“It’s only $10/month!” A common refrain heard on TV, radio, and printed in magazines – “Satellite radio is $9.99/month! Netflix is only $8!” Have you ever stopped to add up all those little inexpensive monthly bills? I bet they can add up to a pretty penny if you aren’t careful. It is incredibly easy to fall for the “only” when it comes to signing up for new services in our lives, but each and every monthly bill you sign up for takes away from your free time and bottom line… meaning you have to work that much more, save that much less, and deal with yet more paperwork & bills. Because I was giving this some thought the other day, I sat down and wrote out all my monthly responsibilities to see just what I was paying for (and in turn, working for):
Cable TV/Internet/Home Phone Service for $139/month – As soon as this promotional deal ends from Comcast, I am definitely ditching the home phone and might also be ditching the cable TV as well. I have a few more months to decide.
iPhone Service With AT&T for $98/month – This bill isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as I use my iPhone for phone calls, emails, and running my businesses. Thankfully, this is the cheapest plan (including taxes and some texting) you can get on AT&T with an iPhone, and it works for me.
Netflix for $8.99/month – I am on the one at a time but unlimited monthly plan. I watch about 3 movies (and much more through their streaming service) so it’s worth the $9 a month, which is much cheaper than renting or buying movies through iTunes
Web Hosting for $149/month – This is how I make a living, so I can’t really cheap out on web hosting. It’s a little more than I could be paying somewhere else, but I have 24/7 live support with my account, so it’s still cheaper than hiring my own IT team.
That’s about it, really, other than for heat/AC/gas/water service, which adds up to around $40/month or less. I have considerably cut down on monthly reoccurring expenses compared to how many I used to have, and it has definitely simplified things around here – financially and mentally.
How many monthly bills are you committed to? Are there any that are truly bringing equal value to your everyday life in exchange for how much you are paying?
I’ve got a few as well:
– Cable (Internet only) – $30
– Netflix (1 out w/ Blu-ray, unlimited) – $11.99
– Electric, Gas & Water
Who is your web host?
After years of simplification, we’re down to the utilities (water, power, sewer), Netflix, Comcast for internet only, Vonage, and our auto insurance. Unfortunately, everything else is going to aggressive debt repayment, so we still have a ton of bills…the paradigm shift? We’re not adding to them!
Internet – $10 (split with roommates)
Gas (car) – around $50
Rent – $208 (split between roommates by sq. ft.)
Electric – $10
Total = ~$278
Tuition is paid for by grants, my dad lets me use a car for free (I just cover maintenance), my mom pays my $35/mo. phone bill (so that there’s “SOME way to get ahold of me!”)…I was dealt a good hand, I’m very lucky.
I live in Brazil, the values are converted to US dollars…
Cable – around $ 44
Internet – around $ 27
Electric – around $ 30
House payment – around $ 390
All on automatic.
My only phone is the company’s mobile, so… free for me.
Water and gas are included in the service charge here.
Utilities:
around 80-90 – phone + internet
50 ish – pay TV (BF’s choice, NOT mine)
60 ish – power
50 – cellphones
Rent is $1000, plus a small amount for insurances and car costs (I put away a set amount for this every week, but couldn’t tell you how much off the top of my head).
Yes, those little bills add up don’t they. I published an article on this recently (http://www.regardsfromthebalcony.com/2010/07/sweat-the-small-stuff.html). You need to watch those little monthly bills – they add up to a whole lot. I watch mine like a hawk, and have eliminated as many as I reasonably can, so I don’t need to stress too much about it anymore.
I pay monthly:
$100 Lot rent
$42.95 Internet
$25 (summer avg) electric
$22 water/sewage
Total: $189.95
Irregular bills:
cell is pay as you go $25 every 3 months, home phone is $20/year. Car insurance is $300/year.
Thanks for sharing!
We make it a habit to go through our finances about once a year, sometimes twice a year, and pare it all down again. It amazes me EVERY TIME how many little things creep in and drain the finances, just $5 or $10 at a time.
“Oh, hey – we forgot to shut down that magazine you decided you don’t want anymore.”
“Look, our satellite bill went up and we aren’t watching it. Let’s downgrade the bill.”
“Woah. Time to switch electric companies. Look how much our rate has increased.”
I wonder how much profit is generated in this country just a few cents per customer at a time, from things like this.
I keep trying to explain to my ‘grown’ son just how quickly all these $8-10 charges add up each month. He too has the mindset that it isn’t all that much. I hope he he starts to get it real soon!
ive cut out cable TV a few months ago and its the best thing I ever did!…(my cox internet bill is $45 which i feel is high–searching for something cheaper and just as fast), if i want a movie i go to the redbox which is $1/night or watch hulu.com or i check it out at the library.
In Portland, OR – 2 adults, 2 cats, no kidlets:
Comcast (internet, tv, no phone): $45
Netflix: $9
TiVo: $12
Verizon Cellular: $135
Misc Utilities: $110
Cat meds: $54
Medical: $135
Car insurance: $130 (full coverage)
Term-life insurance: $47
Yup, that’s about $677 per month.
We use the Comcast and Verizon as business expenses so get a break on both annually to the tune of $2,160. We also write off mileage for business and medical visits–it’s legal and it’s smart.
I’ve cut down my monthly to only
$19.99 for internet access
$1.66 for newspaper subscription from Thu to Sunday
$39.99 for cell plan with sprint for unlimited data, 500 mins
————
$62 /month
I’ve cut out TV all together, using hulu only or videos from the library
All magazine subscription is gone
I have a car lease ($350), internet ($40), and cell phone ($20). The thing that I did to save on the cell phone was to go prepaid. I was paying up to $80 a month for my previous bill and now I’m getting almost the same exact plan for a quarter of the price. I also agree with cutting off the cable and just use the digital signal, Netflix, and Hulu.
I have utilities including electric, gas, cell phones, a triple play of phone/cable/internet, and a car payment. I don’t have a mortgage, and pay my property taxes twice a year. We’ve stopped all newspaper and magazine subscriptions, and pay just about everything online. I have most of my eligible bills paid through my credit card in order to earn rewards.
Here’s a Turkish version of Monthly Bills :
(in USD)
Cable Tv + Unlimited Internet : $14
Cell Phone : $20 for 500 minutes+250 sms+500 Mb internet access
Satelite TV : $6 (selected channels for kids)
Line Phone: $14 (don’t use much)
Gas: $5 in summer and mild months, $100-150 during cold months
Electricity : $80
Water : $10