Cutting services to save

[karice2]

I am planning to take a two week trip in December to celebrate the end of a a very stressful project at work. I am not in a place where the trip is not possible if I don't scrimp and save but it is always nice to have things pre-paid when possible.

My hours are pretty crazy at work. It is not uncommon for it to be dark when I leave home and dark when I get home so I find myself paying for a bunch of things that people normally do themselves.

I have arranged with my boss to work from home a couple of times a week which will allow me to gain 5 hours a week back because of no commute. I am thinking of the services that I pay for that I can do myself.

Today was my first attempt - I cut my own grass. Savings $40. I usually get this done twice a month so that is $80 that I can save.

I also packed my own lunch and dinner 3 times this week - Savings $40.

Has anyone else found that their wallets are bigger when they cut services that used to be essential?

I try to loook at it as how much does an hour cost for me to do it? If it is less than that then I hire someone but I think I can be a little less stringent when using that equation if I have free time.

 

[sk!mom]

DH and I did this about 10 years ago. DH had the opportunity to change jobs. He left a high pressure long hours workplace for a non profit. We found that we had let ourselves get so busy that we were paying others to do things that we could do ourselves if we had more time. His job change gave us the time that we needed.

Let's see- DH loves yard work/gardening so he took all of that back over.
Neither of us enjoys cleaning but we do it ourselves because we have time.
DH gave up laundry service. I do the wash and he does his own ironing.

Some of the chores we don't mind others are still chores but overall, we have more time to enjoy our home and our lives.

 

[Liberty Belle]

We don't have any lawn, cleaning, shopping, etc services, but I can imagine the savings would be great! That's why we do it all ourselves.

 

[DawnM]

We are generally frugal in most areas, so we already have:

Low cost cell phone bills
Low cost home phone (Ooma)
We do most repairs/work ourselves (DH is very handy with home improvement and cars. I am very thankful. He isn't so great with computers, which is too bad.....)

DH actually loves working outside gardening and mowing (and besides we have 2.5 acres which would cost a small fortune to maintain.)

Here are some things we have cut back on:

Directv- $100/mo down to $20 with HuluPlus and Netflix and a Roku box
Savings- $80/mo

Chiropractor- $100/mo roughly down to $0
Savings: $100/mo

Tae Kwon Do: $75/mo (kids actually asked to stop)
Savings: $75/mo

Groceries: $150/mo off is my goal
Savings: $150/mo

Disney trips: $400/mo now to save, cutting back to $150/mo
Savings: $250/mo

The truth is, our Disney trips usually come out of the "other" budget, meaning bonuses, tax refunds, Dh's client he works for on the side, etc....but this year we have decided we just need to SAVE and will be cutting our trips down to 1 per year for a while.

We are indeed actually saving this and not spending it elsewhere. We have increased our amount taken out each month to go into auto savings.

Dawn

 

[StephMK]

We dropped our Directv down to the lowest level & asked for long time client discounts. We now pay $37 and the fam has adjusted to the channels we do have - there are still 150 so they really aren't suffering.

We use a LD card instead of paying $15 a month unlimited LD through our phone co. Plus we got rid of all features and have done fine w/o them.

Check all insurance -rates change all the time so it pays to check if you aren't concerned w/moving carriers.

DH buys pants he can wash (bus cas office) so no more dry cleaning bills.

If we need to do a repair, we google it to see if it's something we can figure out.

We have cut a ton of stuff we used to take for granted and it has not been a huge hassle to live w/o what we *thought* we needed to pay for.

 

[DawnM]

Is this the Family package? How many TVs? Do you get HD? Do you have a DVR?

I looked into this before and it didn't seem that it would be worth it. I didn't call, but the family package is $29/mo and then when you add in HD ($10) and DVR service ($7) and each receiver price ($6x3=$18), we were up to over $60.

Just curious what deal you got as we could do $37/mo.

Dawn

We dropped our Directv down to the lowest level & asked for long time client discounts. We now pay $37 and the fam has adjusted to the channels we do have - there are still 150 so they really aren't suffering.

We use a LD card instead of paying $15 a month unlimited LD through our phone co. Plus we got rid of all features and have done fine w/o them.

Check all insurance -rates change all the time so it pays to check if you aren't concerned w/moving carriers.

DH buys pants he can wash (bus cas office) so no more dry cleaning bills.

If we need to do a repair, we google it to see if it's something we can figure out.

