Nov 9, 2022
What Steps Can I Take to Lower My Bills?
There is almost nothing more stressful than worries about money. Wondering if you can make your payments on rent, a car loan, a mortgage, a credit card, the electric bill, etc., can cause insomnia and terrible, almost paralyzing anxiety. The trick, when faced with such a situation, is to take action and figure out how you can save money and lower your monthly bills.
When it comes to monthly bills, make the calls
Let your creditors, lenders, utility companies, etc., know what’s going on before you miss a payment. Call your creditors and lenders. Call your landlord, utility company, cellphone provider immediately. When you get them on the phone, explain your situation and ask if they have any payment options available that will help you with your monthly bills. See if they can extend the time you have to make a payment or if they will accept a few reduced payments until your situation improves.
In terms of credit card companies, banks, and other lenders, it’s very possible they’ll have a number of options that will help. These could include waiving ATM fees and overdraft fees, as well as permitting you to delay payments, skip payments, or adjust the amount due.
More about credit card companies and credit card debt
If you’re sure you’re unable to make the minimum payment on your credit card, call your credit card company immediately. You don’t need to be behind on payments to ask for help and you definitely shouldn’t delay or ignore the issue. Doing so can cause bigger problems like:
Being charged higher interest rates
Having your minimum payments go up
Losing your charging privileges
Accumulating late fees that increase credit card debt
And the worst – damaging your credit scores
Before you call your credit card company…
It’s best to take a hard look at your personal finance situation before you call. Review all areas of income and all of your expenses, and see where you can cut lower your monthly other expenses.
Be ready to explain why you can’t make the minimum payment and tell them what you can afford to pay. They’ll ask you when you’ll be ready to resume your normal payments, so give that some thought before you call.
Consider credit counseling
There are a variety of nonprofit credit counseling organizations across the country that are designed to help consumers better understand their finances, develop a budget, save money, and determine how to make their monthly payments. Just because they are nonprofits doesn’t mean they won’t charge you a fee though, so be sure to ask if you will be charged and how much. Also ask exactly what kind of services you’ll be getting for their fee. Credit counselors should understand your unique situation, help you make financial goals, develop solutions, and teach you how to negotiate with your lenders and service providers.
Consider consolidating your credit card debt
Personal loans often have lower interest rates than credit cards. If you qualify for one, you can consolidate your credit card debt with a personal loan to lower your monthly payments and save on interest charges in the long run.
Hidden opportunities to cut your expenses and save money
Following are a list of suggestion for cutting lower your monthly bills and expenses. They are easy to implement and, should you implement any or all of them, be sure to tell your lenders, credit card companies, service providers, etc., that you have done so or are doing so. They will see your commitment to improving your financial situation and be more likely to assist you.
Do a home energy audit
Did you know that your coffee maker, toaster, phone charger and other devices suck up energy even when you’re not using them? They do – and they can account for as much as 20% of your monthly electric bill. Take a walk around the house and unplug these items and others you’re bound to discover. You can also make your home more energy efficient by replacing air filters every 3-6 months, and making sure your windows, vents, and even the space around electrical outlets are properly insulated. This prevents your A/C in the summer and heat in the winter from being wasted. To see how you’re doing, ask your utility company to provide you a year over year expenditures statement so you can see if any of your energy bills are trending upward and take steps to stop it.
Also: Many utility companies offer free or low-cost energy assessments in which they inspect your home and point out fixes that could improve your energy-efficiency.
Did You Know?
According to the Alliance to Save Energy, the average U.S. household spends $5,550 a year on energy. Purchasing energy-efficient appliances, making certain home improvements and taking actions – like those mentioned above – every day can save hundreds of dollars in electricity bill.
Lower your auto insurance premiums
You compare the prices of electronics and clothes before you buy them, so why not compare car insurance for quotes? There are websites that make comparing car insurance quotes a snap, or you can do it the old fashioned way by calling around. One man we know made a few phone calls and replaced his $300 a month plan with one for $55. In less than 20-minutes, he saved $2,940 a year.
Did You Know?
Credit score and report company Experian provides multiple auto insurance quotes in minutes. You can see all the best rates side-by-side and quite possibly save yourself more than $900 this year.
Did You Know?
You can shop around for life insurance, homeowners' insurance, and renters insurance, too. Review your policies each time they come up for renewal then take the time to shop around for a better deal.
Pack your lunch
It’s easy to give in to the convenience of fast food. But going out to get lunch every day, at $10 or so a pop, is $50 you could’ve saved. And you could’ve eaten healthier, too. Get into the habit of shopping for lunch foods and preparing a sandwich or salad before you go to bed. This will really help lower your monthly expenses but, until this habit gets really ingrained, leave yourself a note for the morning or you might just leave your lunch at home!
