Battling Those Bills!

It used to be exciting to get your mail. You would find letters or a package inside, or postcards from friends in faraway places. You’d get bills, too. But it was fine because you were working.

When you’re unemployed, getting the mail just makes you nervous! All of the sudden, you start worrying about why your water and power bill is so high, and how many minutes you have left this month on your cell phone plan. You start paying more attention to your minimum monthly payments and due dates. You might get a postcard from a friend, but you may get depressed that they are “there” and you are not.

It’s never fun to pay your bills. But, don’t run away! The bills must eventually be paid!

Personally, I think the three most important bills to pay when you’re unemployed are your phone bill, your internet bill and your cable/satellite bill. (To save money on these bills, look into "bundling" them; if you use the same service for all three, you could get a better monthly rate!) You must have a phone…how else will you hear from potential employers. The internet is your connection to the outside world…and also, to this blog. Yes, you can get free internet service at your local public library or pay by the minute at Kinko’s, but it’s inconvenient…and you can’t wear your p.j’s there. Lastly, because you’re home a lot more, your T.V becomes one of your primary sources of entertainment and escapism while not working. Don’t give that up!

Here are a couple of reminders to help manage your bills: 1- you may want to try to cancel (or lower) your automatic bill payments you’ve set up with your bank. You’re out of work right now and need to be more in control of what goes in and what goes out of your bank account. 2- if you’re paying off student loans, call your loan companies to see about deferring your payments until you start working again.

These are some free websites that might also be helpful:

AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the site where you can get your legally mandated free credit reports -- you get one per year each from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Yes, it’s easier to live in denial and pretend everything’s great, but it’s necessary to monitor and protect your credit history.

Creditcards.com: This site lets you search for the best credit card offers. If your credit card companies refuse to lower, or start to raise your interest rates, you have every right to shop around for a better deal! You can compare different credit cards based on their rewards programs, interest rates, mileage programs, cash-back opportunities and more!

Billshrink.com: this site claims to get you a better deal on your credit card and phone plans. They ask you questions about your bills and then analyze your situation and present you with competitive offers. They also can tell you what gas station in your area charges the lowest price for gas for your particular car.

Budgetpulse.com: this site helps you easily track your spending and take charge of your finances. They eliminate the fear of identity theft because they don’t sync your account information with banks. You decide what information to input.

There’s much more free information on the web to help you manage your bills during these tough times. If you’re reading this and know of other good sites, feel free to post a comment!