Often times, it’s the little things, a dollar here, or a dollar there, that can start piling up. Too many of these and you become burdened with irrelevant costs.
Here’s one reason why I love online banking, and especially the Wells Fargo’s system, is that I can get a quick glance at what I’ve paid and when. Now I know I can do the same thing inside QuickBooks, but it’s a lot easier for me to look online.
Every bill I look at the previous month’s charge and we the price has gone up, I look into why. You would be amazed at the .20 cents here, .50 cents there that cost start creeping up.
Another great tip is from Verne Harnish’s Verne’s Insights email:
Stop paying for 411 calls. This is Gazelles' "stop doing" this week (we try and pick something each week to stop). Phone companies charge $1.00 or more for 411/information calls. When you need to use 411, simply dial 1 800 FREE 411 or 1-800-373-3411 without incurring a charge at all except for the minutes required to make the call if you are using a cell phone. Program this number into your cell.
Thanks for the heads up Verne. I never knew there was a free service for this. Now if I can only get my wife to use this service….
For a long time I had no long distance (I had teenagers...), and if you opt-out of long distance, you also don't get 411 service, because it can automatically dial the calls. So, for years I've been in the habit of looking up all of my phone numbers on the internet, using a service such as switchboard.com.
Even though I now have long distance and 411 access, the habit is so ingrained in me that I still use the internet to look up numbers.
Posted by: Cathi Kent | February 7, 2006 4:47 PM | Permalink to Comment