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  • Save Power: How To Save Money On Your Electric Bill

    By Dr. Kavita

    If there is something more electrifying than electricity, then it has to be the power bill that arrives each month. Power has become so costly, that people would give anything in exchange for information on how to save power and thus money on electric bills.

    Click here to compare multiple offers and save hundreds of dollars every month

    Here are some effective tips that can go a long way in cutting back your power bills:

    Avoid wastage

    We all have to pay for what we use, but paying for wasted electricity is simply moronic. Taking a little time and effort to switch off all the lights, fans, television, and any other electrical gadget that is not in use at the time will ensure that you save some money in the long run.

    Another mistake that we all are guilty of making is that we tend to use our remotes to switch off our electrical gadgets. But this only sends the gadgets to stand-by mode and they are still consuming some electricity (albeit lower amounts) to stay in that mode.

    Instead of wasting electricity and then paying for the wasted power, it is better to avoid wastage in the first place.

    It is time to change your bulbs

    We all have become accustomed to using incandescent bulbs for the past few decades. But little do we realize that these bulbs have been sucking power and inflating our monthly electric bills. It is better to change to CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs) at the earliest.

    But before you start using these CFLs, please bear in mind that they contain mercury within them. So it is recommended that you handle them and dispose them (after they break) with utmost care. These CFLs are best used when you anticipate prolonged use of light bulbs, for example in the kitchen or maybe in the bathroom.

    If you use them where you are going to switch off the bulb within five minutes of putting them on, it is better to use your incandescent bulbs, because CFLs typically take up a lot of electricity while being switched on and then again when being switched off. So unless the duration of usage is going to be long (1-6 hours) do not even bother.

    Don’t be lazy when it comes to maintenance work

    Majority of us delay or put off the cleaning and maintenance work that most of our commonly used electrical gadgets demand from us. For example, our freezers usually accumulate a pile of ice before we bother ourselves to defrost and clear it away. But such acts of laziness can only increase your electricity bill. Never allow the ice to pile up more than a quarter of an inch in your freezers.

    Never allow dust to accumulate on the coils of your refrigerator. Clean it regularly.

    Buy energy efficient gadgets

    Nowadays electrical gadgets come with an energy star marking / rating. Try to buy only those electrical gadgets that have between 5 and 7 energy stars and CEE III ratings.

    You may need to use one / two different tips mentioned here or maybe combine all four tips to get effective results.

    We hope you found our article “Save Power: How To Save Money On Your Electric Bill” useful. If so, please let us know in the comments.

    Click here to compare multiple offers and save hundreds of dollars every month

  • Ways To Make More Money: Six Ways To Increase Your Income

    By Kavita

    Can money ever be enough for any person in this world? I seriously doubt if even the richest elite would say he/she has enough money and does not want any more of it. That is the attraction of money and we are after all mere mortals. No matter what the status of your current income is, you can easily earn more money and increase your income by following these six methods. Would you like to give one of them a try?

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    Rent your car out as a moving billboard

    I am sure you have had quite a lot of opportunities to come across cars/vehicles on the road that looked like moving billboards. The first thought that must have crossed your mind was probably that these cars belonged to the company whose product was being advertised on the vehicles.

    Well let me introduce you to the first method of adding some dollars to your income. Welcome to the latest in advertising: moving billboards/vehicle wrapping. The company hires car/vehicle owners to double up as moving billboard advertising their products and the expected revenue could be hundreds of dollars. But before you jump to conclusions, let me tell you that the earnings will depend heavily upon the area and demographics of your neighborhood. You may also need to check with local regulations to ensure the practice is legal in your community.

    Sign up with some popular direct selling company

    Direct selling companies abound in hundreds and these are often quite easy to sign up with. Direct selling opportunities abound in various areas, from cosmetics to cell phones. Though viable, not everyone is suited to such income streams. Some morph into forms that many would prefer to stay away from.

    Start freelance work from home

    Freelance work can be of many types like freelance writing, freelance designing, freelance photography etc. If you register with any of the credible freelance job sites online, you can select the kind of jobs that you want to freelance and earn money online. This is increasingly becoming a popular method nowadays, especially after the recent economic debacles.

