7

Went With The Comcast Triple Play; Hope They Don’t Let Me Down.

If you do a search for Comcast on the internet, you come across some complaints…actually, a LOT of complaints. (Really, all cable/communication conmpanies have a ton of complaints) And I am not happy that they limit the amount of bandwidth you can use per month, especially since I work from home all day. But I hated DirecTV even more than those issues, so hopefully these guys will be a little better. A few weeks ago I wrote about how much I would save by combining my TV, phone & internet, and after talking with a customer relations specialist, here is what my final bill and package looks like:

– $134 per month, including all taxes & fees
– Unlimited phone
– 12 mbps download speed internet service
– HDTV w/DVR service

Compared to the $152 per month I was paying in New Mexico for no HD and slower internet, this is a pretty good deal. I also got most of the set-up and installation fees waived just by asking, so if you are signing up for any new services you always have to ask. We set up the appointment for between 8-10am last Monday morning, and the guy showed up at 8:10am. Not bad for a first impression!

The guy that came to my place was incredibly nice and friendly, asked me exactly what I planned on hooking up, where I wanted all the “stuff” and a few other pertinent questions. In under an hour, my phones were working, my TV looked great, and I finally had internet service back after 4 days without it. It’s WAAAAAY faster than my old internet service in New Mexico, which is really great for 2 reasons:

1. I can finally do online backups of all my data from my computer. I am trying out BackBlaze for $5 a month.
2. My Blu-Ray player can stream high-quality movies over the internet from my Netflix account to my television. Sweet!

Overall, I have to say that I am pretty happy with the whole process of getting set up here at my new place and happy with the price. Hopefully it will continue and I will still feel like I made the right choice 6 months from now!

8

Sunday Money Roundup: Getting Settled In.

I love my new apartment and while I am still unpacking everything, I already feel right at home. It feels good to have made the right decision at this point in my life, and I look forward to discovering all that Denver has to offer. So while I finish going through all my “stuff”, check out some posts I liked from the last week…

Cash Money Life asks To Netflix or Not to Netflix? I most definitely Netflix, especially now that I can stream it right to my TV from my Blu-Ray player.

Five Cent Nickel tells us that you have to Pay Back the Homebuyer Tax Credit if you sell your house within 3 years of buying it. I think this is a great idea, really.

Almost Frugal has the taxes being an untapped resource. Many people don’t realize just how much their tax dollars pay for!

Lazy Man & Money discusses why the Google Admob Acquisition is important to him. Sometimes, the gambles pay off.

Good Financial Cents has some advice on using your credit cards during the holidays.

Debt Free Adventure keeps an “extended warranty” fund at ING. Interesting concept, had never thought of that!

Money Ning wants to help you save money on cruises. I have never been on one, maybe someday I should try it out.

0

Money Quote Friday – Never, Ever Have Enough Edition.

I wanted to take a second to thank all the guest posters over the last week while I was moving and getting setting up here in Denver. You guys were a big help, and I sincerely appreciate your posts!

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey

Have a great weekend everyone, and see you next week with all new posts. Thanks for hanging in while I took the week off!

3

Three Easy Steps To Ruin Your Finances.

The following article is a guest post by David of Your Finances 101. David has been a frequent commenter here on My Two Dollars and has just published his first book Don’t Be A Mule: A Common-sense Guide to Saving More, Spending Less, and Generating Extra Income in Your Everyday Life which is available at Amazon.

I would like to provide for you right here and now the simplest and easiest way to ruin your finances. Yes, all right here broken down into plain and simple language, the best way for you to NOT manage your money.

Here we go:

First, Do not pay attention to anything:

When you bills come in the mail, I would not look at anything other than the due date and how much the bill is. Whether it is a water bill for forty dollars or your credit card statement of $1000, by no means should you check anything on these statements. Don’t check your utility bills for mistakes (i.e. a significant increase in any usages over the previous month) because these utility companies never make mistakes! With your credit cards, definitely do not look for any charges that don’t look familiar to you or anything else of that nature.

Second, Don’t sweat the little stuff.

Yes, I would not worry about any of the so-called “little” stuff. Your trips to the grocery store are only for food, so there is pretty much no way to save money there. Looking into something like changing cable companies just to save 10 or so dollars on your monthly bill is simply not worth doing. Coupons? Forget about it. A complete waste of time. Even if there are coupons out there that can save you money every single week on the items you buy most, why bother? You’ve got better things to do.

