Even though several sources of income have slowed — or stopped altogether — for our family, the bills keep a-comin’.
More than ever, we’re scrutinizing every bill and purchase. So we buckled down and trimmed several expenses.
If you need, too, ideas about where to trim the fat, here are four tips to help you save money from home.
Adjust Your Cell Phone Plan
I called Verizon and knocked $30 off my family’s monthly cell phone bill. We were using some ancient, expensive plan that wasn’t as cost-efficient as some of the current plants.
Check with your mobile phone provider to see if you’re using the best plan for you.
Plus, you likely won’t need as much cellular data during the stay-at-home period (assuming you receive internet service from a separate provider). If you’re paying for data you won’t use, see about reducing it for at least a month or two.
Adjust Internet Speed
Several internet providers temporarily boosted their internet speeds for free. So there’s a chance you’re overpaying — at least, now — for faster internet. Consider calling your provider to see if there’s a more affordable option available.
Ditch Your Cable or Satellite Television
René has more fortitude than me when it comes to this one. 🙂 .
You can do what he does and access local channels in high definition (where available) with a set-top antenna. His monthly cable TV-internet bundle package decreased from $195 to $40. (He uses Tivo to record off the air and Amazon Prime for a lot of TV.)
I haven’t canceled mine (yet) because I need to feed my Impractical Jokers, Bar Rescue, MTV Classic, and cable TV news cravings 🙂 .
Use Cashback Portals
Longtime readers know we love using cashback portals.
And many portals now offer increased earnings. Postmates is something like $9 for first-time users who order through Rakuten and $.90 for returning users. Considering many of us will order in food for a while, those savings add up.
Some of our favorite cashback portals are:
While this tip involves leaving the house, remember that Dosh awards cashback at many restaurants. So make sure to sign up for Dosh — you may get some cashback at restaurants and drive-thrus!
What Tips Do You Have?
What are you doing to save money while stuck at home? We’d love to know! Please share your tips in the below Comments section!
— Chris
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Chris,
Great post idea! We’ve cut back a lot, and actually upped our internet plan to provide more streaming and downloading of movies during our self-quarantine.
We have also gone to two meals/day, enjoying a good breakfast, a shake in the afternoon and a dinner in the evening. This also cuts down our trips out to the markets.
If things get tough for families, I am hearing from many friends that their banks, credit unions and mortgage companies are allowing them to skip a payment or two (without penalty) to help them get over the immediate crisis of no paycheck for a limited time. It might be worth checking it out.
Speaking of Amazon, Amazon Prime Video is offering a free 30 day trial of their services, no offer code required…so that could be well worth it for many!