    Mystery shopping

    This is another one of the newest trends in shopping and gaining customer feedback by the companies. Companies that sell their products in the shopping malls or stores want to know firsthand customer experience after using their products. They are ready to hire people and pay them either in cash or as free products to use their products and then report back with their honest opinions.

    Rent out free space

    If you have a big house and have a room or two to spare, then you can rent it out to interested folks.

    Help companies with promotions

    There are many companies that indulge in some or the other kind of promotions each day. Say for example a new burger outlet is opening in your neighborhood and they plan to have someone to dress up as their mascot. You can approach such promotions and see how you can earn some money in the process.

    Click here to compare offers and save hundreds of dollars every month

  • How To Make More Money Without Leaving Your Job

    It is funny how people react towards their jobs. On one hand they cannot live without a stable income (provided by a 9-5 job), but on the other hand they are constantly complaining about the 9-5 grind. It is no secret that the majority of people who work for others are desperate to start their own money making venture and be their own boss. But this post is not going to touch any of those topics.

    Right now, what we are focused on is to discuss some easy ways to get a side income that helps you make more money without leaving your day job.

    Click here to compare offers and save hundreds of dollars every month

    Start a freelancing career

    You can freelance any skill that you are currently using in your day job. Let us say that you work as a receptionist and your work responsibility is to attend calls and attend to the visitors to your company. The same job can be done online, as a freelance virtual assistant or virtual customer service representative. There are plenty of companies that hire freelancers for such positions. A simple Google search will lead you to tons of resources.

    Similarly if you handle the accounts of your company and maintain their financial records, you could do the same online as a freelancer.

    If you are a software programmer or involved in some kind of technology/IT related position, you could find heaps of opportunities to do the same for clients as a freelancer.

    Sell something online

    Starting an e-commerce store is another way to make more money. If you are good at making handicrafts or are skilled at creating beautiful show pieces or jewelry or paintings or stuff like that, you can easily sell them online. Starting an online store saves you from the hassle and expenses of establishing a brick and mortar shop.

    The biggest benefit of selling an online store versus a brick and mortar shop is that you can attend to your day job and everything can be managed without your physical presence in the shop. Moreover, an online store attracts international customers and stays open 24x7x365. This definitely means more customers and more flexibility in running your online ecommerce store.

    In case you do not want to start an online store of your own, you can try out a few other options. There are so many popular e-commerce sites that allow users to sell their stuff online and you may have to pay a monthly fee for that.

    In case you do not have any creative stuff to sell because you lack in creative / handicraft skills, you could still make more money by selling unwanted things, things that you no more use etc, online.

    Start coaching classes

    If you have some kind of professional knowledge or ability, then you could make money by coaching others who are interested in learning those skills from you. You could manage these coaching classes after your work hours or on weekends when you do not have to attend work.

    We hope you found our article “How To Make More Money Without Leaving Your Job” useful. If so, do let us know in the comments.

    Click here to compare offers and save hundreds of dollars every month

  • How To Lower Bills And Save More Money Every Month With Six Simple Changes

    When you travel, you often hear well wishers, friends and many a times airline company too advising you to travel light, claiming that less is more. But when it comes to saving money, more automatically becomes less. No matter how much you save, you always look forward to saving more — and then some more.

    If you too are of such a mentality, then this is the best post you will ever read on saving more money, for the simple reason that all the changes / tips suggested here are simple and easy to implement.

    Start with your kitchen

    Food is one of the basic requirements of human beings and a great leveler when it comes to the financial status of people. No matter how rich or how poor you are, you need food to survive. So why not start from this basic requirement to save some money? If you have the least knowledge about monthly household budgeting, you will know that the most expensive items are all the non-vegetarian food stuffs.

    Try switching to vegetarian food for a change. If you find it tough to eat vegetarian every day, then you can use it only four times a week. This simple change in your daily menu is going to show a considerable amount of savings in your household expenses for the month. Health first, so if you feel that the new menu choices are not giving you as much nutrition don’t continue. It may be a good idea to consult a nutrition expert before redesigning your food plan.

