11 Ways to Save Money on Bills

In today's economy, saving money can be a pretty nifty thing. For some, living frugally and saving money is a natural thing to do and something they've always done. For others, being frugal is an entirely new concept and some people have no idea where to begin. Well, if you're one of those people, start here. This is part three in a series of money saving tips -- for more tips on saving even more money, see the rest of Isabella Snow's Frugal Living Series.

1. Save your gas money

This isn't a monthly bill, but I couldn't think of a better place to mention it. Walk, take public transportation, ride your bike or carpool whenever you can and save all that money you are wasting on gas.

2. Get a better rate from your bank account.

If you don't have a free checking account, get one. Some accounts are free if you have a minimum balance, but many people don't have $5,000 or even $2,000 to just leave sitting in the bank. Find an account that won't charge you money just for having it. Some banks will waive the monthly maintenance fee if you use direct deposit.

3. Pay your bills online.

Save money on stamps, save time on processing.

4. Get rid of your Cable TV.

Or at least get rid of the expensive options. I never even watched my cable TV more than a few times a month, but was paying for more than basic, which was really silly. Since there are only a few programs that I watch, I now watch them all online for free and use my TV for DVDs.

5. Get a better rate for your internet.

When I first got my internet connection here, which is ADSL, I was paying about 50 USD per month for 4Mb. Over the last 2 years that same company offered better rates and my landlord got them to switch me each time they did -- if he hadn't done this, I'd still be paying $50/4Mb. I now pay about $20/8Mb. If you don't ask them they won't change it -- if they won't change it, go to someone else.

6. Save on Electricity and Gas.

In my article on saving money around the house, I mention several easy ways to save on your electric and gas bill.

7. Get a better rate for your webhosting.

I was paying $50 bucks quarterly for webspace I didn't need. Now I pay $10 for the appropriate amount. If you are paying more than that, you really need to look into cheaper options because there are tons of them now.

8. Host your webpage on Blogger.com for free

If you don't want to pay for webspace, you can buy your own domain name and point a blogger.com site to it for free. If you have the blog custom designed, it can still look like a proper webpage, but the only price you'll be paying is the cost of the domain name (and email accounts associated with it, if any).

9. Get a free email address

I used to use an email service/ email address that used my domain name. I had so many problems with getting and sending mail that I eventually switched to Gmail. For free. Much less headache.

10. Reduce your phone bills.

Using a landline telephone in the US is very, very cheap, so saving money on this might not be a priority. But, if you live in Europe, using the phone is so expensive that many people only have mobile phones. Skype is free and can be used to call anyone anywhere in the world. So if phone charges are an issue, get Skype and use it. If it's not a big issue, you can still save money by calling off-peak, getting a family plan, and using your free minutes.

11. Get a rewards credit card.

If you must use a credit card, use one that actually pays you back. Whether it's miles, or just a bit of cash back, you can find something that makes sense for you.