Did You Know?
A woman in the U.K. has come up with a time-saving way to make lunch sandwiches for her kids and herself. She pre-makes all the sandwiches in one sitting and freezes them, pulling them out on the morning she needs them. Her trick to preventing sogginess: she doesn’t use butter and she squeezes all the air out of the sandwich bag. Hey, whatever it takes to reduce those monthly expenses!
Embrace your local library
Libraries today offer so much more than books. They are a treasure trove of digital options including movies, foreign language classes, audiobooks, e-books, music, and more – for adults and children. And you can access all these items – including books! – free, simply by presenting your library card.
Did You Know?
Many libraries now allow members to “check out” passes for local attractions. Libraries in Atlanta provide members with passes to the local zoo, the aquarium, and the science center. Call your library and ask if they offer free passes to specific events and activities.
Switch – or ditch – your cell phone carrier and get FREE wireless with Life Wireless
It sounds too good to be true, but it’s 100% real.
Life Wireless is a cell phone provider that offers government subsidized free cellular service through the Affordable Connectivity Program to qualifying individuals and families. And, if you’re unemployed or participate in a government benefit program such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, or WIC, you already qualify for this Federally funded free cellular service. As a participant, you receive the following, free, each month: Unlimited talk, text and data, and a free smartphone or you can bring your own.
Even if you’re paying just $20 a month for cell service, wouldn’t you rather have that $240 to spend on groceries, gas, or paying down debts? Wouldn't it be great to have no cell phone bills? All it takes is just a few minutes to complete the application. Do so now, and you could be cutting your monthly cell phone bill to nothing in no time. And that will put more money in your pocket for other things - like household bills and grocery bills.
Plus, if you’re approved for Life Wireless/Lifeline Assistance Program and sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), you get two sources of free talk, text, and unlimited data that you can split between two phones. That means free cell service for you and free cell service for someone you love. If your child has been asking for a cell phone, this is a terrific opportunity to provide him or her with talk, text, unlimited data and the ability to stay in touch with you!
Of course you don’t have to split the service between two phones, you can keep it all on one. But it’s a wonderful option if your spouse, child or relative needs a phone – and who doesn’t? – but has been unable to get one due to the expense.
Whichever option you choose – to keep the data on one phone or split it between two – Life Wireless will make sure you receive the free talk, text, and unlimited data to help you stay connected.
Option 1: Combine Your Data
Activate Lifeline and ACP on the same device and receive unlimited talk, text, and data, plus 5GB of mobile hotspot.
Option 2: Split Your Data
Split your data between two phones or supported devices and you’ll have one device with ACP’s free talk, text, and 6GB of data and a second device with Lifeline’s talk, text, and 4.5GB of data (6GB of data in California).
Fast facts about Life Wireless
Yes, you can add more minutes and data!
You can purchase additional minutes or data one of the following ways:
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Go to www.LifeWireless.com and click "Add Minutes/Data"
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If you have a smart phone, go to your MyLifeWireless app and click "Add Minutes".
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Call Customer Service at 1-888-543-3620, or by dialing 611 on your Life Wireless phone.
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You can also go to any Moneygram location and use Receive Code: 7924
Yes, you can track your minutes!
Your minutes replenish each month on your anniversary date before end of the day. For example if you signed up and received your minutes on the 12th of the month, your minutes will replenish every month on the 12th of the month.
You can check your account balance the following ways:
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Go to www.LifeWireless.com and click "My Account"
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Go to your MyLifeWireless app on your phone, and click "Check Balance"
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Call Customer Service at 1-888-543-3620, or by dialing 611 on your Life Wireless phone.
Yes, you can keep your current phone number!
If your application is approved, you have the option to keep your current phone number.
Once you receive your Life Wireless phone in the mail, call Life Wireless Customer Service at 1-888-543-3620 and a representative will assist you in keeping your current number. Make sure that you don't call from your Lifeline phone and have your account number and password from your previous carrier handy.
What our customers are saying:
"Life Wireless has been great."
"I have used it so many times for appointments and finding the proper care providers for my needs as well as for my family's needs. Thank you so much Life Wireless!" Rebecca L., KY
“Without this phone I would be lost."
"It has helped me stay in contact with my daughter’s specialist. I schedule her appointments and they can call back if there are any complications with her results. Thank you, Life Wireless.” Amanda Z., PA
"Love my data."
“I've been looking for apartments, doctor’s offices, and school phone numbers, and my data provided has been a tremendous help in gaining access to this information. I'm very grateful for this service.” Maria R. AZ
Don’t wait. Get FREE wireless service now!
Posted 1 year ago