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Tracking Spending - and a Strategy

I don't like spending good money on stupid crap.  And so I have a new strategy that I've developed to help me keep it in control:

Basically, I keep track of my monthly recurring expenses across a ton of categories, such as:
  • Cable TV
  • Internet
  • Insurance
  • Electricity
  • Netflix
  • Mortgage
  • etc. 
If prices go up, I make a note of it.  If prices go down, I make a note of it too.  My goals?
  • Financially respond to every price increase
  • Reduce at least one recurring cost every month
So earlier this month, I knocked down my cell phone costs from $70 to $40 a month (win!).  I also eliminated my iTunes Music subscription, which I didn't use much, from $15 a month to $0.  Another win!

Earlier this year, I changed from my old employers healthcare plan (a "COBRA" plan) to a healthcare market place plan, saving me $260 a month (!).  And some people complain about Obamacare.

I also updated my auto/property insurance, which increased by $14 a month, but which gives me about 5x the coverage.

So with these changes, I'm saving $3500 a year.  But there is still a lot more to do!


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