Budget Dog Helps You Save Money in 2023
| Save Money in 2023 |
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| Cable TV – Choose a 2 yr. Contract agreement, saving you up to $30 per month. Get a temporary rate reduction by talking to Customer Solutions. Go with basic cable or internet only and subscribe to TV channels via streaming services like Sling , Hulu, YouTube, Philo, and others. With a simple $20 Roku player and an internet connection, you can get hundreds of channels free with Pluto TV, Tubi, Crackle, or the Roku Channel. |
| Internet – With 5G available, you could get a hot spot through your cellular company. Utilize a 2 year contract discount with your cable company – Comcast even gives you one flex box with a FREE subscription to Peacock Premium. – Satellite internet is now more viable and widely available with an unlimited version on Starlink owned by Elon Musk. |
| Electricity – With electric costs rising substantially in late Fall 2022, it makes sense to check out various options. Check your City or town to see if they have a discount agreement or check out your own supplier. Save money otherwise by using power strips to cut down on standby or vampire power use and/or switch to inexpensive LED bulbs which use about 1/10 the power of conventional bulbs. |
| Heating – This past winter has been grueling due to increased heating costs. Some consumers have saved money with budget plans which lower costs through an agreed upon plan. Check this out for next season to see if it could save you money. In the meantime, every little bit you lower your thermostat can save you big with costs per gallon so high. |
| Water and Sewer – Simple steps save a lot of money. Flush the toilet after every 3-4 #1 sessions to save potentially hundreds of gallons every month. Limit showers to 6 minutes. Run the dishwasher with a full load only. Wash full loads of laundry only. For washing the car: Soap it up when there’s a huge rainstorm coming and let Mother Nature give it a FREE car wash. |
| Phone service: For a landline phone, get voice over ip for around 10 bucks a month. For cell service, switch to a discount provider like Consumer Cellular or others and save about half. |
| Car buying: Many vehicles were sold in 2021-22 at above MSRP. That has changed and prices have come down. Used vehicle prices are down as well. Always negotiate the price of a car, ALWAYS! Finance your vehicle through your bank or credit union and you may save on the interest rate quoted by the dealer who often makes a profit on that as well. |
| Grocery Savings: Grocery prices vary widely by store. Shop around and save tens of dollars or more each week. Within a given store, look for the least expensive boneless chicken breast, hamburger, or steak. If you have a big family, it might pay to buy a $300 separate freezer (electricity costs are minimal at less than $5 per month). You can stock up on specials and save hundreds of dollars. Buy other sale items when the savings make sense. It’s like money in the bank. |
| Clothing: If you have small children who grow quickly, why spend a ton on brand new clothes when shopping at the Salvation Army or similar stores can save you hundreds every year. |
| Furniture: If your budget is really tight, you can often buy furniture for peanuts at the Salvation Army, or the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. |
| Yard Sales or Flea Market: Used items in great condition will sell for much less than new at a yard sale or flea market booth. You just have to be patient to find what you’re looking for. |
| Savings Account; The easiest way to save a desired amount of money each week is to set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to your savings account with online banking. If possible, have an amount auto deposited into a savings account from your check each week. Even a small amount like $5 per week is over $250 per year and can come in handy when you fall short. |
| Real Estate Taxes: You can’t change the amount owed unless the assessment is wrong. Check your property card to make sure your 1600 square foot house isn’t being taxed as if it’s a 1900 square foot house. Most are accurate, but rare mistakes do happen. |
| House Insurance: With property values rising, this isn’t as much a problem right now as it has been. Make sure your house is insured for what it actually costs to replace it. Having it insured for twice as much due to inflation-riders on the policy won’t get you more money. On the other hand, insure the house for enough or you’ll be really stuck in the event of a loss. |
| Transportation: Save on gas by ensuring proper tire inflation and driving at reasonable speeds. Even if you save only 1 cent per mile doing this, you’ll have another $200 in your pocket if you drive just $20,000 miles per year. And if you drive safely, you’ll save on auto insurance by having a lower monthly auto insurance bill. |
| FREEBIES: Budget Dog advises that sometimes the best things in life are FREE. Examples include borrowing materials FREE from the library including books, music, and movies. Cities like Gardner MA have free parks and playgrounds which are open to the public. |