Trying To Cut Expenses Isn't Easy or Fun!!

@BelleStarr (61050)
United States
May 23, 2018 2:49pm CST
Not fun at all!! We have a lot of major expenses coming up, replacing the furnace at our home in Connecticut and the plumbing at the cottage in Pennsylvania. There are some expenses that are very hard to cut back on but I decided today that our $239 monthly bill for cable, home phone and high-speed internet was a bit out of control. So I got into a chat with Xfinity to see what I could do. New customers are offered all sorts of enticement to join but current customers have to fight for a good deal. I don't really want or need our home phone. No one ever calls us on it anyway except solicitors and the IRS, lol. I bet they will miss me cause I got rid of it. What I wanted to keep was as many of the channels that we currently have and the 150 mbps Internet we have. The woman on chat gave me a Double Play with 125 channels and the Internet for $176. I called customer service to actually change the plan and the wonderful girl I talked to was able to get me 214 channels and the 150 mbps Internet for $177 including the equipment and taxes. I will save $62 a month which is not as much as I wanted but I also didn't lose as much as I expected so I think I am happy. I know I could just get Hulu or Sling but hubs would have serious trouble figuring it out, the Parkinson's has made making changes challenging and I don't want to challenge him. The Internet would cost me $89 plus the $11 for the Modem rental and the taxes and I would be more limited than we will be now. I was hoping to save more than this but at least we are saving and I think if I stop eating out so much I can save a lot more. That is the part that will be hard and not so much fun. lol Hubs says, just take the money out of savings but I really hate touching the savings, once it comes out, there is no way it is going back in. He tells me, the money is for our old age and we are already old lol He is right of course but we may get a lot older than this. Don't get me wrong, we are not poor. We have a comfortable income and life but major expenses like this can really cause a little bit of stress. The good news is, once the furnace is replaced, we should be good for quite a long time. Well maybe not, our roof is over 20 years old lol
44 people like this
44 responses
@celticeagle (157593)
• Boise, Idaho
23 May 18
My cable bill is horrible. Wish I had some other options. Yeah, once you start taking out of savings it becomes easier to do it the next time.
5 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
23 May 18
Yup, that is what I figure, about the savings. I would rather figure out another way to do it. We don't have many cable options either, I like the Internet I have it makes it easy for me to watch the things I want with my Amazon Fire Stick and Netflix.
5 people like this
@maximax8 (31055)
• United Kingdom
23 May 18
Consider getting rid of cable TV.
4 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
23 May 18
@maximax8 I can't, my husband would not like that at all.
4 people like this
@maximax8 (31055)
• United Kingdom
23 May 18
I wanted to pay off my mortgage and I did that by raising my direct debit and doing overpayments. If I hadn't done that and I had stayed paying my usual amount I would be ending it in 2022. Having no mortgage means I can save money for household decoration and a new front door. Sky TV kept going up in price so I cancelled it. Eating out can be expensive and buying from a supermarket with a budget in mind is better.
4 people like this
@maximax8 (31055)
• United Kingdom
23 May 18
@BelleStarr . Yes, we still see BBC1, BBC 2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
23 May 18
@maximax8 I would be fine with just those channels lol I would give anything to have them here is the states
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
23 May 18
Thank goodness we have no mortgages, we own our homes outright. But of course we pay property taxes on all three of them. Without Sky TV can you still see BBC1 and Channel 4?
3 people like this
@minx267 (15553)
• Hartford, Connecticut
24 May 18
That sounds like what I have been going thru recently . I really feel for you. I did the same thing though I called the cable and got a new "plan" and saved a few bucks.. I also changed car insurance companies and save $100 a month.. that was a biggie.. which of course was just in time for me to buy a new used truck.. and now that $100 savings can go toward the car payments I have for the next 4 years... lol I have been paid off on my current car for 7 years.. so this is going to be a bite. I just had to have a new front porch and new chimney put on.. and our furnace needs servicing.. I may wait until fall. Ps. I just live a few towns over from you. :)
3 people like this
@minx267 (15553)
• Hartford, Connecticut
24 May 18
@BelleStarr I hear you on that. Currently sent last 3 years crazy with home owners policy problems. I haven't heard of firebox....?
