5 Easy Ways to Save Money
Disclaimer: I am not a certified accountant, lawyer or financial advisor. Everything I write is for educational purposes. Before conducting on any of the information, please be sure to consult an expert.
With many expecting an incoming recession or people like myself who are trying to get more money to buy assets (such as Crypto, Stocks and ect) on discount, having more money in your own pocket is always better than in others. In fact you can save money on products and services you already buy.
Changing Wireless Service Providers
This one is going to be the quickest money saving effort someone can make. Most people are familiar with major wireless carriers such as Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T. However, most people are not familiar with a concept called MVNOs(Mobile Virtual Network Operators). The major carriers are responsible for maintaining the wireless network infrastructure. The major advantage of the big three is access to stores available locally. If you are an individual who isn’t all that tech savvy, you might want to stick with the big three for walkin customer service support. Some of these MVNOs do not have these features. All the MVNOs do is pay rent to the Big three and resell the services to customers. If you can handle the idea of self-service and not needing customer service, continue reading. I would recommend that those who have a business to stick with one of the big three. After all, your phone bill becomes a tax write off and you’re better off expediting any problems you have to customer service.
To understand the MVNO market, you have to understand it as one of the most competitive markets in the United States, but also a growing market. 7 out of 100 mobile users are with a MVNO. That means 93% of the market is owned by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. That means the steep discount that comes from that competition means major price discounts on services. Some MVNOs are owned by the big three such as Visible(Verizon), Metro(T-Mobile) and Cricket(AT&T). Some are subsidiaries of other MVNOs. First let's take a look at price comparison(Note: All price comparisons are based on prepaid plans):
Major Carriers
Verizon
15GB for $35/Month
Unlimited GB for $50/month
Unlimited Plus for $60/Month
T-Mobile
1GB for $10/Month
3GB for $15/Month
6GB for $25/Month
12GB for $35/Month
10GB for $40/Month
Unlimited $50/Month
Unlimited $60/Month
AT&T
5GB for $30/Month
8GB for $33/Month
15GB for $40/Month
16GB for $25/Month
Unlimited for $50/Month
Major Carriers with rebranded MVNOs
Visible (Verizon)
Visible Unlimited for $30/Month
Visible Plus for $45/Month
Metro(T-Mobile)
Unlimited $25/Month
Unlimited $40/Month
Unlimited $50/Month
Unlimited $60/Month
Cricket (AT&T)
5GB $30/Month
10GB $40/Month
Unlimited $55/Month
Unlimited Plus $60/Month
Other MVNOs
Mint Mobile
4GB for $15/Month
10GB for $20/Month
15GB for $25/Month
Unlimited for $30/Month
US Mobile
500MB for $5/Month
2GB for $12/Month
5GB for $15/Month
15GB for $20/Month
25GB for $25/Month
Unlimited Basic for $35/Month
Unlimited Premium for $45/Month
Tello
500MB for $9/Month
1GB for $10/Month
2GB for $14/Month
5GB for $19/Month
10GB for $24/Month
Unlimited for $40/Month
Twigby
1GB for $15/Month
4GB for $20/Month
7GB for $25/Month
10GB for $30/Month
Unlimited $40/Month
Reach Mobile
2GB for $20/Month
5GB for $30/Month
10GB for $35/Month
15GB for $40/Month
25GB for $45/Month
Boost Mobile
2GB for $15/Month
5GB for $25/Month
10GB for $35/Month
35GB For $50/Month
35GB for $60/Month
If you make some easy comparisons such as going from Verizon to Visible, you’ll notice you can change the cost of a similar plan from $50/month to $30/Month, about $20/month of savings($180/Year) That is a 40% savings on your money. However, when you go from some of the most expensive plans, $60 unlimited plans, down to about $25 unlimited with Metro, that is a difference of $35/month($420/Year). Likewise, people like myself who do not use much data are able to go significantly lower with their bills.
One thing I will mention about these plans, most of the upper tier pricing for your wireless bills usually have added perks to them. In addition, most of these plans require a “Bring Your Own Device” policy. In fact most people pay for wireless service to pay for the latest and greatest in terms of new phones. When you do bring your own device, it is important that you research two important features in your phone
It should be an unlocked phone
It should be fully compatible with your new service
Usually Unlocked phones usually cost more up front but compensates for the future cost of your plan. The other important feature is to make sure the phone is compatible with your new service. Some places will sell phones that are “international versions” of the phone which may not be fully compatible with a network in the United states. When buying an unlocked phone, I recommend buying from a store such as Best Buy or Target. It can be frustrating to find the phone you wanted and find out it doesn’t work.
I would recommend checking out this article from Whistleout on how to switch carriers.
Go on a Diet
We all hear about the obesity rates in the United States. Not only is it not good for your health, it is bad for your budget as well. The average American consumes about 2500 to 3600 calories a day. Most women should be eating about 2,000 calories a day and most men should be eating about 2500 calories a day. This means an individual could save as much as 25% to 80% by simply reducing the amount of food they eat.
Cord Cutting
Coming from Long Island, there are only a handful of services that are available; FIOs TV for about $70/Month, Optimum for about $30/month and Dish for about $80/month. That is about $360 to about $960 per a year. When you compare that to Netflix which is about $6.99/month($84/Year), you’re speaking about 23% of the price . All of which I consider to be a waste when there are better ways to spend both your time and money. Sitting around like a vegetable is a waste of a life anyways.
Get More Sleep
This might actually surprise a lot of people. There are some areas of work where “ throwing everything and the kitchen sink” in order to make money actually gets you more money. These are high intensive things in which you need to be on the ball and be available at any time of the day. For those that are employees, you are always better off getting more sleep. It strengthens your ability to make good judgment calls. Some of these things you can find here at MoneyGeek.
Track Your Expenses
There is a clear difference between knowing how much you spend on things and what you think you spend on things. The problem is most people walk around life not knowing how much they actually spend. Given how easy it is with the invention of phone apps to track everything you buy, it should be reasonably simple. Only until you look at your expenditures do you realize how much you spend money, sometimes it results in a bit of a sticker shock.
Conclusion
You might think much about saving money unless you are trying to buy crypto such as myself. When you consider there are assets out there that can easily do a 10x to 100x within the next 4 years, you’ll understand your money is better placed in trying to buy up as many assets as possible. When you think about every $100 becoming $1,000 or $10,000, it is an easy choice not to waste money on frivolous things.