    Click here to compare multiple offers and save hundreds of dollars every month

    Save money on your electricity bill

    If there is anything more expensive than food, yet used by a huge majority of the population, then it has to be electricity. This means that even a little effort put into saving electricity can translate into big savings, especially if you add up the savings every month.

    Use energy-efficient electrical gadgets, change to CFL bulbs and shut down the devices that are not in use by switching off power to the main electrical cord.  All these steps can help you save valuable resources every month.

    Buy in bulk

    Buying in bulk is a good idea if you like to save money. But make sure that you time your bulk shopping when your favorite store or mall is feeling generous and giving out discounts and savings deals.

    Keep collecting coupons

    You never know when you will come across shopping coupons offering discounts on your purchases. Make a habit of collecting them and utilizing them before the last date. Another great idea is to have a few friends or colleagues collect coupons along with you. Most of the times you may have a coupon for a product that you do not need but someone from your group may need it. Coupons can be exchanged among the group members to purchase stuff that each one needs.

    Click here to compare multiple offers and save hundreds of dollars every month

    Use rewards credit cards

    Collect reward points on credit cards and redeem it when necessary and wherever relevant. This is a favorite savings method for many folks.

    Save on your cable TV

    Many times your cable TV subscription is just a waste of money. In this day and age when you have so many cheaper and viable alternatives, who needs to pay money to expensive cable operators? Consider researching cost-effective and equally entertaining options in your local area.

    Finally, if you feel you are paying too much on gas every month, do consider reading our tips that will help you save on gas every month. Simple changes in your driving habits will produce great results.

    Combine one or two or all six of these tips to save money without any major effort on your part!

  • How To Lower Your Cell Phone Bill Every Month

    By Kavita

    I am sure the title of this post already got you excited and motivated, not just about reading this post but also about implementing strategies in response to your question: How to lower your cell phone bill every month. This is certainly an item that is making quite a dent in the monthly budget for many people, especially in the US.

    Communicating, talking and keeping in touch with friends, family and acquaintances is not something that you can consider as a luxury. So you really cannot avoid incurring such heavy costs, all in the name of keeping in touch with near and dear ones. But that does not mean that you should give up on your efforts to find effective ways to cut back your monthly cell phone expenses. Here are some tips to get you going.

    Click here to compare low cost cell phone plans. Save more, pay less, enjoy the extras life has to offer.

    Check if you are paying too much

    We all need to pay as much as we use, but sometimes that is not the case. Just do a quick check on your usage and see if your current plan is really something that you need. Your current plan may be charging you for a certain amount of calls, text messages and data usage and so on. But are you actually using that much? Check the usage pattern for the last three months and you will know exactly how much you tend to use on each of these features.

    If you think there are certain features that you can cut back on, or you do not use as much your plan charges you for, then you need to select a plan that costs a bit lesser than the previous one and thus save money in the process. Chances are that you may end up shaving at least $20- $30 from your monthly cell phone bill by selecting a cheaper plan.

    Choose the prepaid option

    Prepaying for the service that you anticipate to use is by far the most fool proof method to control your expenses. But there are two important facts to be considered here. First, you need to have a clear idea about your usage pattern in order to match the prepaid amount with your anticipated usage. Second, you need to be strictly disciplined about not overshooting your budget each month.

    Prepaid cell phones work like magic and transfer the control over your cell phone budget, from the cell phone company, into your hands. You can choose a specific amount of money to prepay your cell phone usage and then continue using this amount for the entire month.

    This method will succeed only if you are committed to stretch the prepaid amount (that is obviously half of your current cell phone bills) across the entire month. If you use the prepaid amount irresponsibly and then end up topping up your phone with additional amounts throughout the entire month, whenever the prepaid amount is over, then it will serve no benefits.

    So the magic lies in both disciplining your use and keeping a hawk’s eye on your usage pattern and your monthly plan.

