Cash Diet

No more of these…

In fit of frenzy today at the office, myself and my dear colleague took care of some long overdue “housekeeping” issues … renegotiating contracts with various service providers. A few calls later and we’d already made savings of about $50 a month. On top of the new phone contract we’d sorted out a week earlier, cutting our bills by about 50%.

It’s stating the obvious to say that we all need to be educated consumers. Never assume you’re getting the best deals. I can’t really talk, allowing unopened visa bills and bank statements to pile up – then signing up for the electronic options and never opening the emails. Even while arduously tackling the task today, my friend and I laughed that if we don’t nail it down right now, it will go back on the “to do” pile for another 6 months.

But you see we’ve reached end of a long – and expensive – summer which ate through our bank account like an indulgent over-eater. Between summer camps and school supplies – and a whole lot in between – I feel like we’ve lost track, and we’ve ordered everything off the dessert menu (so to speak…). The finale came a few days ago with a cracked iPad screen and a broken car door – all in the space of a few hours. This was like the extra hot chocolate fudge sundae that we never really ordered.

So it’s cash crunch. And like any diet, a cash diet starts little by little. And there’s no time like the present. In two days the new cable company is coming to install their hardware, as we ditch our old provider of the last 10 years. The decision was spontaneous but crystal clear – they simply offered better service and more options, for about 25% less then what we are currently paying.

The kids are a bit stunned. “Why now?” “Mum, are we poor?” No kids, just trying to be a bit smarter…. we took our youngest son to a neighborhood secondhand sale this week in a mission to teach him the concept of working for money. His sales techniques were adorable… only his patience was short. But he got it – its hard work. At the end of the day he’d made enough not for a surfboard or an iPhone (the fantasies of an eight year old) but at least a couple of good games and an ice-cream on the side. So what did he learn? That you work long and hard, for not very much. But bit by bit, it all counts.

There’s still much to be done. Grocery shopping is the next big offender and with my hate of supermarkets and general frustration at online shopping I’ve yet to tackle this one. But awareness is mounting and times are changing. Don’t be complacent is my new motto and I’m harboring this determination to beat this diet.