I finally bundled my utilities.
I didn’t want to do it. In fact, I fought it for many years.
Much like my initial reaction to customer reward cards, I felt like there was something sinister about giving one company so much control. After a year or so of not using consumer reward cards, I eventually gave in to the fact that using them — in exchange for allowing stores to analyze my purchases — would save me a great deal of money.
Likewise, I have come to the realization that bundling my utilities would also save me a great deal of money.
I guess the reason I put off bundling for so long is that I just really, really, really dislike the monopolies that are utility companies.
I felt that they had more than enough power to raise rates and bully customers, and I didn’t want to give any company power over all of my home services.
These days, however, because each different utility service is fighting for our bundled services, I feel a bit more secure that if I don’t like the way I am treated by one company, I can always move to another.
Some companies that offer cable bundling are Comcast , Cox Communications, and AT&T.
Whitefence offers a number of tips that can be helpful when you’re researching your options for bundling utilities. Similar services are also offered by Bundle My Service.
How Much Can You Save By Bundling?
In my case, I had 2 choices for bundling my services:
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My telephone company offered to bundle my cell phone, home phone, and Internet services with dish-type cable services.
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My cable company offered to bundle my cable, telephone, and Internet. I chose the latter option for several reasons.
Playing a big part in my decision was this fact: If my cable service were to go out or be turned off for any reason, I still wanted access to my cell phone. In addition, I had Dish services before and did not like it. In the end, we decided to turn our Internet and telephone services over to our cable company.
So far, the results are good. Our Internet service runs a tad slower than before, but not much. In exchange, our home phone bill is much lower because we now have free long distance calls — where before that was not possible.
According to Fox Business, bundling utilities can reduce your fees by $20 a month. (We actually saved closer to $50). This can add up to $240 a year! Of course, you also have the option of living without these luxuries. However, “if you can’t live without your cable, telephone and Internet access, but the monthly bills are getting uncomfortably high, consider bundling all of your services under one company.”
Bundling Gone Wild
Bundling is not unique to home utility services alone.
Other industries that bundle services include:
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Software programs — where you get several software titles on a new computer
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Cable channels — where you pay for groups of channels instead of individual channels
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Magazine subscriptions — where you are offered a set of magazines instead of individual subscriptions
I have been a certified tightwad striving for financial freedom since I became pregnant with my first child — and I decided to find a way to stay home with him full-time. I enjoy sharing my personal experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future — which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.