Third, Adopt the attitude of “It’s Only Money”.

You see, I realize that you probably work hard for your money, but after we get past that little insignificant fact, when it comes down to it, it is only money right? There is no point whatsoever in trying to do little things like research your larger purchases to make sure your getting the best price, or to even try to alter your lifestyle to lessen the load on your wallet. Better to go through life just carelessly letting money stream out of your wallet like there is no tomorrow. Because there really isn’t, is there? You certainly don’t need to plan for retirement, nor do you need to try to provide for your children’s future. And by no means would you ever want to get to the point to where you have extra savings in your life that you could actually get to start generating additional income for you. No, none of this is worth your time, even though you do work hard for your money.

Finally, I am being a little facetious here. It certainly takes more than these three easy steps to completely ruin your personal economy. But, if you implement these three things into your daily life, you would be off to a very good start.

For those of you interested in actually improving your personal economy, check out my recently published book. You’ll find the link below. It is based strictly on personal experiences and I really think that it can add value to your life.

About The Author: David Bakke is the creator and author of the personal finance blog Your Finances 101. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of South Florida. After many years in corporate restaurant management, David currently serves as a department manager in the retail industry. David resides with his wife and son outside Atlanta, GA. His book Don’t Be A Mule: A Common-sense Guide to Saving More, Spending Less, and Generating Extra Income in Your Everyday Life is available at Amazon.

16

Holiday Budgeting: Making Tough Choices In A Recovering Economy.

Recently the news has been buzzing that the Great Recession is over, and recovery is on the way. However, with 15.1 million Americans out of work and about 30% of US factory capacity remaining idle, it’s clear that the economy is going to impact many families this holiday season. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), two-thirds of American families are going to be adjusting their holiday shopping plans.

You might be tempted to pull out the credit cards and charge this year’s holiday gifts, décor and travel, because the economy is getting better. It’s never a good idea to count on a windfall before it happens. Rather than spend money you don’t have, put the credit cards away and use cash or a debit card. According to the Annual Holiday Survey conducted by the non-profit group Consolidated Credit Counseling Services Inc. over 54 percent of respondents said they would spend less money this year due to the economy and feeling like they are carrying too much debt already.

Here are some tips to get the most out of your holiday shopping:

  • Create a Holiday Budget – Don’t start your holiday shopping until you know how much you have to spend. NRF estimates that the average consumer is going to spend $682.74 on this year’s holiday-related shopping. Ideally, your holiday budget shouldn’t include adding more debt to your credit cards.
  • Make a Holiday Shopping List ““Write down a list of everyone you want to give a holiday gift to this year, the type of gift, and the dollar amount you want to spend on each person. Make sure the amounts don’t exceed your overall holiday budget. If you budget doesn’t stretch far enough, consider getting group gifts or making a few homemade gifts. Make your list early enough to give you time to shop for holiday deals.
  • Search for Holiday Deals ““ Black Friday and other sales events are right around the corner. Some sites, like Black-Friday.net, were created just to track that popular sales event. You can also visit bargain hunting sites like FatWallet.com and DealHunting.com, and search Twitter for coupons using CheepTweet.com and CouponTweet.com. If you’re shopping online, take into account the cost of shipping. Make sure you’re really getting a good deal.
  • Leave the Credit Cards at Home ““ People spend more when paying with plastic instead of cash. The easiest way to avoid putting your holiday purchases on the credit cards is to leave them at home.
  • Stick to Your Holiday Shopping List ““ When you’re at the store, buying the holiday gifts, resist the temptation to stray from your shopping list. Remember if you never intended to get it in the first place, then you’re not saving any money if you buy additional sales items.

If you have a popular gift that you absolutely have to have this holiday season, make sure to get it early. Retailers are expecting a soft sales season this year, and have cut back on their inventory to prevent too many markdowns at the end of the season. It’s very possible that once the item is gone from the shelves, it won’t be back till after the holidays.

About the Author: Kathryn Katz is a single mom, internet marketer and professional copywriter. Kathryn is a Certified Personal Finance Counselor and works for Consolidated Credit Counseling Services. The non-profit credit counseling agency offers the Holiday Survival Guide to help holiday shoppers.

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