Tag Archives: monthly expenses

5 Steps to Getting Your Car Paid Off Early

Paying off your car loan early will save you hundreds of dollars in interest charges, eliminate a monthly expense, and increase your credit score as your rate of debt to income goes down. Plus, you’ll get a real sense of accomplishment knowing that your car is completely yours, free and clear. 1. First do your homework Review your loan paperwork before you start. Most car loans are simple interest loans. That is, the interest accrues during the life of the loan, so paying it off early will save you a lot of money. In a precomputed interest loan, on the … Continue reading →

Anticipating Expenses in Your Budget

When establishing a budget, it is important to account for variability. Some monthly expenses change a bit each month, such as your energy bills, others are paid bi-annually or annually instead of monthly, such as taxes, and some pop up unexpectedly. Others expenses may vary in their amounts each month. Knowing how to anticipate your expenses will leave you with a solid budget that is always in the black. First start with the stable expenses, those that do not change from month to month. Some examples might be your car payment, your mortgage payment, or a student loan. You can … Continue reading →

Curbing the Electric Bill

Electricity is one of those monthly expenses that is somewhat in your control. After all, we demand the electricity, and then the electric company happily gives it to us and sends off the bill. Here are some ways that you can reduce your usage and reduce your cost. There are two main types of ways that we use electricity in our homes. The first is on demand, such as when we enter a room and turn on the light, and the second is continuous demand, such as when we plug in the refrigerator and leave it plugged in for its … Continue reading →

3 Tips that Will Save You Money on Car Insurance

Car insurance costs hundreds of dollars! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a portion of that money back? Here are some tips that will save you some cash. Check for deductions. You should make it a habit to call your car insurance agent every so often. I usually do this at least once a year, more if anything in our life has changed. Why? Well, you may not be getting the absolute best price. Call your agent and chat about things that may lower your bill. Do you have a second car? Perhaps that car gets very little milage and … Continue reading →

5 Ways to Save on Your Phone Bill

Phone charges can be a very costly monthly expense. It is not unusual to pay $40 or $50 a month before you even make a long distance call. And if you get caught up in the whole local carrier versus long distance carrier issues, it can get really nuts. We found out about this the hard way, a year ago. Our phone company automatically switched us over to a new long distance carrier when the old one went under. Our first bill revealed charges that were three times as much as we would normally pay. And it was a complete … Continue reading →