Income Trust | Personal Finance | Real Estate SEO

I like to spend a little time on the last day of each year and reflect on what I’ve learned.

1. When you pay off credit cards and car loans, banks turn into the very worst version of your mother. They write sappy love notes telling you how much you are missed and wouldn’t it be nice if you’d care to spend the holidays with them?

2. It’s never too early to start teaching children about the perils of debt – but constantly singing ‘If you’re happy and debt free clap your hands’ to your six month old nephew may annoy his mother.

3. It was somehow possible to lower my already sub-par vacationing standards. I went from ‘Motel 4 type establishments’ to ‘tents with 25 cent showers’ – and it wasn’t bad!

4. Marrying my best friend and celebrating five years of wedded bliss was the best decision I ever made – well…other than the decision to wear clean underwear in case of an emergency.

5. Blog readers are awesome, supportive, and helpful. Thanks for helping me grow.

6. I’ve had more than my fair share of laughter and joy. Regardless of the numbers on my bank statement, the interest rate of my mortgage, or drama of life, my family and friends are unchanging. I am a very lucky girl.

Please be safe tonight. Save money, stay home.

Filed under: Finance, Money Saving Ideas | No Comments »

This is just a reminder that as of 1/1/10, Sprint is changing their contracts to add a “Regulatory Charge” of 20 cents per month. This is essentially a fee that they are adding to your contract, as it is not a consumer tax nor is it required by law. Because of this, you can now cancel your Sprint contract without an early termination fee (ETF). You must do this within 30 days of notification (check your billing statement).

After some early pushback, it appears that most Sprint reps are now aware of this legit exit plan. Commenter Stephan also shared a handy script that has been used successfully by several readers:

“Hello. I’m calling about my current contract with Sprint and the new 40 cents per line regulatory charge that Sprint will be introducing this January. The latest Terms & Conditions contract I signed with Sprint was in [year], and under that contract, it specifically states that as a Sprint customer, I have the right to terminate my contract without paying an early termination fee in the event that Sprint makes a material change to its agreement with me, and so long as I notify Sprint of my desire to do so within 30 days of such a change. This new 40 cent per line regulatory charge constitutes a material change to the Terms & Conditions agreement I signed, and therefore, I would like to exercise my right under the agreement to terminate my contract without any early termination fee.”

A few testimonials:

I called today read the script that Stephan wrote and it was like magic.. she didn’t argue just said.. ok sir.. but you will need to wait to cancel till Jan 1st 2010 and forward me to her managers voicemail to state thats what I want to do.

The beauty of information on the Internet! I ordered two Iphones with At&t last week and placed my call today with Sprint. The call took maybe 35 seconds. All I mentioned was “I want to terminate my contract and port both of my numbers to another carrier because of the 2010 regulatory charge”. The sprint rep said “you’re certainly entitled to do that sir”. Then, he gave me a confirmation number which waived the EFTS on both lines. The end. I already ported one Iphone today, working great.

I gave the spiel that Stephan scripted out above, and it worked like a charm:) I was put on hold for about 10 minutes and when the rep came back on the line she told me that I was set up to terminate on January 26th. (This is because my billing cycle starts and ends on the 26th. They cannot prorate, they set the termination at the end of your current billing cycle so keep this in mind.)

If pressed, you should always focus on the fact that they made a material change to your contract and by law you are allowed to cancel without a ETF. Don’t get sidetracked by your satisfaction with your phone, coverage, etc. If you don’t get satisfaction immediately, either ask for a supervisor or simply hang up and talk to another customer service representative. Good luck!

Update: Instead of *2, you may find it faster to call Sprint’s Cancellation (formally called “Retentions”) department directly if you run into long hold times. Try 888-567-5528, 800-235-1185, or 888-211-4727.

Filed under: Finance, Money Saving Ideas | No Comments »

Just about every major cell phone provider has discount for large corporations or groups, even when it’s an existing personal line. While most people know about their company’s discount, some do a bad job of advertising them. In addition, many folks can get student/employer discounts using their school e-mails. So grab your work or school e-mails, visit these links, and find out what discounts are available to you. You may be pleasantly surprised.

