Diva On A Dime: Taking A Closer Look At Your Bills
08. Feb, 2009 
7 Comments
Ladies, do you ever feel like Cinderella? I know I do. By day, I’m working hard trying to bring in more revenue for my new business and funds for my nonprofit. I’m struggling in this economy, and cutting back where I can. By night, I’m glammed up living the glamorous life looking like a million bucks.
I was talking about this bizarre dichotomy with one of my friends who is also very involved in the Washington charity circuit and gets a lot of press. They say “perception is reality”, but is it? Someone said, “People can either look rich, or be rich. Very few can be both.” This is so true, and I try to keep this in mind, as I’d rather be rich than look rich. It’s a tough balancing act. I think we’re all fond of sparkly new things, which is what got us into our current economic crisis. Eventually even the hottest new “it” bag ends up gathering dust on a shelf. A life chasing material success and status symbols won’t make us happy.
I have taken a pay cut by starting my own company, but I am so much happier now to have more freedom, to use my creativity, to follow my passion, and to have flexibility. I’ve had a lot of success already, even during this tough economy, so I know that if I persevere, I’ll do just fine. I recently took a closer look at my bills. In better times, I wouldn’t have taken the time but now every bit I can save helps.
I took a look at my Verizon bill, and unfortunately there wasn’t a way for me to cut back. I have to have my phone and access to the internet at all times. It’s how I stay connected, and being connected is very important, especially in Washington, D.C..
I also took a look at my Comcast bill. and was really surprised to see how much my cable was costing me each month. I never really have time to watch TV or movies. I have never watched a single episode of Gossip Girl or Desperate Housewives. I basically just keep the news on while I’m working during the day. So I picked up the phone –Vonage by the way, a Voice over IP service which only costs me $14.99 per month — and asked Comcast to pick up my boxes and just give me regular cable. They first told me about the Premium cable which still gives you all the channels but is about $60 per month. I asked, “Oh, so that’s Premium so what’s the level below that?” Well, the lowest level of cable gives you 15 channels and is only $16.99 per month. So that is what I’ve got now. One step above “the bunny ears”. Not only will this save me over $100 per month, but it will force me to read more, which is one of my personal goals for 2009.
I was in my Ladies Who Launch incubator last week, and I told the other female entrepreneurs about how I feel like Cinderella. I told them about how I may do photo shoots, or be written about in the press, and it all seems very glamorous, but at the same time I can barely afford cable! I was raised in the South and know it’s tacky to talk about money, but I thought I should put this out there, because I know I’m not alone. I feel like we all need to be real with eachother, and open about the hard times many of us are going through in this economy. I think being more open will allow folks to cut back and not feel so embarrassed about doing so. If we all start living within our means, and aren’t embarrassed about it, I think it will do wonders for our economy. I think all the excesses of the past decade is what killed us. So hopefully soon perception will truly be reality.
I also want to remind everyone to try to still give to nonprofits in our community, as they need us now more than ever. And when you do spend –spend at a local store and not a big chain. Everybody is hurting, and our local restaurants and retailers need your support!
- Miss A
Miss A -
I think you are right on here for several points. First, buy and support local. Second, there is NO shame in economizing where you can and where it will not show. Heck, there SHOULD be shame if you are not using something (i,e, your cable channels) and throwing away hard-earned money every month on them. Finally, we should all help each other out by passing on great deals and money-saving tips. Lord knows, we need it in 2009. My tip for this year is: Grow your own. Whether that be tomatoes for your BLT or flowers to cut your glamorous dinner party.
This post is right on the money! Good read. I am probably one of the few who have never had HBO!
Great article – and you are so right to bring this to everyone’s attention. Too often people get caught up in keeping up with the social life, to the exclusion of what might be more important, and it isn’t fun to feel the pressure when people can’t necessarily afford to do it all. Still, it is fun to go out and do some things, but pick out the better ones if you have to spend the money…
But that said, I called Comcast, and told them I might have to discontinue my service too, and they immediately lowered my entire bill back in August, with the same cable channels, to $60 from $105 per month. So, when you persevere, and look for options, you still might be able to find some.
Thanks for sharing this post. I am also a great fan of saving money.
I work for Comcast and I can reach out to my contacts if we have low-rate packages that we can offer to you. You can still get your local channels and possibly get premium channels at a very low price. If you are interested in my assistance, send me the phone number on the account so that I can check the current promotions in your area.
Best Regards,
Mark Casem
Comcast Corp.
National Customer Operations
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com
Great article Andrea! Glad you wrote about this topic after our Ladies Who Launch session. Talking about money/finances is very IN right now.
I just wanted to say that it is very brave of you to talk about this. In a city like Washington where everything is about money, power, and having the lastest fashion etc. I often find myself (a young working professional woman) spending money on tickets to gala etc but I still have to come up with the cash for my car payment etc .
Thank you for coming forth with this. It really is inspiring.
This article got me thinking about how much TV we REALLY watch (not that much). Is it really worth $60 a month for all those channels? No. I could actually go out to a movie or a play with the savings, and would enjoy that much more. Now if I could just get the guys in our house to agree. haha
Also Ladies…take a peek at that electric bill and start looking around your house for “phantom electric drains”. While your house is semi-dark, look for all those little lights that are still on. Blue, green, white, whatever! The DVD/CD players, the cable box, the video game boxes, etc. Could you get a power strip to plug them all into and turn one switch off at night when no one’s using any of them? I read one article recently that said a Mom did that and her electric bill went down substantially!
Ditto for unplugging those chargers for your cell phone, ipod, mp3 player, digital camera and such when they’re not being used. How about the toaster, the blender, the coffeepot and microwave? Are those items being plugged in all the time pulling minute bits of money out of your wallet on a daily basis? Could be. That’s what “THEY” say. It’s worth a try, right?
Hope that helps somebody!
Ooooh, wait…..I better take my own advice first…..now, where did I put that power cord I bought last week for just that purpose?? LOL!