We have cut a ton of stuff we used to take for granted and it has not been a huge hassle to live w/o what we *thought* we needed to pay for.

 

[StephMK]

Is this the Family package? How many TVs? Do you get HD? Do you have a DVR?

I looked into this before and it didn't seem that it would be worth it. I didn't call, but the family package is $29/mo and then when you add in HD ($10) and DVR service ($7) and each receiver price ($6x3=$18), we were up to over $60.

Just curious what deal you got as we could do $37/mo.

Dawn

Do you have 4 TVs? One receiver should be free.

Sorry! That is no HD (we still have tube tvs), service on 2 TVs, 1 of those has a DVR. We used to have a 3rd box but got rid of it since the kids usually either play wii or now we have netflix on that one through the wii. The price includes a $17 credit each month for loyalty or whatever they call it when I told them I was going to cancel.

I would love to drop it for other methods but have not found a good alternative to get sports for DH.

 

[Pigeon]

We pay for almost no home services. We do our own yardwork, don't pay people to poison the grass, do our own laundry, cook 95% of our meals, don't have cable TV. We currently do have trash pick-up, but have thought about cutting that out.

Dh is very handy and he fixes and remodels most things. He remodeled our entire kitchen and two baths all by himself. He's replaced most of the windows in the house and is putting in new flooring this summer.

The one thing I would love is to have a cleaning person. I keep saying I'll hire one, but haven't done it yet.

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

We are thinking about downsizing our cable. We have cut back a ton on eating out. We are shooting for just once a week after church. We used to eat out a lot so this is huge for us.

 

[nboicepardee]

Can you tell me more about the hulu plus, etc? We are seriously thinking about getting rid of cable. We already stream Netflix. Can you use hulu plus on your television or is is just for a computer? Thank you!

We are generally frugal in most areas, so we already have:

Low cost cell phone bills
Low cost home phone (Ooma)
We do most repairs/work ourselves (DH is very handy with home improvement and cars. I am very thankful. He isn't so great with computers, which is too bad.....)

DH actually loves working outside gardening and mowing (and besides we have 2.5 acres which would cost a small fortune to maintain.)

Here are some things we have cut back on:

Directv- $100/mo down to $20 with HuluPlus and Netflix and a Roku box
Savings- $80/mo

Chiropractor- $100/mo roughly down to $0
Savings: $100/mo

Tae Kwon Do: $75/mo (kids actually asked to stop)
Savings: $75/mo

Groceries: $150/mo off is my goal
Savings: $150/mo

Disney trips: $400/mo now to save, cutting back to $150/mo
Savings: $250/mo

The truth is, our Disney trips usually come out of the "other" budget, meaning bonuses, tax refunds, Dh's client he works for on the side, etc....but this year we have decided we just need to SAVE and will be cutting our trips down to 1 per year for a while.

We are indeed actually saving this and not spending it elsewhere. We have increased our amount taken out each month to go into auto savings.

Dawn

 

[mrodgers]

Just figuring out how to repair a car or how to do maintenance on a home saves a ton of cash.

Most car repairs are not difficult. It would have been $1000 to fixed a blown head gasket and change out the timing belt (timing belt should be done every 60k miles on this car). The cost of the actual parts was $30 for the head gasket and $40 for the timing belt. The job is really nothing, very simple. Savings of $930. (Though more cost should have been spent to have the head shaved flat, but the car had a ton of miles on it anyways.)

I've replaced the clutch in my old truck. Having it done would have been $1200. I purchased an upgraded aftermarket heavy duty clutch for $125 (I think, long time ago.) Took me a weekend to do by myself and saved $1075.

I am going to need a new roof on the house soon. That could cost me $5000-8000. Or, it will actually cost me (estimating) $1000 for shingles and I'll do it myself.

Huge savings out there if one would realize that some things look like rocket science, but really are quite simple.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

When my DH was laid off from his job, we refinanced our mortgage to save $350 a month. We also combined our phone service with our cable and internet and saved $80 a month. We got very conscious of what we were buying and limited restaurants to once a week. Now that he's working again, we feel like we have so much extra money because of the changes we made. For the first time, we were able to pay our property and income taxes without dipping into our savings. We're putting in a new shower next month and we'll only have to pull half the cost out of our savings. The rest will be excess from our monthly pay. His new job pays exactly the same as his old one did. We just learned to cut back and became more careful spenders. Building new habits definitely does help!