    We hope you found our article “How To Lower Your Cell Phone Bill Every Month” useful. Please let us know in the comments.

    Click here to compare low cost cell phone plans. Save more, pay less, enjoy the extras life has to offer.

  • How To Lower Phone Bill Per Month

    By Kavita

    Yesterday, I had my friend visit over (after a long time) and all she could talk about was about her phone bills. She was complaining that she could not find an effective way to reduce her phone bill. I suggested some tips to her. She was quite happy on hearing the tips and her comments made me think that those tips would benefit others who are facing the same problem as well. So, this post is roughly based on that part of our conversation. I hope you find something useful out of it.

    Click here to compare phone plans, including flat rate unlimited long distance plans

    If you are interested in comparing cell phone plans, you can review our cell phone packages as well

    Many needs and one provider

    My friend had been using different service providers for her various needs like calls, line rental and broadband. The first suggestion that I had for her was to quit doing this. Having a single service provider handle all your phone related needs can translate into savings. When a single company manages everything, you are in a better position to work out a discounted package. Also the companies will also have a wide range of deals and discounts for such customers and you can save a considerable amount of money on your phone bill by taking this simple step.

    Shop around for better deals

    If you are already using a single service provider for all your needs, then you must consider shopping around for better deals. There are lots of competitors playing out in the market and you will definitely find a better deal if you care to look closer. A good way to start is by asking opinion from your friends, colleagues and relatives about their cell phone company rates and deals.

    Paying by direct debit

    It is always better to pay your line rental by direct debit. This often saves you some money, when compared to other modes of payment. If you have not yet selected this payment option, you should do this right away.

    Cut back on unnecessary usage

    It goes without saying that you will have to pay for what you use. So the best way to reduce your phone bill is to reduce your usage. Take a look at your usage pattern by assessing your phone bills for the last six months. Can you find out any specific pattern about your usage? Do you frequently make long duration calls? Do you usually call at peak hours? Do you make a lot of international calls?

    Depending upon what you find from your usage pattern, you should try to cut back on it. Maybe it will help to shorten your calls or use the discounted price timings of the night, when you want to engage in a long drawn conversation. National holidays and other occasions that provide discounted rates must also be taken maximum advantage of.

    You should not pay extra for anything, be it you phone bill or your monthly grocery. Try using these tips to enjoy a bit of savings on your monthly phone bill.

    Click here to compare phone plans, including flat rate unlimited long distance plans

    If you are interested in comparing cell phone plans, you can review our cell phone packages as well

  • Three Ways To Lower Your Cell Phone Bill Quickly

    Nowadays, an average family of four can expect to see their total cell phone bill amounts in three figures. Believe me, that is really not a welcome sight to behold. Paying $ 180-200 each month for your cell phone is a serious matter that calls for immediate preventive measures.

    This post attempts to look at three ways to lower your cell phone bill and hopefully you too can try one of them:

    If you are interested in comparing cell phone plans, you can review our cell phone packages as well

    Control your usage

    You will have to pay for services that you use; it is as simple as that. So, start monitoring your cell phone use. Your cell phone bill reflects a sum total of your call, text, and data charges. Find out which of these three are tipping the scales in favor of your cell phone company. Most probably, it must be your call charges and data usage.

    If it is your call charges that is creating a problem, consider using text to communicate whenever you can. The thing with voice calls is that you really cannot control the conversation fully as you would like to, without the risk of being labeled abrupt and rude by your near and dear ones. Unless it is very necessary, try texting instead of calling.

    If your data consumption is more, avoid using your cell phone for accessing the Internet altogether or else avoid watching movies and opening videos or sharing them via your cell phone. If you genuinely have to be online all the while, try to use your mobile only to do the ultra-necessary stuff. Socializing and entertaining yourself can be done on your computer at much cheaper costs.

    Go prepaid

    Prepaid is a word that often comes up when you want to save money or want to control costs. Choosing a prepaid cell phone will reduce your cell phone bills by at least 20-40 %. But a word of warning is necessary here. You cannot lower your cell phone bill by merely switching to prepaid; you have to use it responsibly as well.

