My bill for internet service had gone up, and I didn’t know why. I wasn’t getting faster speeds, and I hadn’t changed anything about the way I used my Wi-Fi.
So began an overdue scouring of various household accounts. A few hours later, I had scored several hundred dollars in savings — from negotiating a discount for that internet service to canceling unused streaming apps to making a small change in my garbage collection service.
February is a good time to tackle chores like this because it’s cold outside. What better time to hunker down for a “winter whittling” by scrutinizing your credit card statements?
Here are some strategies for paring down your monthly or annual expenses, digital and otherwise.
What’s the best way to review my bills?
Often, an increase in a specific bill prompts you to take another look, as with my internet service. But you don’t have to wait until something catches your attention to take stock.
How you conduct your review depends on how comfortable you are with online budgeting tools. Some digital apps can identify recurring subscription charges for you, and even cancel them. But to get the cancellation service, you’ll typically need to pay a fee for the premium version.
Gabbi Cerezo, a certified financial planner in Los Angeles, said she preferred to print bank and credit card statements and highlight line items for review. “I use one color for items I feel good about, and another one for lines I’m not sure of,” she said. If the statement becomes a sea of pink — or whatever color you prefer for questionable items — that’s where you can consider making changes. Ms. Cerezo said she was learning Spanish, so she is struggling with whether to keep a subscription to the language app Duolingo.
If going through your statements sounds too unpleasant, other advisers suggest using your iPhone to quickly see what you’re paying for. Just click on settings, go to your name at the top and then click on your “subscriptions” list. On an Android device, open the Google Play Store app, tap your profile icon at the top right, select payments and subscriptions, then tap subscriptions. You don’t have to do it monthly, said Hayley Dickson, also a certified financial planner in Los Angeles; once or twice a year may be enough.
Once you get an overview, you can start taking action. My own review turned up a subscription to a photo editing app that my children had abandoned, and a duplicate Apple Music subscription that was somehow being paid for under two separate Apple IDs. Cutting the photo editing app and the duplicate Apple Music subscription saved about $15 a month.
How can I manage the cost of my internet service?
Try asking for a break on your bill, especially if you’ve been a customer for some time. I contacted the cable company that provides my internet service, using its online chat feature. I typed a short note saying I’d noticed lower rates from competitors and was looking for a possible discount.
The session took nearly an hour, including a few minutes waiting for the chatbot to connect me with a real person (at least, I think I was chatting with a human). I also had to sit through a pitch for the company’s cellular service. (Many cable providers have branched out into the mobile phone business.)
My patience was rewarded. I ended up with a deal to reduce my internet cost by about $14 a month, to about $88, for two years — a savings of $336. While some newer firms in my area had lower rates, I work from home and need consistent Wi-Fi. So I stuck with a known provider.
Jeff Rossen, host of the Rossen Reports consumer guide on YouTube, advised telling your internet provider that you are considering canceling the service and to ask for any “unadvertised discounts.” If you feel awkward, he suggested this script:
“Hi. I’ve been a customer for a while and I like the service, but my bill has crept up. I’m seeing comparable plans from other providers at a lower price. Before I cancel with you and switch, I wanted to see what you can do to lower my rate.”
There are other ways to save on internet costs. Many providers promote very fast internet speeds of 1 Gb — a gigabit — or more, Mr. Rossen said. But most families using the internet for streaming entertainment, video calls and some games can do fine with slower, cheaper speeds, he said. “We’re buying more speed than we need.” Try a slower speed for a month or two, he suggested, and switch back if you’re unhappy.
You can also save by buying your own modem — the device that links your home to your internet provider. Wirecutter, The New York Times’s product recommendation affiliate, says you can save up to $20 a month by buying instead of renting.
What can I do to cut my mobile phone bill?
It’s hard to haggle with the dominant cellular providers like AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile, said Courtney Lindwall, a technology reporter for Consumer Reports. Getting lower rates may mean switching providers. Lesser-known firms like US Mobile, Consumer Cellular and Mint Mobile offer lower rates and tend to score well in customer satisfaction, she said.
The downside? The smaller providers may lack brick-and-mortar stores, if you prefer in-person service. And because the providers rent space on networks run by the bigger firms, the big carriers could slow your service before that of their own customers when network traffic is heavy.
Changing mobile providers may involve some hassles, but adding new customers provides an incentive for competitors to help you, Ms. Lindwall said. “They make it easier than you expect.”
How can I manage streaming subscriptions?
When I “cut the cord” from my cable provider a few years back, I was excited to gain access to preferred shows by subscribing to streaming services at a lower cost. But the market has evolved, and streaming is getting more expensive — and less pleasant, as ad-free options now cost more. My streaming bill, including subscriptions like AppleTV (shows like “Slow Horses” and “Pluribus”), Hulu (“The Bear”) and HBO Max (“The Pitt”), is now $186 a month — more than I’d like. Nearly half the total is for YouTube TV, which lets me watch live television; the service recently announced new plans that let users customize their selections (just sports, for instance) and pay less than the basic $82.99 fee, so I’ll look at those.
Jim Willcox, an expert on streaming media at Consumer Reports, says that rather than paying for stand-alone subscriptions, I could shave my costs by bundling them, such as pairing Disney Plus and Hulu with HBO Max. (Some cellular providers offer discounts to their customers for certain streaming bundles.) There’s always the option of binge-watching a series, then canceling the subscription. But some services are staggering the release of new episodes, which means you may have to carry the subscription for longer before canceling, he said.
Mr. Willcox also advised using a single credit card for all of your subscriptions so you can see them all in one place.
What other fees can I try to cut?
Many cities and towns offer lower rates for municipal services based on use, so check to see if yours does. I emailed our municipal solid waste department and quickly learned I could save about $90 a year by swapping our garbage bin for a smaller one. I left the old one at the curb on trash pickup day and the new one magically appeared.
What about saving on heating costs?
This has been a cold winter, and heating bills reflect that. Check with your utility provider about “flat” or level billing, which evens out your monthly bills over the season so you don’t get hit with a much higher bill. For more strategies, check out my article from November.
The post Want to Cut Monthly Costs? Start With Your Internet and Streaming Bills. appeared first on New York Times.