 

[DawnM]

I LOVE HuluPlus.

90% or more of what we watch TV wise, is available on HuluPlus the next day. Some shows have several seasons available, some shows only allow the last couple of episodes and you only have about 2 weeks to watch them. I have found most CBS shows are limited to 2 episodes available and you have 2 weeks to watch.

We stream High Def HuluPlus to our TVs through a Roku box. Amazon.com has Roku boxes with free shipping and no tax, that is the best way to go. However, you may want to go to Roku.com and see the different models and compare.

We purchased the highest/most expensive model for $99. Still not bad at all. It streams some shows in 1080p quality, but most are in 720p quality, all are high def.

HuluPlus can also be watched on your computer.

One hint, it is much like Netflix in that it is best to go to HuluPlus.com on your computer to actually search for shows and put them in your queue online and then they will pop up on your Roku as saved in your queue and easily accessible.

Dawn

Can you tell me more about the hulu plus, etc? We are seriously thinking about getting rid of cable. We already stream Netflix. Can you use hulu plus on your television or is is just for a computer? Thank you!

 

[DawnM]

Yes, I guess I do. I had to really look at the bill.....I get charged and then they take off the charge later in the bill.

Dawn

Do you have 4 TVs? One receiver should be free.

Sorry! That is no HD (we still have tube tvs), service on 2 TVs, 1 of those has a DVR. We used to have a 3rd box but got rid of it since the kids usually either play wii or now we have netflix on that one through the wii. The price includes a $17 credit each month for loyalty or whatever they call it when I told them I was going to cancel.

I would love to drop it for other methods but have not found a good alternative to get sports for DH.

 

[nboicepardee]

Thank you for that great information! We almost never watch live tv (as a matter of fact we are typically 1-2 months behind on most shows)! I am going to call our cable company on Tuesday to find out how much our bill will be with just Internet and very basic phone. Right now we bundle the three, but next month it is going up about $13/month. We were already thinking about getting rid of it and the increase helps that decision! We watch almost no tv in the summer, but we do enjoy having it in the winter (they are very long here!). I think after the summer we will get hulu plus. Great info!


QUOTE=DawnM;41284051]I LOVE HuluPlus.

90% or more of what we watch TV wise, is available on HuluPlus the next day. Some shows have several seasons available, some shows only allow the last couple of episodes and you only have about 2 weeks to watch them. I have found most CBS shows are limited to 2 episodes available and you have 2 weeks to watch.

We stream High Def HuluPlus to our TVs through a Roku box. Amazon.com has Roku boxes with free shipping and no tax, that is the best way to go. However, you may want to go to Roku.com and see the different models and compare.

We purchased the highest/most expensive model for $99. Still not bad at all. It streams some shows in 1080p quality, but most are in 720p quality, all are high def.

HuluPlus can also be watched on your computer.

One hint, it is much like Netflix in that it is best to go to HuluPlus.com on your computer to actually search for shows and put them in your queue online and then they will pop up on your Roku as saved in your queue and easily accessible.

Dawn[/QUOTE]

 

[DawnM]

Another options for phone is Ooma. It is internet based. I got it before the taxes, but I believe the cost is currently $3.49 per month.

The initial cost was $199 from Costco but no monthly fees. We got it to replace Vonage. Since we were paying $33/mo to Vonage for almost the same service, we figured even if we had it for only 6 months we would be breaking even.

It has been 19 months now and we are pleased with the service.

They also have a premium plan that allows for multiple lines and few other features we just really didn't need. The basic plan has caller id, call waiting, voicemail, and you can check your messages online if you are away.

Ooma.com

That might cut your expenses even more.

We only have internet with our cable company and we currently pay $44/mo for turbo. We have thought of cutting it down to lite, but we do gaming and really need a bit more power/speed.

Dawn

Thank you for that great information! We almost never watch live tv (as a matter of fact we are typically 1-2 months behind on most shows)! I am going to call our cable company on Tuesday to find out how much our bill will be with just Internet and very basic phone. Right now we bundle the three, but next month it is going up about $13/month. We were already thinking about getting rid of it and the increase helps that decision! We watch almost no tv in the summer, but we do enjoy having it in the winter (they are very long here!). I think after the summer we will get hulu plus. Great info!


QUOTE=DawnM;41284051]I LOVE HuluPlus.

