A few calls saved me $220 / year!

[giwo]

Not sure I would call it "badassity" but for me using the phone is a pretty big deal. :) So I was pretty stoked when I managed to trim the following fat:

$40 / year on Auto Insurance
$60 / year on Alarm System
$120 / year on Cable Internet


Woohoo! :)

[Mrs MM]

I hear you - I hate the phone (especially calling people).  Congrats!!

[giwo]

Thanks!

I usually talk myself out of such calls by deciding they won't be willing to drop their rates, now I'm glad I asked.

[JahWontPaytheBills]

Well played!

I was inspired by your post, and today reduced my internet service by $120 a year, keeping the same level of service with a phone call. Riding high on my success, I hopped onto my modestly (in comparison) priced internet, and reduced my auto/ renters insurance by $500 a year. With no claims in the past 20 years, I thought it reasonable to go with liability insurance for the autos. Reduced the renters a bit to be more inline with my needs instead of covering everything under the sun.

I'm combing through the budget now to see where I can trim a bit more fat now... You Mustachians are alright!

[giwo]

Congratulations!

That was exactly why I decided to share, glad you found it inspirational. :)

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

My niece earns minimum wage while living in an expensive country (Ontario Canada) and bills have been going up faster than her income, so her and her Mum spend an hour on the phone getting all her bills reduced

I'm going to suggust she ditch cable and get an attenna

Rob

[EveningNewbs]

Nice job! I just signed up for new car insurance that'll save me over $420 annually. It's with Progressive, and I'm doing their "Snapshot" thing that tracks how safe your driving is. I'm at a 14% discount now with a 30% max discount, so that's another $145 (up to $312) a year saved if I can keep up the safe driving.

Also, for others that hate using the phone: http://www.bankrateinsurancequotes.com
You can get quotes from a ton of places just by filling out the forms once. A few of them will call you and get more details, but it was well worth it.

Another trick I learned from the insurance broker: ask about extra discounts. Apparently there's a discount that every insurance company offers if you start your coverage in 8 days instead of on the day you sign the paperwork. The reasoning has to do with being less likely to be committing insurance fraud, but it saved me around $41 every year. And Geico will give you a nice break if you're a member of a few different organizations, including several credit unions.