Utility Bills

Here are a 5 ways to save on your utility bill: 

(1) If you are not using electronics unplug them.  Cell phone chargers, little appliances in the kitchen still use energy even tough they are not turned on.

(2) When using your heater to warm up every degree that you turn down the temperature you will roughly save up to 3-5% off your bill.

(3) Wash you clothes with cold water.  The soap will still get the taco sauce spills without hot water. 

(4) Buy Fluorescent bulbs from the local hardware store.  They are a little more expensive than normal bulbs but they last way longer and you will rarely have to change them.  During the life of the energy efficient bulb it can save $40-60 for the life of the bulb.

(5) Use a low flow shower head.  This will reduce the amount of water you use in the shower and lower your monthly water bill.

Personal credit maxed out

I watched a documentary last night called “Maxed Out“.  A co-worker of mine gave it to me to watch.  It was a good documentary about personal finance, but at the same time it was pretty sad.  This show was about people who are completely “maxed out” on their own personal credit. 

Some people have paid interest for 20 years and for some reason still can’t get caught up.  It also goes on to show all the people out their how they keep spending and buy stuff that they can’t afford using their credit cards.  It was a good eye opening story of people all over the United States who are hurting because they never understood how their credit cards worked and credit in general.  This documentary talks about real estate, credit cards, foreclosures, bankruptcy, credit collectors, and so much more. 

I would encourage people to watch it just to see what is going on in the world.  After watching this flick it makes me realize that I need to be even more careful in the financial decisions that I make.

Not planning on social security

I am 25 years old and lately have been seeing many articles that talk about social security.  Is this something that I should plan on getting when I retire?  As of right now there is a very small chance that I will even get it anything out of it.  But yet I pay into it twice a month.  For the people out there who are a long ways from sitting on the beach with a cocktail or hitting the golf course daily, you better start saving now and putting the money away. 

My saving habits are based on that I will not be getting social security.  If that day comes and for some reason there is still a drop or two left of the thousands I put into the system over the years I will be shocked. 

Is the government doing anything these days to improve the social security situation?

Free money for some

Well a few weeks back I talked about how we are going to be getting back some cash from the Government.  This is to help stimulate the economy so more people will spend. Well the bill finally passed.  There will be about 130 million people who will be getting a check in the mail. 

It looks like people will be getting the following money back:
-If you are single and make up to $75,000 you should get around $600 back.
-If you are married filing jointly and make up to $150,000 you should be getting around $1200 back.

Do you have any thoughts on the Government going even deeper into debt just to give us this money back?

Take your time with me and I will move on

I live in a generation where I do not want to wait for things.  Really if I want to learn anything I go straight to Google and search for it.  I want things quick and fast.  Am I spoiled because technology is the best it has ever been? 

Recently I have noticed with some of the businesses I have been in contact with that some people lack customer service and relationships.  If I have a question about a service, product, or whatever, and I call them, I expect a instant answer within 24 hours of me calling them if not sooner. 

If I email someone that I have spent thousands of dollars with, I expect a answer asap. Not days!  I feel like some people out there forget that we “the consumers”are the ones who choose where to spend our money.  At first they may be amazing at getting back to you.  But then, overtime you tend see a trend that takes them longer to get back to you.

If people are not good at getting back to me, you better believe I am looking for the person who wants to service me for my money.  Take your time with me and I will move on.

I think people need to go above and beyond to service people.  There is always someone else out there that will compete for your business.  If these businesses continue to be lazy they may be out of business one day.