Does it seem like the cost of household utilities goes up each month? The truth is, your cable, phone, internet, water, and electric bills can all add up, leaving you with little cash after everything is paid. If you are frustrated from high utility bills and need relief, take a look below at 7 ways to save money on utility bills. With a little work and creativity, you will find that it is possible to pay less. Here is how you can get started!
1. Pay online.
You can avoid paying late fees, check and postage costs, and other convenience fees when you pay your utilities online. Enroll in your utility companies online bill pay program so you can get started and start saving!
2. Call and negotiate.
Try calling your utility company to see if rates are negotiable. While this may not work with all utilities, it is likely with ones such as cable, phone, and internet. Just call and ask if they can offer a more competitive rate to keep you from switching.
3. Shop around.
Not all utility companies are equal. It never hurts to shop around and compare prices every few months. You may find a better deal and one that is worth switching for.
4. Make cuts where you can.
Do you really need 8,212 cable channels? Do you need the extra movie channels? Re-evaluate your usage and see where cuts can be made. Chances are you could make cuts to your utilities and never even miss them.
5. Consider cheaper alternatives.
You can save money on your cable bill by skipping the on demand rentals and hitting up RedBox instead. You can save money on gas and heating bills by utilizing an energy efficient fireplace. Skip the huge internet bills and use free wifi where you can instead. With a little creativity, cheaper alternatives can save you some dough.
6. Check the efficiency of your home.
Make sure your home is efficient so you aren’t wasting heat, water, and electricity. Make sure all windows are well sealed, and that no faucets are leaky. Keep your thermostat set to a reasonable temperature, and always turn off lights when not in the room. Simple changes such as these can really add up.
7. Bundle and save.
See if bundling your utilities can help you save money. In some cases, having the same company provide your cable, phone, and internet can help you save cash. Always look into the deal thoroughly and make sure the low price isn’t just an intro price.
When you give these tips a try, you can easily lower your utility bills. What are some of the things that you do to lower your utility bills?
I never thought I could negotiate my electric bill. I guess everything’s negotiable.
What some great tips – I need to think about bundling my utilities as I think that will bring them down a little.
Great ideas!
It’s interesting that my former phone/internet company suddenly became open to negotiating when I called to cancel after having signed up with a new company. The truth is I had been VERY happy with their service but I had been on a special in the beginning and then it seemed to become so expensive after that time period was up. I called and expressed this to them before switching so I let them know I’d already made an attempt to stay with them but had already started with the new company!
Such a great and useful post! Thank you so much for sharing those wonderful tips.
I have one more tip to add No going on a budget plan ever…that was the worst thing we ever did. We took a year to pay that balance off and down. Shut off protection plan is a good option instead. especailly if you are like me and have people who depend on electricity for machines like a sleep apena or a oxygen tank ect.
These are all useful and helpful tips. A budget plan worked well for me and my family. We were able to lock our rates in.
Those are great tips on saving money. I need to check the energy efficiency of my home to reduce my bill
I agree with these tips, I always try to cut things I really don’t need
We bundle our internet/phone/cable and we do save a bundle. You’ve got good tips here!
Wow…these are seriously GREAT tips! Who doesn’t love to save money where they can? ME! I didn’t even think about the “pay online” one. It makes sense now that I read it, but it didn’t cross my mind. Thank you so much for doing the hard work for us! I love reading posts that teach me something. God bless!
I HAVE got to budget our money better especially with summer almost here!
I wish I could shop around. Unfortunately we only have one power and water company here.
Pretty soon everyone will have to use these bulbs because they stopped making the ones we are used to.
Thanks for posting this! These are great ideas!!
We rent our home and we have to negotiate our electric bill because it’s so high. Don’t understand why Indiana’s electricity is so high. We don’t have a choice to go with anyone else. Have plastic over most of the windows to keep out heat and cold but when heat isn’t on gets cold in here. We try to do everything we can to get the bill down but doesn’t matter what we do the bill is always over $600.
Excellent ideas. I also do whatever I possibly can to lower my bills and to also cut back on energy and such. So many little things that can add up big time $$$
#1 is not true for me. I am charged a fee if I pay online.
Thank you for the information. We have to save on electric because we are on a fixed income.
Great tips. I noticed that many energy company can come out to check on the home and make sure it efficient at no charge. Sometime it just requires a phone call. I recommend calling them it doesn’t hurt to try
I love #1, but I especially love when companies give you a discount for going “paperless”. If they are going to save on postage and supplies and labor, it’s nice that they pass a little of the savings along to the customer.