[Roxy]

So being new here I’m still figuring things out. I’ve been tracking spending since June and trying to see what we are actually spending all our money on. It’s been eye opening for sure. I’ve realized some of our bills looked a little high and was exploring why?!

1. Charter

We have our internet through Charter. The bill has been $137 each month. Turns out we have been paying for TV too. We NEVER had TV. I went back 14 months and for at least that time we have been paying for TV services we didn’t have! They credited 2 months of the TV and discounted the $79 internet bill to $59/ month for the next year.

(Thinking of contacting my bank and disputing this. We never gave permission to bill for TV. Never had equipment for the TV. Am I being a crazy person in this one? Maybe i should let it go and just move on. )

2. First Net

I have my cell phone here. The bill for the single line was $95/ month. Turns out I’ve been paying an extra $22 for an early upgrade and insurance coverage that I declined. They credited back 3 months of these fees. And my bill moving forward will be $73.

3. American Family Insurance

I had our home, farm, and car insurance here. In the past 2 years the rates went up about $400. I went shopping and was able to save over $600 each year on our insurance costs with better coverage and adding on my 16 year old daughter and her car.

4. ATT

My kids, husband, and inlaws phone lines are here. Had a $17/ month insurance I declined that I was somehow paying for here.

Annual savings… $1992

I’ve been hemorrhaging all my money and I’ve just been oblivious!

[Kiana]

Wow good on you for going through it all and being diligent! I would definitely dispute those charges for the tv I mean I didn’t do the math but it might be worth the trouble and plus it is your money. Either way great job.

[Erika]

Yeah, I’m cutting subscription services as well. There was a time when we didn’t need a subscription for warehouses full of food and made in China crap.

You did a great job!

Would you also like to explore: How do you “justify” working sun up to sun down to pay off bills and not spending any time with your child?

[Jay]

Never just “let it slide” — that’s exactly what they are counting on.

[Mark]

This should be a lesson to everyone. At least once a yr go over every single bill w a fine tooth comb. Most ppl are paying for streaming services and insurance they don’t been need.

Companies are very craft e adding extra fees and services that don’t cost a lot because they know most ppl won’t notice.

[Bill]

Great job! Going forward, you’ll really want to just set a reminder to go through your charges in detail every 3 months at least. As you found, you only have a 60 day window to dispute charges with your bank or credit card. If you let it go longer than that, they only address the last 2 months.

For cell service, it would be worth taking and old phone and trying a couple of the discount carriers – mint, visible etc. I think both have free trials periods where you can cancel if the service doesn’t work at all. Even if you have to pay for a month, it’s worth the $25 bucks to see if you can save $50/month on service.

You can check also: Any tips for splitting my paychecks for bills/rent/groceries/etc?

[Jennifer]

you can get Mint Mobile for a lot less. They had a special recently $15/ month for unlimited everything.

I switched from Verizon and I’ve been happy.

[Author]

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