This time last year I was struggling a bit with money after losing my job and despite having some savings, I realized that they wouldn’t look after me for very long. I decided then that the best course of action was to do all that I could to lower my monthly bills. Monthly spending is easy to cut down, buy cheaper groceries, eat differently, stop the nights out etc. All things within our control. Monthly bills however, are not so easy to reduce. Thankfully, there are some ways in which you can bring down those monthly bills, and here is how I did it.
Refinancing the Car
If you have car finance then this will no doubt be one of your biggest expenditures each month. I live in the Sunshine State and auto refinancing in Florida is not something that is difficult to do with so many places around here to choose from, that will give you far more agreeable loan terms. The downside to refinancing the car is that you will take the loan over a longer period of time and even though you will get a lower interest rate, for the most part, you will also end up paying more because of the length of the agreement. With this being said, this is a very shrewd move in the short term that will give you some additional money each month, and there is noting to stop you from changing the terms again when your financial situation improves.
Switch and Save
When it came to my monthly bills such as utility items and broadband, I was able to save over $100 per month, with only 2 or 3 hours work. The way to do this is to search across the internet for the best prices for each of your services, you can find many websites which offer comparisons between various suppliers. Once you have found a cheaper price for your service, call your existing provider and ask them if they will match the price, if they will, great, if not, switch providers and save money.
Mortgage Vacation
The mortgage is the biggest expenditure for many people and if you are able to speak with the bank, you may find that you are entitled to take a mortgage vacation, until your situation improves. Mortgage vacations can usually be taken for up to three months and whilst they will alter the overall term of your mortgage, it is a great option for anyone who is looking to save cash until their financial situation improves.
Subscription Check
The last bit of money which I saved monthly as by canceling some outstanding subscriptions which I had, that I had no idea I was paying. Very often we sign up for free trials and then forget to cancel them before the money starts coming out. In total I was paying $17 for services which I wasn’t even using, if you are doing the same, this can give you a healthy little boost each month.