SavvySugar

Take Stock of Your In-Home Media Memberships

SavvySugar — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:00:55 -0800

There's no greater time than the beginning of the year to check in with your in-home entertainment memberships and make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your buck and relishing the packages you have signed up for. The upkeep will not only help you maintain your resolve to live below your means, but it will allow you take stock of whether or not your services or habits are sustainable. Check in with the following before the end of the month in an effort to get organized.

Video Store vs. Netflix: Ask yourself if you are an infrequent movie renter and would rather spend the $5 Netflix fee (for one rental per month) for the convenience, or have the option of popping into the quaint rental shop on the way home. If you are a real movie nut explore the Netflix three-at-a-time plan (unlimited rentals per month and unlimited movies downloaded to your PC), which is $17. If you research the right plan you can save on gas and time, and kill late fees. Similarly, if you don't watch the movies that show up in the little red envelope opt to put your Netflix account on hold for three months at no cost until you want it again. Remember the cost looks small, but even the $5-per-month plan adds up to $60 a year (the $17 plan is $204 for a year!). You can always rent DVDs for free - or a tiny fee - at your local library.
Cable and Satellite TV: Do you get your money out of your HBO, Showtime, and an expanded sports package? If so, more power to you. If not, ditch them or call your service provider and let them know you are spending too much each month and would like a better plan for your lifestyle. Your provider wants to keep you as a customer so they will work with you, even if it's just cutting a couple of dollars.
DVR Service and TiVo: Is your TV provider charging you extra for a DVR service you aren't using? Are you paying $13 monthly for TiVo when your cable provider offers a less expensive DVR service? Call them up and check. If you only record a couple shows a month cruise websites like Hulu or network websites to see if the shows stream online or if you can purchase the shows from iTunes for less than the DVR price. Single episode downloads from iTunes are generally $1.99 each.

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5 Simple Ways to Whip Your Budget Into Shape This Weekend

SavvySugar — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:07:31 -0700

You cruised through the week carefully monitoring your spending and trying to be productive and efficient. Don't wipe away all your efforts with a wild Saturday spending spree. Whip your budget into shape with one or all of these painless tips - no knee pads or helmets necessary.

Maximize your memberships: Save money this weekend by maximizing the memberships you have. Whether it's sitting in the sauna, popping in a Netflix DVD, or visiting the museum, you're getting more out of your money while spending less on your weekend activities.
Consider cost-saving and social weekend ideas: When you work so hard all week long, it's tempting to just throw caution to the wind on the weekend and spend your hard-earned money without a plan. Put some thought into your plans and save.
Go cash only: It's hard to operate on a cash-only system, but give it a try for two days. By restricting yourself to a certain amount of cash, you'll have to make harder choices about what gatherings are worth attending and which can be skipped.
Learn how to do something new: While you're spending more time at home over the weekend, apply a few free hours to honing new skills that could also save you money.
Invite friends over for a clean-out-the-fridge fiesta: Most of us have leftover ingredients from a weeknight meal or some kind of perishable that's nearing its expiration date. Instead of hosting a traditional potluck, invite friends to bring over some of the things in their refrigerators that they're afraid will go to waste.

No Time For the Library? These Services Might Be For You

SavvySugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:30:03 -0700

A library card is a must have, in my opinion, but if your schedule doesn't allow for time to peruse the public shelves, The Wall Street Journal has a handful of alternatives that might work for you. The downside: they'll cost you.

Paperspine.com: WSJ compares the service to Netflix, which sends books to your mailbox for a fee. There are no late fees like you'd get at the library and two-way shipping is free, and monthly plans start at $14.95 for up to three books at a time. If there's a title you want for your collection, members can purchase over 400,000 unused titles up to 50 percent off.
Bookswim.com: The starter plan lets you rent up to three books a month for $19.98 without shipping or late fees, and if you can't bear to give it back, you can buy the book for second-hand prices.
Booksfree.com: With plans starting at $10.99 a month, the service rents out paperbacks and audiobooks in CD or MP3 formats.
Audible.com: Download audio books, podcasts, and audible magazines from this Amazon owned site. It costs $7.49 for the first three months and $14.95 per month thereafter.

Money Tip: Maximize Your Memberships This Weekend

SavvySugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:00:42 -0700

Your enthusiasm prompted you to sign up for whatever memberships are under your name, but we often take those things for granted after a while.

Maybe you used your gym's sauna all the time when you first became a member, but you can't remember the last time you utilized that amenity. Perhaps your Netflix DVDs are sitting unwatched while you scour the weekend movie schedule. And that annual membership you purchased to a local museum, promising yourself that you'd go once a month? Let's just say you're not familiar with the latest exhibit, or the last one for that matter.

Save money this weekend by maximizing the memberships you have. Whether it's sitting in the sauna, popping in a Netflix DVD, or visiting the museum, you're getting more out of your money while spending less on your weekend activities.

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The Customer Service Halls of Shame and Fame

SavvySugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:30:26 -0700

Nobody wants a customer service experience that leaves you swearing under your breath, but these situations aren't exactly avoidable. MSN Money knows how important customer service is to consumers and conducts an annual survey that measures customer satisfaction.

It's named 10 companies that need a lot of improvement in the customer service department and 10 that would be good examples to the companies in the Hall of Shame. It's apparent from the rankings that banks in general could step it up.

Customer Service Hall of Shame

Citigroup
Bank of America
Abercrombie and Fitch
Qwest
HSBC
Time Warner Cable
Capital One
Sprint
Comcast
AOL

To see the companies that offer a happier customer experience, read more.
Customer Service Hall of Fame

Southwest Airlines
Costco
Apple
Whole Foods
Publix
Nordstrom
Amazon
Netflix
Trader Joe's
USAA

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Money Tip: Host a Movie Night This Weekend

SavvySugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:25:33 -0700

It's no secret that a night at the movies isn't the cheapest entertainment these days. Movie nights make great dates, but personally I'm not a big fan of going to see a flick with a group of friends - it's difficult for everyone to agree on a show time and you don't actually get to hang out with each other. When I'm in the mood to be social, going to the movies is more of a waste of money than a fun time. Instead of going to your local theater this weekend and downing a bucket of fake-buttered popcorn (my eternal junk food weakness), why not host a movie night at your place?

Someone is bound to have a Netflix pick that's been sitting around unwatched, and if not Buzz has tons of great reviews on movies she loves. You can find a selection of free movies at your local library, which makes for an even less expensive evening. You could do a theme and ask everyone to bring a related snack, but it would be just as fun to make homemade popcorn on the stove and invite your friends to bring anything they'd like to have in addition. Cheap movie, cheap snacks, comfy couch, stick-free floors, being able to talk throughout the show and rewind the good parts? Sounds like a great night to me.

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