90% or more of what we watch TV wise, is available on HuluPlus the next day. Some shows have several seasons available, some shows only allow the last couple of episodes and you only have about 2 weeks to watch them. I have found most CBS shows are limited to 2 episodes available and you have 2 weeks to watch.

We stream High Def HuluPlus to our TVs through a Roku box. Amazon.com has Roku boxes with free shipping and no tax, that is the best way to go. However, you may want to go to Roku.com and see the different models and compare.

We purchased the highest/most expensive model for $99. Still not bad at all. It streams some shows in 1080p quality, but most are in 720p quality, all are high def.

HuluPlus can also be watched on your computer.

One hint, it is much like Netflix in that it is best to go to HuluPlus.com on your computer to actually search for shows and put them in your queue online and then they will pop up on your Roku as saved in your queue and easily accessible.

Dawn

[/QUOTE]

 

[beansmom]

brava, Karice!

I am thinking on how to lower our $150 a month cable bill. A/C runs 24/7 here in the summer...dreading that.

We have been eating out a bit lately...we'll stop that. I have given myself a budget of $300 for groceries this month. Should be quite doable. We have a buttload of CC debt right now and we need to pay it off. I need to get it all under control so I can start planning a trip to Hawaii for 2012.

we don't pay for many services but I might start doing dh's shirts at home and taking only his suits to the cleaners. We;ll see...sometimes I really need that shirt ironed more than I need $2.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I am planning to take a two week trip in December to celebrate the end of a a very stressful project at work. I am not in a place where the trip is not possible if I don't scrimp and save but it is always nice to have things pre-paid when possible.

My hours are pretty crazy at work. It is not uncommon for it to be dark when I leave home and dark when I get home so I find myself paying for a bunch of things that people normally do themselves.

I have arranged with my boss to work from home a couple of times a week which will allow me to gain 5 hours a week back because of no commute. I am thinking of the services that I pay for that I can do myself.

Today was my first attempt - I cut my own grass. Savings $40. I usually get this done twice a month so that is $80 that I can save.

I also packed my own lunch and dinner 3 times this week - Savings $40.

Has anyone else found that their wallets are bigger when they cut services that used to be essential?

I try to loook at it as how much does an hour cost for me to do it? If it is less than that then I hire someone but I think I can be a little less stringent when using that equation if I have free time.

We don't have many services now, but you've inspired me to take a look at what we do have to see what we can cut back on. So far:

I sent DH to the Sprint store to get a military discount put on our cell bill. I'm not sure of the savings yet, he didn't ask.

I looked over my phone/internet bill and found some extra services we could cut out so I will call about that Tues. I would like to cancel and go to cell phones, but we don't get good reception inside our house at all so I wouldn't feel safe doing that.

I discussed suspending Dish for the summer and getting netflix with DH. I thought I had him convinced, then he said "why don't we just cut out some channels and get netflix." It turns out if we cut out the channels he wants it would save $10 which is about how much netflix would cost We hardly watch tv during the summer so I don't know why it's such an issue.

 

[englishteacha]

One service I've cut is getting my hair trimmed professionally. I'm growing my hair long, and now it's long enough that I can trim it myself. I snip just a tiny bit off every couple months or so to keep the split ends at bay and to keep its shape so it doesn't look bedraggled. I'm pretty good with cutting other people's hair (I used to cut all my friends' hair in college), so I got brave and decided to try trimming my own. I also do my own eyebrows and other hair removal myself so I don't have to pay for waxing. I've never had a professional pedi (I will be getting one this summer as a treat!) but my feet always look lovely because I do it myself.

Not necessarily cutting a service, but I figured out how to make my own cupcake tower using my existing cake plates rather than buying one. I'm trying not to buy many new clothes (I've gained some weight so my wardrobe is limited!), so I'm getting better at accessorizing with what I have. Oh, and I'm getting better at sewing so I can alter clothes a bit myself. I was very pleased when I was able to convert an unflattering sundress into a cute halter with a seam ripper and some carefully placed stitches!

 

[blondietink]

Wish we could bundle services here. Living in a rural area, there is no cable anything or FIOS anything We have to have satellite TV or nothing. We have a choice of satellite internet or dial-up. We have to have a landline phone as cell phones don't work here. We do have cheap tracfone cell phones for emergency on the road. We mow our own grass (3 acres), paint our home inside and out, cannot opt out of garbage pickup as it is put on our property tax bill. No air conditioning and we heat with wood. No dry cleaner service in the entire county, so we don't buy things that need to be dry cleaned.