Taming monthly bill creep

You notice one of your monthly expenses just went up from $25 to $28. Six months later and you’re now paying $35. Fast forward another 18 months and now the charge is $50 a month. If you have an expense on autopay, you may go several months without noticing that one of your monthly expenses doubles in price.

Here are some tips to help you tame monthly bill creep and avoid a price-hike surprise.

Investigate your recurring services. Start by taking stock of every service you’re currently using. Review your bank and credit card statements, and highlight all the charges that look like a subscription. Some examples to look for are streaming services (video, music and games), magazines, news subscriptions, digital storage services, gym memberships, and financial services. Determine if you have redundant subscriptions, such as multiple music-streaming services. Finally, ask yourself if each service is still providing value to you. If it’s not, cancel it.

Review bills for unnecessary fees. Once you trim your list down to the services you want to keep, locate the most recent bill for each. Read through all the charges and make notes of those that are questionable. You might be paying for services you aren’t using, such as a video streaming service on your cell phone bill. Or maybe you’re paying replacement insurance coverage for something you don’t need. For every charge that doesn’t make sense, call and ask the provider to cancel it.

Bundle expenses when you can. Many suppliers provide multiple services and will offer discounts if you sign up for a few of them. Bundling your cable TV, internet and home phone is a common example of this. Other places to look for bundling opportunities are cell phone providers and insurance companies.

Negotiate for lower rates. Call each provider and ask for a lower rate or discount. Most companies want to keep your business, so they will often work with you. Service providers routinely change the way they package their products, so saving money might be as simple as changing to a different level of service. It’s rare for companies to reach out and offer savings, so you need to make the call!

It’s easy for your bills to spiral out of control if you don’t keep close tabs on them. Go through a review exercise every few months to ensure you aren’t paying more than necessary.

One of my primary objectives is to help you achieve your financial goals through a holistic approach that is tax-efficient in my wealth management and tax resolution practice. For more information, visit www.fredtfoxiii.com.