Cutting Expenses: Part 2 - Save on everything you buy

HDMI cables keep me up at night

HDMI cables are one the great enigmas of modern society.  Never has there been a product with so much misinformation and price variance.  Example:  I had just finished setting up my brand new HD TV and surround sound system, and ventured out to buy HDMI cables.   First I stopped at Best Buy, where they were $80 for a 6 foot cable.  The clerk says "yeah, you need the high speed cables for HD 120hz signal".  "Oh", I said "these magical cables are able to transfer information faster than the speed of light?  That's incredible".  I tried other stores and fared no better.  Then I tried online, where I found many options for under $5 dollars.  It didn't seem possible, so I did more research.  Sure enough, reading all the reviews, these $5 cables worked great.  I bought them, and have been using them for 3 years with no issues.  This is when I realized that I had been lazy and outdated, and brick and mortar stores have been taking advantage of it.

The greatness of user reviews

We live in an incredible age, and I'm certain that the majority of people don't take advantage of it.  People are still shopping the old fashioned way.  Going into a store, looking at all the choices, maybe asking an employee, and making their purchase.  You might get a good product, you might not.  You might get a good price, you might not.    The better option is to go online, search for a product, sort them by customer ratings and price, and make an informed decision.  95% of the time you will get the best product, for the cheapest price possible.  Back in the day you would have to rely on employee knowledge, or friend's recommendations.  Now you have hundreds of actual user reviews at your fingertips.  It's a crime not to take advantage of that.

The enormity of technology


If you do still go into stores, many still don't take advantage of the technology on their smart phones.  There are apps that scan bar codes, and give you the price of that product at all the surrounding stores, and online.  A few good examples of these apps are Redlaser, Shopsavvy, and Barcode Scanner.  So if you want to actually see and touch the product before you buy it, you can still do so intelligently.

Be patient, and don't be lazy


I still struggle with this at times.  I'm in a store, I see something I want, and I just want to buy it.  This is a slippery slope, my friend.  Fight the urge.  Fight the impulse gremlin within.  You probably don't need what you want to buy anyway (that's a whole other article), but if you are going to buy it, make sure you get it for the best price.  There also times I don't feel like waiting for something to ship.  2-3 days seems like an eternity when you have a brand new TV in your living room.  Again, fight the impulse gremlin.

Combining the Free Market with the Information Age

I love all this technology.  If used properly, you can almost eliminate buyer's remorse completely, because you can ensure you got the best product for the best price.  The Internet combines the Free Market World with the Information Age, and with this, prices tend to end up exactly where they should be.  You need to break from the habit of going to the store.  Many of us just stick to doing things the way you always have.  Change your mindset.  Once you start saving money, or continually get the best product on the market, you will be hooked.

Cutting Expenses: Part 1 - Who actually pays list price?

You are paying list price for your subscriptions and utilities, and you don't even know it.  You know what I'm talking about when I say list price.  It's the suggested retail price set by the manufacturer.  With all the competition between vendors and distributors, list price is rarely used, except when vendors want to show how great their price is, by comparing it to list price.  Now think of all the monthly bills you pay.  You are most likely paying these companies directly, without going through vendors.  In effect, unless you negotiate, you are most likely paying list price for these services.  The good news is that these companies do have competition, and where there is competition, there is price negotiation.  Many of the services you pay for every month, can be reduced with a simple phone call.

You never know until you ask

Since I'm strange and obsessive, and oddly take pleasure in it, I often just start calling all my all services asking if I can get better rates. This started last year when I noticed that my annual SiriusXM charge had hit my account for $150 (last year it was $80).  I immediately called them up and asked why it was so much.  They told me I took advantage of a promotion last year, which explains the increase this year.  My exact words were "well $150 is too much, what can you do for me?".  The NEXT sentence out of their mouth was "how about we give you the $80 rate again?".  Just like that, I saved $80.  

I was feeling cocky now.  

Convinced I was negotiating genius, I called up DirectTV and told them they charge me too much for the MLB and NFL sports packages.  They immediately cut the charges by $30/month.  Next I called my security company and they immediately gave me 3 months free (worth $100 total).  Next was my gym membership, and they knocked $5 off my monthly bill (every bit counts).  

On and on this went, and after about a hour, I had knocked about $150 off my monthly expenses.  I don't consider myself the brightest light in the harbor, but I just saved $1,800/year with under a hour of work.  If you make $50,000 a year, you just got the equivalent of a 3.6% raise.  You didn't even have to laugh your boss's jokes to get it. 

Some of the places where you can save money:

• Internet provider
• Cable/Satellite provider
• Gym memberships
• Credit card interest rates
• Internet services (Pandora, Spotify, Netflix, credit monitoring)
• Insurance (Car, home, boat, etc)
• Cell phone bill

Start calling.  It may be uncomfortable at first, but remember, you are paying LIST PRICE.  These vendors are fighting for your business, and competing against each other.  Make them work for it.  Don't be that guy or gal that pays list price.

More expense cutting to come.  This is only part 1.