Works 4 Me Wednesday: No Cable? No Problem!

Recently the company that my family purchases cable tv from drastically increased their prices. We were already paying over $120 per month for a bundled (phone, internet, tv) package. And then an additional $50 for cell phones. They were going to raise our prices for the bundled package over $150/month. I almost vomitted a little when I saw this. I was already disgusted with the original price. There was no way I was going to pay more.

So, this led to a nighttime discussion between my hubby and I. We sat down and really looked at the channels we watched and our favorite shows. We were kind of dumbfounded that we didn't look at this sooner. Our favorites were all on local channels. And any other shows we were watching? Kids shows!

We surveyed a few different options and decided in the end to cancel cable all together. We downgraded our internet and cancelled our home phone as well.

We kept our cell phones, a lower speed internet, and ordered Netflix for streaming to our tv. We also purchased an antennae for about $30 at Wal-Mart that allows us to pick up our local stations very well. In the end here's what the breakdown looks like:

Old price for tv, internet and phone and cell phones= $170+/month

New price:

$50 cell phone bills (total)

$10 Netflix streaming account

$40 Internet

End Price: $100/month

For some of you this may still seem like a large amount to pay for entertainment/communication. For our family it is what works. It allows us to do our jobs (my husband telecommutes) and provides us with some cheap entertainment.  We are not missing our favorite shows (most are on the locals) and the kids still get to see their favorites too!

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Works 4 Me Wednesday: What's In My Wallet

This week I cleared out my school bags, diaper bag, lunch bags, purse, etc. in an effort to be ready to start the school year fresh. I threw out all old receipts laying in the bottom of my purse. I cleaned out the diaper bag so Grandma would only have to tote the neccessities. And then, I cleaned out my wallet. It inspired me to share with you what works for me in the realms of wallet world.

What's in my wallet is actually pretty basic. I usually keep a little bit of cash handy (about $20 or so) for emergencies. Believe it or not there are still some quaint little places that only accept cash. I keep this little bit around just for those types of moments. I also make sure I keep some quarters handy. You never know when you'll need to stop to feed the ducks out of one of those little candy dispenser food feeders (especially with 2 little ones in tow).

I have a separate compartment in my wallet where I also keep receipts. I keep all my recent purchase receipts in there (about a week's worth) so that I have them handy should I need to return anything. After a week I determine whether I need to keep the receipts any longer and if I do they get moved to my clearly labeled filing cabinet.

I keep my loyalty cards in my wallet also. I actually have 2 sets. I keep the loyalty cards I only use on occassion in my wallet. (a little less easily accessed). I keep the ones I use all the time on my key chain for easy access.

I keep 2 main credit cards. One credit card is the card we use all the time. It is the card that we charge all of our main budgeting items with (gas, groceries, restaurants, clothing, etc.). I pay this card off fully each and every month. I have NEVER carried a balance on it. The other card is the credit card I use for internet purchases only. It is my back-up card and my internet card only (and one i also pay off every month!).

My insurance cards are also always handy in my wallet. Emergencies and accidents happen. I keep my insurance cards with me so that anytime my little ones need medical attention I can hand over the card and know it isn't a huge paperwork mess I will have to deal with later. (Case in point... while on vacation last week we wound up having to take poor Hannah to the nearest hospital - which was hours from home.)

Two or more forms of ID. Keeping your driver's license in your wallet is a given. But I also try to maintain at least one other form of picture ID in there... just in case.

Store credit cards. I do not have a lot of these. In fact, I have only 2. I keep a Toys R Us card and a KOhls card. Not because we shop at either very often (in fact we shop both places rarely). But when we do shop at them we have found we can save with great discounts by using the store credit card. =) (Which we pay off as soon as it arrives!)

And of course, the dearest thing I keep in my wallet are the pictures of my sweet family. I like to have them near in picture form when I can't have them near in person.

This is simply what works for me and my wallet. What have you found to be an essential part of your wallet world?

*I would like to note that the one thing you will not find in my wallet is my social security card.

You can print  Mott’s Snack & Go Coupon – good for Buy One, Get One Free. In addition, you can print a $1.00/1 Mott’s Coupon here. (I couldn't find the snack and go mott's at my giant. I'm not 100% sure which stores are carrying these right now.)