5 Major Bills You Can Lower This Month

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Do you live with the constant feeling that there’s more month than money in your life? Here is money expert Clark Howard’s plan of attack for your monthly bills to give you — and your wallet — more breathing room.

Clark Howard: Tackle These Bills One by One

With so many things that didn’t even exist a generation or two ago, it’s easy to feel squeezed by bills you didn’t use to have: cell phone, internet service, pay TV, streaming services. And then there are those that have been around a while: utilities, alarm monitoring and more.

It can all amount to death by a thousand cuts for your budget, but there are several ways you can save money every month.

1. Cell Phone Service

If you’re a creature of habit and you’re with one of the legacy wireless providers like AT&T or Verizon, chances are you’re paying too much for cell phone service.

There’s nothing wrong with either company. It’s just that so many more compelling offers from other players have popped up in the marketplace in the last few years.

Switching is the key to saving yourself a bundle of money.

“One woman I spoke to had been paying over $100 a month for a line of service. Now she’s paying $30 with a discounter and getting everything she wants with talk, text and data,” Clark says.

The market for cell service is getting so segmented that there’s sure to be a deal that’s right for you.

Let’s say you’re paying $70 a month for one line of unlimited service with Verizon. Did you know that you can cut that bill to $25 a month by switching to Verizon-owned Visible (Visible review)? And Xfinity internet customers can save even more by using Xfinity Mobile (Xfinity Mobile review), which runs on Verizon’s network, for only $15 a month.

The point is, there are so many alternatives that can be so affordable. But even when you have the information, Team Clark knows that making a change isn’t easy.

“You have to be willing to stop the inertia of what you’ve always done and get on a new path for something better and cheaper,” Clark notes.

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Use Team Clark’s comprehensive guide to the best cell phone plan deals to see the latest deals, tips and reviews.

2. Internet Service

Most of us have just a few choices for internet service. Usually, there’s a monopoly phone company and a monopoly cable company offering internet. Some of us have no choice at all.  

Clark’s secret to lowering what you pay for internet is simple: Put your current provider in competition with the other provider. And every time a special deal with the one you switched to expires, start the process over again.

Yes, it’s a little bit of a hassle but you can save significant money.

Just know this when you’re shopping: Be sure you always get the quote in writing via email or text.

You can also see if your cell phone company offers home internet service. Both Verizon and T-Mobile have plans, and you may be able to get a discount if you’re an existing customer.

Team Clark has other strategies that can help you save money on your internet service here.

3. Pay TV

Cutting the cord can reduce your pay TV bill from around $100 a month to around $70 a month. That’s a savings of more than $360 a year.

Are you afraid of missing your favorite shows, channels, and local news? Streaming services have come a long way over the years. This guide takes you step by step to make sure you cut the cord without sacrificing your favorite content.

Have you already cut the cord? Consider switching to an ad-supported plan. Clark recently made this change, and it’s keeping a few extra dollars in his wallet.

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If you do want to keep traditional pay TV in your life, Clark’s advice about pitting internet providers against each other for your business applies here, too.

You want to put the best offer from the satellite companies up against the best from the cable company and the phone company. See who’s willing to make the best deal at that moment. When that deal expires, put them in competition again.

“I’m giving you homework,” Clark says of his process of shopping and re-shopping. “But that homework generates potentially thousands of take-home dollars — tax-free — that you get back in your life.”

Check out our guide to the best streaming TV services.

4. Utilities

Depending on where you live, you may be able to shop your utility rates. The more you pay attention to local offers in the market, the more you can save.

Residents of several states are free to shop around for the best natural gas or electricity rates because their energy markets have been deregulated.

If you live in one of these states, check to see if the website of your state’s public service commission publishes monthly energy price updates from all the providers. Use these quotes to comparison-shop for energy.

The rates usually reset once a month. You can typically lock in a fixed rate for 6-24 months depending on the rules in your state.

Shopping for this stuff may not be fun, but it can save you a whole lot of money on a bill that comes every month like clockwork.

Remember, there is no difference between a therm or a kilowatt from one company to another. The only difference is the price, so shopping the market is key.

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Here are more ways to save on utilities every month.

5. Burglar Alarm Monitoring

You never want to sign a long-term contract for a home security system. That’s because the costs vary so much from provider to provider, and the quality can vary just as widely. So it’s not something you want to be locked into.

Self-install systems with low monthly monitoring costs can be a great solution, too.

SimpliSafe is one of the leaders in the field and offers 24/7 professional monitoring without the excessive fees tacked on by third-party vendors. Monitoring starts at 93 cents a day which adds up to about $28 a month.

In addition to SimpliSafe, there are several other self-install burglar alarm systems on the market. Get an overview of them here.

Bonus: More Ways To Lower Your Bills

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