So I promised to post back on all of the things that I didn't do to try to save $1000 in 30 days (or how I ended up saving only $185). I might dip back into these at a later date... but for now, I'm keeping them on the shelf. Hopefully some of you can find something here that works... or I would encourage you to dip back into the original posts at IWTYTBR.
Things I Didn't Do:
> Enlist the help of friends to help support your savings. – the Guy hears enough about my various savings schemes as is...
> Save money on cell phone bill – I did use billshrink.com and found two offers/plans from other carriers that could save me around $40 a year. For that much money, it’s not really worth my time and patience to pick up the phone and talk to customer retention people, but next year when I move and have to deal with it, I’m going to dig up this resource.
> Fuel Hedging - Now that prices are coming down, I'm less motivated to squirrel away money for smaller expenses like this. I would rather handle it with flexible budgeting.
> Cancel Discretionary Subscriptions – I did cancel my Netflix subscription about 6 months ago, and I haven’t really regretted it at all. The only subscription I have now is my Sunday times, and I get more enjoyment out of that on Sunday mornings than anything. I noticed that the monthly charge is $27, which is expensive, and has definitely creeped back up from the promotional price I opted in at. So I may cancel out and buy newstand in coming months if I need to tighten further. I'm so on the fence...
> No Christmas Gifts this Year. I would like to do this this year. Christmas gifts are so guilt-ridden and awkward sometimes. I would rather do something else to show people that I care about them. But I can’t seem to actually do this one. I want to at least moderate my gift giving this year…. But giving smaller gifts seems even lamer than giving no gifts somehow. I think the best thing is when everyone is on the same page though, which I think we are.
> Cancel any large purchases temporarily – I don’t think I really had any on the docket, but I like the tip of putting a calendar reminder 30 days out, to make sure you really do need whatever decently large purchase you might be considering. I live by calendar reminders so that system might work.
> Self-persuasion…. This one was kind of lost on me frankly. Sorry, Ramit.
> Only Buy new things when replacing something old (also take issue with this guy… I mean, some old things DON’T need to be replaced…
> Minimize interest by paying a little extra off your loan each month (no loans and I pay credit cards off in full)
> Change the Date of Christmas to avoid paying high premiums for airfare, etc (Next year for sure). Or, I may even consider coming home less next year. I hate to say it... but I'm getting older, I have the Guy's side of the family that I could visit instead, or maybe just stay at home awhile. I am coming to realize that I really don't enjoy those extra days in my childhood bed... and I might be able to satisfy the family obligation elsewhere.
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Hey Suzy, I thought you had some good ideas for ways to save cash in these economically challenging times. I wanted to add another valuable reference to a service that has helped both me and thousands of others save an average of $487 every year. As you may know, besides billshrink, there is another key route that an increasing number of cell phone subscribers are taking to more directly slash their bills. In particular, customers with plans by Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular are seeing substantial savings achieved through the website www.fixmycellbill.com by a company called Validas.
As I dealt with my own hefty cell bills, I discovered Validas when looking for a way to cut spending. Validas analyzes your online cell bill for free and calculates how much money you could be saving. Eight of ten wireless customers are paying more than they need to on their plans. Validas fixes this discrepancy by tailoring a customer's plan to fit their specific needs. Validas saved me over $230 per year on my Verizon plan. That almost works out to getting a free month of my plan annually. If you choose, Validas will provide your personalized cell bill adjustment report that is emailed, for five bucks, to your wireless provider in industry specific format so you can actually implement these cash saving changes. If Validas can save you more than $5 on your bill, this obviously provides a very cost effective solution.
I was personally so impressed with my Validas savings that I actually took a job with the company. Validas is rapidly becoming considered an advocate for the wireless customer. Check out a feature about Validas on The Big Idea with CNBC's Donny Deutsch at http://www.cnbc.com/id/22782456/. Any cell subscriber who wants to cut costs should consider this service. It’s free to consult and you only stand to save.
Take care and good luck in reducing expenses,
Dylan
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