Life Lessons

Closing in on 40 makes you ponder. One area of my life that I desire to grow in is my view of money. I feel like I should have more figured out by now, but this might always be an area of growth for me. 


Lately, I've been desiring more simple in our life. Downsizing to one income and having more time have spurred my search for savings. I'm happy to share what I've found in case it might benefit your budget too. 


Insurance. Shop around. It's takes time, and you'll have to sit on the phone or fill out internet forms to get quotes, but so worth it. I switched companies for our car, home and renters insurance and saved 1500/year. Get your current insurance in front of you so you can compare apples to apples. 


Technology. Look closely at your cable + internet + home phone bill. What can you cut back on? Do you really need the fastest internet? Do you need three TV's? How about dropping some movie channels or a channel package? Did you know that bundling your services will save you a bunch of cash? With our company, adding phone service took a chunk of change off our bill. I also dropped one TV box and one channel package, saving another 20/month. 


Medical Bills. It doesn't hurt to ask. Be bold. I recently asked the hospital billing office to cut my bill in half. They thought about it, and cut it by 1/3. I asked for another 10% off if I paid the bill right then, and they agreed. Bam. 


Entertainment. Think ahead. We buy movie tickets for 1/2 price at San Diego State's ticket office. That means we can go to twice as many movies. I write the best happy hour deals down on our calendar so we're ready when it's date night. Many museums have free admission one day a month. Track it. 


Red Box. I make a pledge to drive the .8 miles to the Red Box for $1 movies instead of ordering On Demand from Cox for 5.99. Willpower. 


Red Laser. Don't you love taking items at Target to the red bar-code reader? So fun. Now you can download the Red Laser app for your IPhone. Scan the bar-code with your phone and it will price-check different stores and find you the cheapest price. Wow. You have to admit that's life changing. 


I promise to share more saving + simplifying tips as they happen in my life. 
Cheers to more cash for lattes and money in the savings account! (In that order)