Wasted Money or How to Save Money

[John0829]

I wonder if telephone companies will remove the old copper and drop on request?

AT&T - Nope, will not. Do like Oaktree and cut it, remove it, at someplace you can reach safely.

I just had to deal with about 100' of drop that someone tore down with a piece of equipment that was over height and left laying across the road, hung up in tree limbs and caught up in fence on the other side, in such a way it would have tangled in a vehicle. It is still hanging, caught in tree limbs and they will not come out to remove it.

 

[grsthegreat]

After some of the discussions here in Rural Living I got to thinking about the bills we are paying by credit card on autopay. Things like Dish, Verizon, and other monthly bills. Since I have several credit cards that pay back different amounts and since some of these payments have been set up for years I went thru and looked at them.

AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!

What a dummy!

I have shafted myself out of over five hundred bucks the past few years.

Some items were being paid on a card that gave back 1% in a yearly check. Some items were on cards not giving back one single thing. Everything possible has now been shifted to a card that puts 2% of every purchase back into my IRA.

A penny saved is a penny earned. When on a fixed income one must take all opportunities possible to save money. What we are saving monthly now verses yesterday will more than pay enough to keep our I-Pads on wireless service plus maybe buy us a cheap meal at Hardees.

Not that we are that bad off but I am by nature a complete tightwad unless it is a restaurant meal, something for the grands, or something I really want.

Every single penny counts.

For example, I received the final bill for a surgery I had in November. It was for $1500+. Had the check made out and getting ready to put it in the envelope when I got to thinking. Two percent of $1500 is $30. So why I am spending $0.49 to mail a check I can pay online for $30 less.

And I saved $0.49 on a stamp!

Told you I was a tightwad.

RSKY

You found out what ive been doing for many years. I have a City Doublecash card that pays 2% on everything. And i pay off balance every month. I get lots of cash back. I never carry a credit card balance, so its a win win.

Now, for places that charge more for CC, i pay cash

 

[jk96]

You found out what ive been doing for many years. I have a City Doublecash card that pays 2% on everything. And i pay off balance every month. I get lots of cash back. I never carry a credit card balance, so its a win win.

Now, for places that charge more for CC, i pay cash

Yep. There are people that will swear this doesn't save you money, and for a lot who get behind or miss a payment that is probably the case. I have a Capital One Spark for each of my two businesses. 2% cash back on all purchases. Also have a citi card for personal purchases that pays 2% cash back. All are enrolled in autopay for the full balance. Looking at my end of year now rewards now. Getting ready to cash out and move around $4,000 to our IRA investment account.

 

[ultrarunner]

I’ve joined Cellular One $13.95 plan with free flip phone* and will report back how it goes.

The idea is to keep the legacy number active awhile longer and not pay $83 a month for the privilege.

At my home the place is fully wired for landline… every bedroom, bathroom, shop, kitchen, etc. The builder was a retire Telco engineer and went wild.

Of course new landline service no longer an option and the existing landline I just cancelled to Cellular One at the folks place got a notice that no services changes possible going forward as landline service sunsets.

I was kind of thinking ATT would have presented a special migration offer to customers with decades… but nothing materialized.

 

[dstig1]

This whole thread is about saving money on unnecessary expenses, which speaks to my own inner deamons. I'm always looking to save everywhere I can, sometimes to counterproductive levels.

My wife has taught me over the years to think less about savings, and focus more on earnings. Every hour spent on savings might be replaced by a similar time investment in earning twice as much. It runs against my nature, throwing away any money, but when the time that would've been spent on that can be devoted to earning more...

LOL. And you fell for that? Clearly she just wants to spend more!

 

[grsthegreat]

Back when i was installing generators, i was buying $50,000 worth at a time. 2% cash back was real money. Especially when is was nearly every month during prime install times. And holy cow…..my credit rating went thru the roof.

 

[WinterDeere]

LOL. And you fell for that? Clearly she just wants to spend more!

You're not kidding. She has truly mastered the art of consumerism.

 

[ponytug]

I’ve joined Cellular One $13.95 plan with free flip phone* and will report back how it goes.

The idea is to keep the legacy number active awhile longer and not pay $83 a month for the privilege.

At my home the place is fully wired for landline… every bedroom, bathroom, shop, kitchen, etc. The builder was a retire Telco engineer and went wild.

Of course new landline service no longer an option and the existing landline I just cancelled to Cellular One at the folks place got a notice that no services changes possible going forward as landline service sunsets.

I was kind of thinking ATT would have presented a special migration offer to customers with decades… but nothing materialized.

They didn't here, either. They were pretty thrilled with being able to pull out the copper. A year later a tree branch pulled down part of the copper line on the property, and when the linemen showed and discovered that the line was not in use, they just yanked it the rest of the line down. I had to go cut it high enough to keep wire away from the cows. I wonder at what point their easement becomes abandoned...

In fact, they were pretty clear that given the low density of subscribers out here, they had no intention of ever running fiber, and that dropping customers meant that their legal obligations to supply phone service disappeared. I have my doubts about the legality of that latter claim, but it was made.

YMMV...

All the best, Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

Just like my friends on Davenport’s Last Chance Road near Big Basin.

After decades of promises they finally got rural phone service and with the fires last I heard it it’s not coming back…

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

When we went on our debt free journey 13 years ago we just adopted a lot of frugal habits. We live on about $2k per month. The rest is just savings we put aside for car replacements and large home updates like HVAC.

We use credit cards, because we only spend what we budgeted ($2k) per month. Yeah we get cash back, but it equates to a couple hundred maybe, per year? It’s not like it’s moving the needle at all. Our net worth will move by tens of thousands per day, many days. $200 per year isn’t a real benefit. I can’t remember the last time we cashed it in to be honest