Utility bills are tough. You can’t negotiate the cost of water and power, but you can still save money on these things. While other utilities (stuff I lump in with utilities) like phone service, cable, and internet can be negotiated and navigated.
First off we will tackle saving money on power and water. The obvious answer to this problem is to use less. As a renter some of the recommendations that are made to you by these power and water companies are things you either can’t do, or won’t be economical in the long run for you. I’m not about to replace the windows in an apartment that I will probably only be living in for a year or two! So how do you get around bad insulation, crappy old windows, and ancient heating/cooling systems?
If you live somewhere where it is feasible to go without air conditioning because an open window with a cool breeze supplemented by a fan is all you need then things aren’t so bad. If you live in the desert like I do that is never an option. For $25.00 you can buy a programmable thermostat. This small investment will pay for itself shortly (and if you can install it yourself hold onto the old thermostat and put it back on the wall when you move and take the programmable one with you). Program the temperature to go up about 5-7 degrees in the summer and go down 5-7 degrees in the winter when you won’t be home and try not to set your thermostat lower than 76 degrees. Hint: if you always seem to hear your ac or heater running and your place is already comfortable you have the temperature set too cold or too hot….you are wasting money and energy.
Buying curtains and shades that block heat and uv rays are also a great way to save money in the summer. Keeping the shades drawn will help to prevent your place from being heated by the sun and crappy windows. If you can’t afford the shades a good temporary solution is to hang a blanket over the already existing blinds that come with most rentals windows. It may not be attractive, but less of the ac will escape out the window.
CFL bulbs are supposed to be great savings. I can’t exactly tell you how much I’ve saved because I tend to barely use lamps and lights (if I do it is only one in a room that I am in focused in the area that I am doing something). The one positive thing I have noticed though is that I haven’t had to change a light bulb in over two years!
Another easy way to save money on energy is to get power strips for everything. Plug all your electronic devices into power strips and if you aren’t using those devices turn the power strip off. You would be amazed by how much power things you aren’t using use up. The more power being used the more money you are wasting. Just think about how many things you plug in around your home you have your alarm clock, cell phone charger, computer, TV, video game system(s), microwave, toaster, sound system/radio, etc.
Water is much the same as electricity. Use less. Many of you have seen articles suggesting basic things like turn the water off when brushing your teeth, limit your showers to 5 minutes, and don’t take baths. It really isn’t hard to find this information and I won’t waste your time going over what you already know. I would like to point out though if you do choose to rent a house with roommates think twice about having a pool…there is a significant difference on the water bill between a home that has a pool and one that doesn’t.
Cell phones/phones are an easy place to save money. I have made the choice to forego landline phones for a cell phone with an unlimited plan. This works for me because I need a cell phone for safety (I drive a lot) anyway and cell phones don’t charge extra for long distance (my family lives far away). If I were to get a cheap prepay phone and have the landline phone with long distance service it would cost about the same, but would be far less convenient. For some of you the way I do things would be best. There are many companies out there that offer unlimited text, talk, and web for just $50.00 a month (plus the cost of the phone). I went with a slightly more expensive option (because the service with the cheaper phone companies in my area didn’t work well where I work, but did everywhere else). Even then I was able to take advantage of some price plan reductions that have recently come into place. If you have had a carrier for a long time it never hurts to go to one of their stores and ask if there is a less expensive plan available that meets your needs. Just a few months ago I was able to reduce my bill by $40.00 a month by doing this (it is a family plan).
It also isn’t necessary to have a phone with web capabilities. If you already have a computer then a smart phone isn’t a necessity. Unless the deal is amazingly good, stick with a more traditional cell phone. Data plans alone can add another $20-$30 a month.
Cable TV…oh what a waste of money that is. You don’t need it plain and simple. I still watch many of the TV shows that I used to on cable without the extra bill. All I had to do was invest in three pieces of equipment. The first was an SD converter (because my TV is old and doesn’t have a HDMI plug in…if you have a newer TV all you need is an HDMI cable) and another was a Roku box (there are other products on the market that provide the same functions, but this one is the most affordable and I have found to be very user friendly), while the last was a wireless internet router. The total cost of all this equipment was about the same as two months of cable TV where I live. On the Roku box I use hulu and Netflix, with the SD converter I connect my laptop to my TV to get the shows hulu doesn’t carry. I also got a digital TV antenna so I could watch local TV, but I don’t do that much.
It is easy to save money with internet. If you live on a college campus use their free internet. If not, then there is usually more than one provider in your area and you can negotiate based off of the premise that you can always go to the competitor. Where I live contracts that lock in your price for a certain number of years has become common. I chose to go with that option because every year my bill kept going up, and if I did need to cancel the terms were not unreasonable (I would only be charged $2.00 per month of the unused portion of the contract). This made it easy to still switch over to a better promotion if need be. I do prefer internet offered by cable providers because the speed of DSL really depends on how far away you live from the provider. If you live close, then it is generally worth the money, but if you don’t just stick with the cable company.
Another thought on internet. Try to avoid those internet devices offered by cell phone companies…they charge by usage most of the time and the bill is not worth it. Plus with so many places offering free wifi (like every college campus) generally most people don’t need this. Also there are apps on smart phones such as PDAnet that allow you to use your phone as a portable router of sorts so that you can connect to the internet if you really need to and there is no wifi around.