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
I know we are practically neighbors, we do go into Hartford once in a while to eat at FireBox. I know I could save money by changing my car insurance and homeowners but we have the cottage in PA with the same company and since the house has no basement and is on piers it is hard to insure and I am afraid to shake the boat. I know we could probably save a lot with that change. We also get our umbrella policy with them so... for now I am stuck.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
@minx267 OMG Firebox is the best restaurant, uses local help and produce and the food is unbelievable. They are in the Frog Hollow neighborhood.
2 people like this
@id_peace (14010)
• Singapore
24 May 18
Yes it isn’t fun, for every dollar that you tried to save or you ended up having to compensate on some comfort.
4 people like this
@id_peace (14010)
• Singapore
25 May 18
Yes painful but it may worth it in the long run
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
25 May 18
It is always a give and take isn't it.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (48235)
• Canada
24 May 18
You're smart to try to cut back. I took calls for Comcast for over 6 years from their US customers, and I used to try to tell people to see if they can go in person to their local office. Back when I took those calls, some of the local offices were still independently owned Mom & Pop shops, and they had more control over giving the customers a break then we did. I hope that you can cut back in a few ways to help keep that savings where you'd like it to remain, or at least a part of it.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
@Juliaacv Yes I have heard from all my friends that new appliances just are not as high quality as what we bought so many years ago.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
I hope so too, I really don't want to take them out, at their current earnings rate, I will earn enough this year to pay for a new AC in Florida when the time comes. And that means next year I can earn almost enough for a New Florida roof when the time comes. What worries me is that all my kitchen appliances are 22 years old and I have no idea when they are all going to crap out. Though given my penchant for dining out my stove is probably good for 40 years lol
3 people like this
@Juliaacv (48235)
• Canada
24 May 18
@BelleStarr I know what you mean. When we replaced our first fridge and stove it was actually only the fridge that was showing signs of aging, but we wanted to buy them as a set. When the salesman asked us the current age of our appliances and we replied 22 or 23 years, whatever it was, he laughed and told us that we wouldn't get half of that out of the set we were looking to buy. And my husband looked at him and said, well they are still both functioning, with a comment like that we could keep them. We left that place and went to the Maytag store, and we got great service but the fridge was awfully noisy. I was happy to sell those with the house last year.
3 people like this
@ridingbet (66861)
• Philippines
24 May 18
i agree with you, but i won't cut my expenses as regards my medicines.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
I buy generic to save money when that is an option.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
28 May 18
@ridingbet Yes my last generic Crestor was the tiniest pill I have ever seen I was always afraid I would drop it and never find it.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66861)
• Philippines
25 May 18
@BelleStarr the coumadin is sent by my brother from UK and the carvedilol, i tried a generic brand. it was so small that i cannot half it. when i was able to cut one in half, the other turned into a powder.
1 person likes this
@popciclecold (35025)
• United States
24 May 18
We got rid of our house phone all we got telemarketing calls. It's always good to cut back.
3 people like this
• United States
25 May 18
@BelleStarr Yeah, but I bet they'll miss you.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
25 May 18
Yes I was just so sick of all the telemarketers and I won't miss them a bit.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (168421)
• United States
24 May 18
I understand about cutting expenses..I wish I could use Sling or Roku but I do not have unlimited internet so it isn't really feasible here.
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (168421)
• United States
25 May 18
@BelleStarr 1 TB per month lol..you aren't cooking..I think you mean I GB.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
28 May 18
@snowy22315 No it is one Terabyte, they share the same abbreviation.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
25 May 18
I asked how much data I had on my plan and they told me 1Tb per month. I am allowed to go over 3 times a year but I have never, ever gone over. So I guess it depends on how small the amount of data you have is,
1 person likes this
@dodo19 (47034)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
23 May 18
I'm glad that you were able to cut costs. Sometimes we just have to find ways to cut costs and save a bit of money.
3 people like this
@dodo19 (47034)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
23 May 18
@BelleStarr Sometimes, it can be easy for things to get out of control. Hopefully, things do get a little more under control.
3 people like this
@dodo19 (47034)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
24 May 18
@lnillerman Sometimes, it is best to start a little early.
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
23 May 18
I feel like things have gotten out of control and I need to rein them back in.
3 people like this
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
24 May 18
We spoke to our security company and received a huge discount. We've been with them for years and new customers receive crazy discounts all the time. Being a home owner, there is always something!
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
There is and it really fries my butt when new customers are valued more than loyal customers. Well done getting the discount.
