Step by Step Tutorial - Week 1 - Day 2

OK...by the time most of you read this, it will be Day 3. I apologize for getting this out late. I had my other 2 posts prewritten, so I just had to post them. But, I hadn't sat down to write this one, so I am just now getting to it!

So, let's get down to business.

Yesterday, you geared up with your essential tools. Today, we need to make sure our family bills are in order before we dive into actually doing surveys, mystery shopping, online offers, etc, etc.

Why? Because, once again, we want to be ORGANIZED. And, I can guarantee, once you get into all the other money making methods out there, organizing your orginal bills will keep getting pushed to the back burner.

So, for today, here is what you need to do:

• Look at your phone bill. You can click here to read my post on how I got this lowered.
• Look at your internet bill. This is included in the same post as my phone bill.
• Look at your cable and satellite bill. Click here to read my post on lowering this cost.
• Look over your energy bill. Log onto their website or call them to see if they have any programs to reduce the cost. Click here to read my recent article on saving on your energy bill.
• Look at your insurance bills. Click here to read how I saved on my bills. ( this one can be time consuming, especially if you call around to MANY different provider ). So, if you can't actually do it today, you need to pencil a day in NOW to sit down and do it.
• Look at your Newspaper bills. Click here to read how to make sure you are getting the lowest price.
• Look at your Garbage bills. Click here to read how to potentially save in this area.

Do you have other bills from service providers that may be lowered? I am still under contract with my cell phone company, but as soon as my contract is up I am going to try and get it lowered by following the same guidelines I did for my home phone. If you aren't under contract, you may want to try and see what happens.

To give you some incentive today, here is why it is essential you do this! You will probably get the most bang for the buck today. Meaning, for the time you invest, you will get the most impact to your family.

Here is a quick summary of how calling my companies impacted my household.

• $480 Savings for the year - Telephone/Internet - 30 minutes approx. of my time
• $312 Savings for the year - Cable/Satelite - 15 minutes of my time
• $25 Today ( thanks to sign up bonus ) & ??? on how much for the year - Electric - 5 minutes
• $200 Savings for the year - Insurance - 30 minutes of my time
• $51 Savings for the year - Newspaper - 10 minutes of my time
• Savings for the family next year - Garbage - 5 minutes

So, for approx. 1 1/2 hour of my time on the phone, I saved my family over $1,068 over the next year!!! And, that savings should go even higher, as I see the impact to my electricity bill once the new Power Manager kicks in starting with May.

So, in order to get in on that Free Planner Raffle this week, make sure you call at least 1 of these companies today and save some money. If you can do them all, that would be wonderful and so beneficial to you.

Remember to track everything. I always write the persons name or ID number down that I talk to, the day and time. And, of course, any information they gave me. Make sure you read my original posts, too, so you know how to go about getting the most out of your providers.