Budgeting: Save Hundreds of Dollars in Household Expenses

If people shopped for service plans the way they shop for clothes, they could potentially save hundreds of dollars in household expenses. One of the most popular of a host of budgeting sites, LowerMyBills.com, promotes consumer vigilance by allowing users to type in data pertaining to their phone plans, Internet usage, and utility rates and then find alternative providers that significantly reduce monthly and annual charges. For instance, if you’re hunting for a cheaper cell phone plan, LowerMyBills.com will take you to a partner site, LetsTalk.com, which specializes in wireless options. There you can choose from dozens of plans to customize services at a price that suits your budget. And spending time choosing the best plan doesn’t mean spending money: LowerMyBills.com is free.

While LowerMyBills.com contains many partner sites under its umbrella, other resources focus on specific utilities such as electricity or heat. Plenty of sites address insurance issues and the elimination of credit card debt as well. Before snatching up what seems to be the best plan, though, you should check several sites to get an idea of the many available providers.

One option you’ll frequently encounter is the bundle plan, which links multiple services through a single provider (paying for, say, electricity and long distance phone service on one bill). While this works well for some, its main drawback is that any service problems may take longer to fix. You can also switch to an ecologically friendly provider, which may cost more yet pays off in the long run by protecting the environment. With access to 1,000 different plans from 100 companies, LowerMyBills.com and its ilk are well worth the time they require to investigate.