will start with electricity. Basically, I want to put together a list of things I can do to reduce the electricity bill that I’m not already doing around the house.
If you are also doing this challenge, how did your second week go?
Nice job, Jeffrey!
Second week: Used the savings from our “free” coffee & treats (one gift card, one for return of empty 12-oz retail whole bean coffee bag) – $5.89.
I’ve had two free coffees out this week. Today a library branch celebrated 100 years of service in the neighbourhood, so coffee and refreshments were served. This was GOOD coffee donated by a local business. I’ll add that to Week Three challenge.
I did have some existing refrigerated sake to go with some egg udon soup w/caramelized bacon on top, all with ingredients found in the kitchen. The oven-prepared bacon was a hit with everyone, including the cats. This may be postponed takeout, but I feel more accomplished eating down the pantry so to speak. I visualize larger deposits after our car insurance semi-annual payment is paid.
This year (all of twelve days) I haven’t had an espresso or cappuccino out yet that I’ve paid for, which is unusual for me. I think the last two times I’ve gone out, with dozens of coins, freaking out about tax and tip, have made me less habitual.
Buy One, Get One Free savings on Mr. Clean Magic Erasers – $4.98
Rounded down because I went to the Credit Union on a blustery, near torrential day in a hurry and used a cheque I’d started to fill out for ten dollars instead of eleven to save time.
A thought just came to me while reading your post, Jeffrey.
I have a Kindle Fire on which I’ve downloaded hundreds of books – some I purchased, others I received as gifts or simply freebies. Each day I get emails from Pixel of Ink and Bookbubs, giving me a selection of ebooks to either purchase for as little as .99 cents.
I’ve also got a huge collection of ebooks I’d like to eventually purchase, but then thought better and added them to my wishlist. A few times a week I surf my wishlist to see if any are available for free. If they are, of course, i will download those. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s a great feeling to know I got the item for free. Each new month I can budget a set amount of cash for the kindle books, and if I can stick to downloading only the freebies and add those I’d have to purchase to my list, the end of the month that cash goes to my challenge savings. I will find that as equally satisfying as I do when downloading the freebies. 🙂