Maximize Your Monthly Budget Part Four (Save Money.)
By
R.D. Swartz
Ok in front of you should be a piece of paper with lots of figures on what services you have and services you may switch too will cost. I think for most people that internet access is a must have and literally can save you far more money than it cost you for the monthly service fee of 20 to 60 dollars depending on where you are and the speed you purchase. If you do not want internet service in the home because you have it at work and or you are on a limited budget then you still need to decide if you need a home phone, mobile phone or TV service. Also if you have a computer at home not on the Internet you can get a thumb drive and download many types of information and entertainment from a public or work computer and use it on a home computer even without having it on the Internet. I often download many pages from Wikipedia or encyclopedias just to read when I am offline and traveling.
What did you decide on the home phone, mobile phone or internet phone? For some people they pay for a mobile phone only as well as use Skype. Is the prepaid phone a good option for you and do you realize the cost for using it to much? Many times the 3 in 1 home phone, cable TV and Internet is a cheaper way to go than if you only had cable and Internet with the same provider, if so you may as well have the home phone as well as look for the mobile phone discount that sometimes comes with 3 in 1 bundles. Many of the 3 in 1 packages have free nationwide calling on the home phone.
One important thing to remember is the cost to leave what you have now and how long of a contract the new services will be and the cost over that time in comparison to keeping what you have now. It is not saving money if there are penalties now and will be more if you change or move to a new location and break a contract for service in the near future. It is convincible that a 3 in 1 bundle with a mobile phone from one provider is the cheapest way to go for some people but you can save on a minimal channel package on the cable and watch more TV shows on the Internet. What is the cost for the TV antenna system and is it a better option for you to pay for once and use from now on especially if you are sure you will not be moving to a new home for many years. Some people choose an antenna system, Internet and a mobile phone services and do not have a home phone or cable TV.
Remember a DVR can enhance your TV watching experience as well as save you time and you should embrace this technology and use it because it will increase your entertainment value with a very low cost. It feels good to get your monies worth and more and more people have to stay home for entertainment because they cannot afford to go out as much as in the past. So once you streamline your phone, TV and internet services for the best value learn to keep pushing the envelope to explore new ways to get entertainment value out of those services.
