House owner saving tip

**theduc** · 02-04-2013, 02:13 PM

I've been looking a lot lately at some "pay as you go" phones to reduce our cell phone bill... I haven't had any experience with any of them but from what I've been able to find so far it looks like Net10 is the best option. I think they use Verizon's network but I'm not 100% sure on that. They have an unlimited no contract plan for $45/month and cheaper plans that are not unlimited. We're with AT&T right now and our contract is up so we're looking to switch. We currently pay about $170/month with AT&T and could reduce that to $90/month by switching both phones.

The catch with these plans is that you have to purchase the phones and are not discounted or very little. Virgin mobile is another popular company but they are on sprint's network and they don't have good coverage where we live.

does anyone else have any experience (pros/cons) of these companies or types of plans?

**cypher1** · 02-05-2013, 01:34 PM

I'm currently using StraightTalk for 45+tax, unlimited minutes/data each month. No contract, running off t-mobile sim card, although I may switch to their AT&T sim service. Didn't have any issues with Virgin Mobile service in my area, but wanted an unlocked phone.

**thesimplemoneyblog** · 02-05-2013, 02:58 PM

I know for Texas (not sure if other states have this) there is a website for electricity called Power to Choose. It allows you to search for all of the providers in Texas and find the cheapest and best plan for your needs. Be careful though if you switch to be aware of any existing contract you have with your provider.

To keep overall heating/cooling costs down, try turning the thermostat a few degrees cooler in winter and a few degrees warmer in summer. In winter, if you keep the temperature lower, you can always bundle up with more clothes, slippers, etc.

Make sure appliances are turned off when not in use.

Sometimes, energy efficient products like new light bulbs, new windows, etc. can be worth the extra cost to save on your bills (you just have to do the cost analysis to see if it makes sense for how much energy you use and what it may save each month/year).

**snafu** · 02-05-2013, 07:31 PM

It's difficult to bring down utility costs. A good starting point is to know the costs per KWH for electric, JJ unit cost for heat and basic water rate. Are you paying for services you're not using? Are there any discounts for lowering power consumption in high volume [expensive] hours? Are you aware of 'phantom' power use? Do you need both a landline and cell phone? Are there any cable services you can relinquish? Do you get a cheaper rate by combining service providers? If you live in a region with huge temperature variation have you installed a 'set-back' thermostat? Small savings can add up with slight changes like only operating dishwasher when full, washing clothes in cold water, only towels & bedding in hot water, timing dryer, using retractable indoor drying rack, turning down temperature on hot water heater to 'ideal' for DW.

Our biggest dollar savings result from having a menu plan based on grocery store loss leaders. Knowing what I'll make for dinner removes the stress of walking in the door and wondering what to do/make. It costs less and is healthier to eat at home and avoid all that fat, salt and unpronounceable chemicals in prepacked, ready made stuff, fast foods and many restaurants. I enjoy the challenge of trimming costs and re-directing sums saved to something fun.

You didn't mention your mortgage rate but I hope it's inline with current rates. It's important to track how much of each payment goes to principal and how much goes to interest. While gathering materials for filing tax, it's a good idea to work out net worth.

just a thought...

**Jon Spiels** · 02-05-2013, 09:07 PM

Save Energy

It's always best to save energy...to minimize cost. We often don't realize that we are over using our household energy in times we could actually save them instead. My best advise is to be responsible enough to take charge for unused electricity or even find ways to minimize using electric appliance to best save utility bills.

**scfr** · 02-06-2013, 06:58 AM

You mention that you want to stay comfortable while saving money, so I recommend making gradual adjustments to heating/cooling. For example, if you normally heat your home to 67 in the winter, set the thermostat back to 66. After you have adjusted to 66, then go to 65. Etc, etc. Do the opposite in the summer, raising the temperature on the AC one degree at a time. Keep going until you think that it is starting to get too uncomfortable for you.

Gradual changes won't feel like a sacrifice and you'll be more likely to stick with it.

