Comments on: Are You Throwing Money Away? Unused Expenses and Untapped Discounts

By: Nico

Nico — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Good points! In the financial trouble of nowadays, throwing money “away” is a big no-no! One should first reconsider al his expenses and make cuts where possible: cable, magazine subscriptions, landline and cell subscriptions.. etc.

By: RetiredAt47

RetiredAt47 — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

If you use a credit card, make sure it gives you something back. Something that you will actually use (I don’t care to fly, so airmiles do nothing for me. Instead, I get credits I can use for car maintenance/repair).

I was guilty of not re-evaluating my insurance needs; for years I kept the deductibles too low, meaning premiums too high. Finally, a few years ago, it dawned on me that I would not make a claim unless it was really substantial, so why did I carry such small deductibles? Not smart…

By: Abigail

Abigail — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

I completely agree: I think most people use cable a lot less than they think they do. Most people probably don’t use the premium channels enough to justify the expense. If you’re just paying to get movies, I’d do the math and see if you can just rent. Or use the money for a subscription service.

I think most people overpay for their subscription services, too. My husband and I rarely go out, so we use our program a lot. But I’m still tracking how many movies we trade in this month, to be sure it’s worth paying the top rate for unlimited in-store exchanges.

Also, people often buy things without trying to get around it. There are a lot of ways to get something for free, or very reduced. Check CL, ask friends, check Freecycle. I did two posts on this subject.

By: Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck

Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Great post! In addition, even if the monthly expense is still appropriate, have your usage patterns changed? If so, switch to a different plan to save (get rid of unlimited texting if you’re only doing 5 a month or change your NetFlix to have only one out at a time if that reflects your reality). There’s always an opportunity to lower your cash-flow requirements without overhauling your lifestyle. That’s the low-hanging fruit.

By: Until Debt do Us Part

Until Debt do Us Part — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Good Post.

For me it is a case of every little helps. The problem can be trying to keep focused on reducing your spending while at the same time avoiding reducing your lifestyle to that of a monk.

The danger always is if you cut too deep that you will just get incredibly bored with the lifestyle and be back to the old habits that caused the overspending in the first place.

By: SavingDiva

SavingDiva — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Great post! I’ve been guilty of racking up bank fees and forgetting to cancel memberships. I also agree that cancelling unnecessary services (cable, etc) is a great way to save money.

By: Twenties Money

Twenties Money — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

I had a similar post where reducing items such as my cell phone plan, cable bill, and auto insurance opened up almost $3000.00 a year extra for me. Saving Money by Reducing Bills

By: Sam of Fix My Personal Finance

Sam of Fix My Personal Finance — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Some people tend to spend so much money on internet and phone use. This is especially true if 2 different company are taking care of your internet and phone. You can get great discount if you can find a company that offers both services at cheaper price.

Personally, I used to spend some cash on cable tv. I’ve now unsubscribe from them and subscribed to Joost which gives me free access to TV shows online

Sam
Fix My Personal Finance
http://fixmypersonalfinance.com

By: Mr. ToughMoneyLove

Mr. ToughMoneyLove — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Good list. I will add these: buying books instead of borrowing from the library; landline telephone extras, including long distance plans; satellite radio; lawn care service