3 people like this
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
24 May 18
@BelleStarr Same to you. I want my husband to get rid of many of the channels we don't use with our cable company. It's such a waste of money. He plans on looking into it if it doesn't mess up his sports package. We just saved a bundle by dropping our hurricane insurance in Florida. It turns out that the condo association pays for it. Duh us!
3 people like this
@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 May 18
I know exactly what you're saying. We are comfortably off too really but you don't know how long the money you have is going to have to last.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
23 May 18
That's it especially since my mom is almost 103!!
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
28 May 18
@JudyEv My moms last 6 years have been a trial for her, and no she is not well enough to enjoy it she has dementia.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 May 18
@BelleStarr Oh wow. That is a great age. I hope she is well enough to enjoy it. Mum got to 104 but the last twelve months were a trial for her.
1 person likes this
@nela13 (55684)
• Portugal
23 May 18
We are trying to cut our expenses too, we are still young but we have two small children and we want to save some more money every month, as we need to do some improvements in our house.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
When you own a home there are always improvements aren't there? You are wise to plan ahead.
3 people like this
@nela13 (55684)
• Portugal
24 May 18
@BelleStarr yes, it seems that we alwas have something to do in our house.
1 person likes this
@nela13 (55684)
• Portugal
24 May 18
@lnillerman If we do a lot of things ourselves, we can save a lot of money.
@anikoonline (3254)
• Hungary
24 May 18
Here the cheapest option to have internet and cable is to buy a package that contains home phone, too. When we bought this package we asked them to not give us the phone as we don't need it.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
25 May 18
I would have never taken it but my hubs loves answering the house phone but I just can't take it anymore.
1 person likes this
• Hungary
25 May 18
@BelleStarr My mother has a mobile phone, that is not the phone she carries with her. She uses it as a home phone. It is always turned on and it is at home all the time. I think she still likes the idea of having a home phone.
1 person likes this
@mlgen1037 (29901)
• Manila, Philippines
23 May 18
Hi Belle. We also do cut some expenses here but good thing my parents are near when we need assistance on something but all goes good so far. Also, is that your grandson on your photo?
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
Yes that is Jack, he is my youngest grandson, I have 5 other ones.
3 people like this
@mlgen1037 (29901)
• Manila, Philippines
24 May 18
@BelleStarr He is so adorable. Hi Jack!
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (157027)
• United States
24 May 18
We have several expenses like that. Things that need replaced, etc. Unfortunately there is not much savings to cover it. Right now we are doing okay, though and we may end up with a very viable business. That is where our savings went.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
That sounds like a good investment in your future. I am more cash-strapped than poor, I have money in investments and I own three homes but that doesn't give you cash when you need it lol
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (84651)
• United States
23 May 18
My dad felt the same way, so he cut his landline, and his cable. He uses the antenna now, you know the digital kind that gives you a crystal clear picture. He is thrilled his TV is free now. He still misses not having ESPN, but he wanted to save money since once he retires they will be living on much less. My sister gave him free access to get Netflix account, but they don't use it.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
23 May 18
If only we could go back to the days when 5 or 6 channels were enough to make us happy lol But no, I am not ready for that. I have to have Hallmark Channels
3 people like this
@valmnz (17100)
• New Zealand
24 May 18
It's annoying isn't it, not knowing how long the old age savings account has to last!
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
Yes and a little scary since we have no way to know how long we will live or what things will be coming up.
3 people like this
@Courtlynn (67002)
• United States
23 May 18
$62 may not seem like a lot right now, but after awhile of saving it, I think it will. And it's better like you said, to not make things challenging for the hubs. So I think, you did good. (:
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
23 May 18
Thank you, yes I have tried to teach him how to use the Fire Stick and he screws it up every time, a techie he is not lol But he is so loveable I don't hold that against him lol
3 people like this
@Courtlynn (67002)
• United States
23 May 18
@BelleStarr Welcome! Not everyone is, that's okay! Him being lovable is even better anyways!
3 people like this
@andriaperry (116876)
• Anniston, Alabama
24 May 18
I pay about $170 for all three, home phone, dish and internet. I use the home phone for the rental business bu I will drop it sooner than later, it will only save me $25
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
24 May 18
That is about the same deal that I now have so I guess it is pretty much the norm.
• Philippines
24 May 18
I try to continue with cutting up my expenses by joining support groups like on facebook which encourages me and gives me ideas on where and how to cut my expenses.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
25 May 18
We all have to do whatever is necessary to stay within our budget, I am glad you are finding support.