Works 4 Me: Saving On Everyday Bills

Bills. We all have them. We all have to pay them. They cost us money every month and then on top of that it costs money to send the bills. Annoying right?! Here are the ways I have found to save a little dough on those pesky monthly bills.

1) Free Checks (or at least standard)

Who doesn't love the cutesy checks you can choose? You can order checks with puppies on them or even checks with your favorite sports team. But choosing these personalized checks will cost you extra. Sometimes, it will cost you a lot extra. Some banks still offer free checks. Of course these are the run of the mill,plain Jane checks. But really, who cares? If your plan is just to pay your bills with them and they are free or very low cost - go for it!

2) Free Postage Stamps

Personally, I have not tried this avenue. But supposedly you can truly get free stamps? One of our readers shared this tip with me a while ago. Quad/Readers Club is comprised of more than 600 volunteers across the United States. After receiving earmarked mailings to their homes, the volunteers call a toll-free number to report, via an automated system, which pieces arrived on a particular day and in what condition they arrived. It’s that simple!

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, you need to send an email to quadreaders@qg.com with the subject line Quad/Readers Mail Decoy Program. Let them know that you are interested in joining this program and be sure to include your name, address, city, state, zip, home phone, day phone, and email address.

3) Free Mailing Labels

Never fails. About 4x a year I get mailing labels in the mail that I didn't request or pay for. Usually they are from a non-profit organization that is hoping for a donation and they match whatever season it is. I ALWAYS keep them and Use them on my bills! Who cares if I put Christmas return address labels on my bills in summer? Really, is someone going to notice this?

4) Save Envelopes for Scrap

This one may not be a way to save on paying bills, but I love it for saving on paper. I always keep the envelopes and paper that has a white back (no printing) on it for my daughter to scribble on. =) It comes in handy in church, at restaurants, and at home when I need her to be occupied. And it doesn't cost a dime.

5) Pay online

It costs $0.44 every time you stick a bill in the mail. I wrote out 6 bills today. It cost me $2.64 just to pay my bills today. Many companies offer the ability to pay your bill online for no cost. If you're not sure if this is the case check the company website, give a ring to customer service, or even check your billing statement.

6) Of course if you don't pay online, you can pay ahead...

A final way you can save on paying bills (although it is a bit different...) is to pay your bills ahead. Let's say your cable bill arrives and you owe $50 for the month. Double  or triple it and send in the extra amount. Then, when next month comes your bill will contain a credit and you won't have to send a penny.