The great thing about capitalism is that competition drives business...and we as consumers can benefit by shopping around to get the best price. You might think this is only true for the goods we buy, but did you know that you can negotiate many of the bills that are supposedly "set in stone"? You might think you are getting a great price on a service and then a couple months later, they raise their prices. I suggest comparing prices each year to ensure you are getting the absolute best deal! IT PAYS TO COMPARE PRICES--literally.
We personally have negotiated our trash service, home phone/Internet service, and any work we have done on our house. All you have to do is set up a little bit of time to do some research and make some phone calls (nap times work great for this in our house).
Trash Service
Here's what you do to get the best bang for your buck:
1. Make a list of companies you wish to call. I suggest calling at least 3-4 besides the current company you are using.
2. Call each company and tell them that you are shopping around for trash service. Tell them where you live and ask them to give you their pricing. Make sure it includes the entire price. Some companies now charge an extra fee for fuel (remember the sky-high gas prices a couple years back?), so be sure to get all the information so you are not surprised when your first bill arrives.
3. Once you have the pricing information, call your current company and ask them if they can match the lowest price. Chances are, they will because they don't want to lose your business.
4. If for some reason your current company won't match the lowest price, cancel your current service and begin a new service with the lowest-priced company.
Here are a few numbers of company's to call in the Wichita area. If you're not from Wichita, just open up the phone book or ask around for some reputable companies.
Waste Management: 888-964-9756
Waste Connections: (316) 838-6664
Lies Trash Service: (316) 522-1699
Ballinger Trash Service: (316) 943-7910
Eagle Trash Service (Andover & Rose Hill areas): (316) 796-1505
You can save as much as $10-$15 a month by shopping around for trash service alone...that doesn't seem like a ton of money but it can be $180 more in your pocket each year.
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Home Phone/Internet Service
A few months back, we had been debating whether to cancel our land line, since we get most of our calls on our cell phones. I would still prefer to have a land line, simply because it makes me feel safer to have a home phone (which my husband thinks is crazy). I was somewhat on the fence about the whole situation, so I decided to make a few calls. I called the competition and found out that our current service was actually cheaper than what they could offer. I decided to then call our company just to see if they could give us a better deal. If they could, great; and if they couldn't, I was resigned to just cancel our home phone service. We get the most basic home phone with absolutely no frills (no caller id, call waiting, anything). There wasn't a whole lot they could do to lower the price of that service since we were already the lowest price, but they did offer to give us 3 months of our high-speed Internet service free just for staying with the company--a savings of $75! Like I said...it pays to just ask!
Don't lie and say you want to cancel your service if you really don't, but make a case for yourself by perhaps telling them how many years you have been with the company, etc. Ask for a lower price or for an incentive. The worst thing that will happen is that they will say, "no."
Here are two numbers of home phone and Internet providers--I believe both of these companies are nationwide. Make sure you are comparing apples-to-apples by asking lots of questions. If you are looking for a most basic service, tell the company. If you want certain features, share those with the person you are speaking with. If your current company has the lowest price, you can still get a better deal by just asking!
AT&T: 1-800-ATT-2020
Cox Communications: 866-719-2029
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Follow a similar procedure for other bills. If you hire someone for any services in your home (lawn care, home-improvement projects, etc), make sure you ALWAYS get at least 3 estimates before making your selection. Don't always go with a company just because they are the cheapest...do your homework and make sure they are professionals. If you have a specific company in mind and they aren't the cheapest, ask if they'll match the cheaper price or at least discount their price.
That's it! You're armed with the tools to barter those bills! Happy savings!
Jenae
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