Regarding water, try turning off the shower while you soap up.
Also, if you aren't using cold water to wash your clothes, try switching to see if clothes get just as clean. I separate my laundry and use cold water when I feel it's hygienic. I stick with warm for linens, and hot for undergarments / socks / cleaning rags, but use cold for everything else.

**JoeP** · 02-06-2013, 07:28 AM

We save energy a few ways:
1. Keep the heat at 65 when in the house, and turn it down to 61 at night or when we're gone.
2. Use the enclosed porch as a giant fridge.
3. Use low flow shower heads.
4. High efficiency and modern washing machine and dishwasher.
5. Open blinds during the day.

For phones, you can find an iphone 4 on CL for around $250, and have AT&T add it to a "go phone" plan (plan ID is GD25). It will run you $27/mo with a bank of voice minutes and unlimited texting. There is no data on this plan, but you can get internet access while in a wi-fi hot spot.

T-mobile still has no-data prepaid plans for cheap. We bought a couple cheap samsung flip phones off ebay and activated them. We pay about $80-$100 a year on each, but then again we do not use them very often. They are off unless we expect a call or need to make one...deal with it.

You can also eliminate cable/satellite and go with an antenna + some sort of streaming service. Netflix runs about $8/mo, and you can also go with Hulu or a host of other free services. A typical antenna will run you about $50 plus you'll have to install it (not complicated). We haven't had cable/sat since 1999 and do not miss it one bit. Assuming $45/mo, this comes to over $7,000. I know some people paying over $100/mo.

Finally, we dropped our land line and went with nettalk voip. Not perfect, but far better than paying $30/mo. We pay I think $25 a year for it.

**LuckyRobin** · 02-06-2013, 02:02 PM

We use the new LED lights. They use 3 watts of electricity but are as bright as a 60 watt incandescent. This beats the 7 watts or so that the CFL's use. They also have a purer light than CFL's. They are expensive, about $18 for 3 bulbs, but the savings becomes substantial pretty fast. We also unplug things like the microwave or the television when we are not using them. Anything that can carry a phantom load.

We do a second spin on the washing machine to get more of the residual water out of the clothes so drying time is less. We line dry in the spring and summer. Put a timer on your hot water heater so it isn't heating during times of day when no one will be using hot water. Also put a water heater blanket around your hot water heater. Make sure your dishwasher is not using the heat dry setting. Once done open the dishwasher and let the dishes air dry.

In the cold months put plastic on the windows to insulate them. Or do what we did and tack up blankets over the windows and under the curtains. It helps prevent the cold air around the windows from getting into the house so much.

**wendykw** · 02-06-2013, 03:59 PM

One way to help budget

There are great suggestions above for saving money. The thing that has helped us to budget well is using the equal payment plans that are available from our electric and natural gas providers. You will have to be in your house for a year to get an offer to do it, but it has been a wonderful help for us. We always seem to get a check back or have the last bill be really small.
We had to replace our heating and a/c last year about this time. We went for the high efficiency HVAC and it is really paying off. My husband has developed circulation issues, so we keep the house warmer than we used to. Even with that change, our electric and gas bills have been lower with the new system. We received rebates from both the gas and electric utilities, and happily Congress extended the tax credits for it also. So if you need to replace any of your HVAC, it pays to go with high efficiency.
Before you decide to switch to an antenna for your TV, check with any neighbors who use one. We can't get decent reception with an antenna where we live. We also can't use any of the satellite TV services, because of the large trees in our area. It's like cell phone reception, it's not good everywhere.
I use a prepaid phone, but I'm not much of a phone talker. I end up paying about $25 every 3 months. We kept our landline, because I'm in the healthcare industry and a landline works even if the power is out.

**Harlem** · 02-07-2013, 07:22 AM

Sorry I cannot give you any exact tip. I just can tell you one thing that try to save energy and money. There are no alternative ways than it.

House owner saving tip