    What is the point of switching to a prepaid cell phone, if you cannot control your usage? After all, prepaid only means paying in advance for the cell phone usage charges that is anticipated

    Little things add up fast

    If you have teenaged children who are using cell phones in your household, chances are that they do not think twice before changing their ringtones, once in every three days. When they do such things, you end up footing the bill for new ringtone downloads. Set a rule that curbs unnecessary waste of money in this area and let the teens know they could try cheaper/cost free options instead. They can always record their favorite music tracks or ringtones on their cell phone and later use the file and set it as their ringtone. This way, they can keep changing their ringtones each day and you also end up saving a few dollars.

    If you are interested in comparing cell phone plans, you can review our cell phone packages as well

  • How Can I Pay My Phone Bill Online

    By Kavita

    The Internet has made things quite comfortable and convenient for all of us. How else would we enjoy the freedom of shopping online from the comfort of our bedrooms or get a glimpse of the entire world sitting in our living rooms? With passing time, people are eager to get more and more things done from home. Paying phone bills is definitely one of those things.

    But not everyone who wants to pay their phone bills online knows how to get this done. Here in this post, we will discuss in detail two processes involved in paying phone bills online. The first one deals with the procedure of paying phone bills via your bank account and the other one deals with paying them via your phone service provider.

    Click here to compare phone plans, including flat rate unlimited long distance plans

    If you are interested in comparing cell phone plans, you can review our cell phone packages as well

    Setting up an auto-payment facility via your bank account

    Your bank account can be set up to automate payments to your phone company or any other utility company. Most of the banks offer a service known as online bill pay service. This service will help with making payments at your behest to the company of your choice. You will need to enter the details of the phone company, its address, the bill amount, bill number, your account number, and other similar details. The bank will do the rest.

    It will transfer the amount that you have instructed by electronic transfer if the phone company is using the same bank network as your bank. If it uses a different bank, then your bank will arrange to send a check for the specified amount to the phone company.

    It always helps to be doubly sure when you issue standing instructions like these to your bank. First, make sure that your payee (your phone company) has put in specific guidelines pertaining to this online payment facility. The usual problem is that the check that is printed is done by the online bill pay service. But most of the phone companies will provide a different address that is dedicated for receiving such checks.

    (How can I pay my phone bill online — this article was posted in response to a user’s question on our website)

    Setting up auto-payment via your phone company

    You can arrange for auto payment of your monthly phone bills via your phone company. For this you will need to provide the phone company with a voided check and one or two forms, together with written authorization for deducting payments from your bank account. This process is commonly known as ACH debit.

    The benefit with this method is that once you complete the requisites and formalities for this procedure, you do not have to worry about sending a check each month to your phone company. The bill amount for each corresponding month will be automatically debited without any intervention from you or your bank.

    It is highly recommended that you set up an automated online payment system for your phone bills, because you do not have to keep the payment date in mind and there is no risk of incurring a late payment charge in case you forget the due date.

    Click here to compare phone plans, including flat rate unlimited long distance plans

    If you are interested in comparing cell phone plans, you can review our cell phone packages as well

  • Phone Bill Reduction Strategies: How To Lower Your Phone Bill

    By Kavita

    Most of us have our own monthly budgets in place. Any disturbance in a single item on this budget can often make everything go haywire. Those who have made and planned their monthly budgets each month will agree how volatile the phone bills can get sometimes. Often it jeopardizes the entire monthly budget, forcing people to adjust the excess amount spent on phone bills by cutting back on something else.

    No wonder everyone welcomes the idea of having effective phone bill reduction strategies in place. Let us take a look at some of the commonly used strategies that have been proven to show results.

    Click here to compare phone plans, including flat rate unlimited long distance plans

    If you are interested in comparing cell phone plans, you can review our cell phone packages as well

    Take a look at your average usage

    Every home has a different pattern of usage when it comes to phones. Some folks have a lot of relatives who stay out of state or sometimes even out of the country (in case of immigrants), while others are lucky enough to have their near and dear ones residing close by in the neighborhood or at least within the same state.

    Some people have a lot of calls to be made during the day, while others may have to make calls during the evenings or maybe at night. Some people have a huge share of their contacts using cell phones, while others may have contacts with home phones.

    All these factors can have a huge impact on the monthly phone bill and if any effective strategy has to be discovered for a particular family, then it has to begin with their phone usage pattern.

    A look at your phone bills for the last six months can provide a fair idea of your pattern and based on that you should talk to your phone company. Most of the phone companies have a variety of packages, meant to accommodate the various needs of their users. Let the company executives find a package that is most economical for your usage pattern.

    Ask for a better deal

    Sometimes you may find that you are already using a plan that is best suited to your usage pattern. In such a case, make it very clear to your phone company that you are looking around for a better deal and will not hesitate to dump them if you find another company with better rates. This is a strategy that works most of the time, because no company wants to let go of its existing subscribers.

    Consider streamlining your usage

    If your usage pattern indicates that you have been making too many calls in a “costlier time zone,” then you should consider streamlining your usage. See if you can shift some of the calls into a time when the calls are priced comparatively lower. You may also want to cut back on some of the unnecessary calls. If you speak for longer durations when you call your folks, you can try and time your calls on days that offer subsidized rates like national holidays.

    Mostly a combination of disciplined phone usage and request for better priced deals should work in your favor and get your phone bills much reduced.

    Go VoIP

    These days, a number of phone companies have launched alternate versions that include unlimited calling — local, long distance, and even international. These packages are much cheaper than traditional phone lines, primarily because the calls are routed via the Internet. VoIP is often considered an extremely low cost alternative to traditional phones.

    Click here to compare phone plans, including flat rate unlimited long distance plans

    If you are interested in comparing cell phone plans, you can review our cell phone packages as well

  • How To Get A Cell Phone With Bad Credit: Don’t Worry If You Have Been Turned Down

    By Kavita

    Going through life, labeled as the bad guy/gal (at least from a credit perspective) is not an easy thing. If there is anything more difficult than that, then it is living your life with a bad credit. Bad credit can present hurdles and obstacles to a whole lot of things, and after a while you begin to notice that your choices become very limited and often you cannot purchase what you really want to.

    One such example is a cell phone. It is no longer considered as a luxury in most parts of the world, but your bad credit could be the number one reason that may be keeping you away from this necessity of modern life. You still have a chance to get a cell phone with bad credit, though, provided you try one of the following tips:

    Click here to compare cellular phone plans

    Compare and contrast

    Not all cell phone companies are equal. Some of them may have more stringent rules regarding credit history, while there are others that are willing to bend the rules a little. A good way to find out is to check our cell phone offers and see which of these have a lower credit criterion and then apply accordingly.

    Go prepaid

    Prepaid cell phones are a real boon for people who are struggling to get a cell phone with bad credit. Prepaid phones are quite simple and make it very easy for you to manage your monthly phone bill costs as well. So, you do not run the risk of overshooting your budget and financial resources and then having to resort to credit to fund the bill payment.

    Prepaid cell phones allow you to decide a certain amount such as $20 or $50 and you get a recharge for this amount at pre-determined periods of time. You are free to use your prepaid cell phone as long as your recharge balance is within the prepaid amount. As soon as you use up all your prepaid credit, you will have to either stop using your cell phone any further (until your next recharge) or top it up again with an amount that is both affordable and convenient to you.

    Pay a deposit to compensate for your bad credit

    This is another option for you if you are desperate to get a cell phone with bad credit. If you want to stick to a contract because your cell phone usage is very high, but your bad credit does not allow you to do so, you have an option of paying a certain amount of money as a deposit to leverage the bad credit. Usually phone costs are quite subsidized when you opt for a cell phone contract, in comparison to prepaid phones, which are more expensive.

    Many people with bad credit are of the opinion that putting down a deposit to circumvent this situation is mostly doable and acceptable, rather than having to pay more for prepaid cell phones and still be restricted when it comes to cell phone usage.

    Click here to compare free cell phone plans