I just found out that I could even get $10 off an iPhone plan from AT&T Wireless. Tempting!

AT&T Wireless: Premier Student & Employer Discounts

AT&T has business agreements with thousands of corporations, government agencies and educational institutions to offer wireless products & services to their employees and students at a significant discount.

Verizon: Employee Discounts

Verizon Wireless offers great discounts on products and services to many companies and government agencies. You may be eligible to take advantage of these discounts and save on:

• New phones and calling plans for you or your family
• Phone upgrades to one of our latest models
• A wide selection of accessories

Existing Verizon Wireless customers that are eligible for a discount can register their phone number with Verizon Wireless and have a monthly discount applied to their calling plan.

T-Mobile Corporate Discount Program

Employees of contracted T-Mobile Business Customers may request a corporate discount. The discount ranges from 0% to 15%, per Business Customer monthly volume. If available, the discount will appear on your monthly bill.

Sprint / Nextel: Employee Value Program

Submit your email address to find out if your employer qualifies for discounts through Sprint Nextel. Sprint has business agreements with hundreds of corporations and government agencies to offer wireless products and services at a significant discount when purchased online or over the phone.

AllTel Wireless: Employee and School Affiliation Discounts

If your employer is a participant in Alltel’s affinity programs, you’ll get great deals on:

* Wireless calling plans for you and your family
* New phones
* Upgrades to your existing phone or plan
* Accessories

These discounts are not just for new customers. Existing customers can begin to receive monthly discounts as well.

Filed under: Finance, Money Saving Ideas | No Comments »

Last night, my husband and I went shopping in our pantry and made Spanish rice, pinto bean, and spicy sausage goulash. I would say it was good but I pride myself on honesty so I’ll just say it was… edible. This meal didn’t have me worrying about exceeding my daily recommended caloric intake since I wasn’t likely to return for a second helping.

We’re still working our way through those 37 meals hidden in our pantry and freezer and it’s likely to get a whole lot worse from here but I’m ready for the challenge.

Before you express concern for our health, we are still purchasing perishable items like greens and dairy products and my parents having been sharing the fruit from their apple and orange trees.

So here’s the question…

These are desperate financial times, what is your cheapest (and somehow still healthy) dinner?

Filed under: Finance, Money Saving Ideas | No Comments »

I was catching up on some blog reading and caught an old post from Plonkee about the different ways that couples can manage their finances. The three different methods were categorized as communist, socialist, or capitalist. Rather controversial, eh? Don’t get too excited folks, just read on:

Communist: One Big Pot

According to Wikipedia, communism is a social structure in which classes are abolished and property is commonly controlled. Thus, no matter what each person earns, all their income is deposited into one central joint account, from which all expenses are paid from as well. All assets including property, investments, and cash are owned together.

Socialist: Earn More, Pay More

Under this structure, common shared expenses such as rent and utilities are paid via a joint account. Let’s say one person makes $75k and the other person makes $25k. Then if the monthly shared expenses are $1,000 per month, they would pay $750 and $250 respectively. The contribution is proportional to income.

Separate expenses such as entertainment, gifts, or clothing are paid for out of personal accounts. This allows each person to retain some individual control of their money.

Capitalist: You Pay Yours, and I’ll Pay Mine

Finally, we have the option where purely shared expenses are simply split straight down the middle. Differing income levels don’t change anything; If you make more then you keep more. Everything else is paid directly by each individual. Theoretically, each person is thus incentivized to keep their own expenses down, as nobody else helps to pay for it. There is “my money” and “your money”. This is often how platonic roommates manage their finances.

Just Call Me Karl
Although I usually don’t align myself as communist, I must admit that that is mostly how we manage our money as a married couple. It’s also helpful that we both work and earn comparable incomes (a least for now). We do add in a small “adult allowance” fund where we can spend money on whatever with no questions asked. Besides that, while we definitely don’t always agree on things, I think the combination of open communication and the passage of time has gotten us relatively comfortable with the “one pot” setup.

Now, I don’t think any one type is necessary better than the other, and know couples of each persuasion. I do have one question for the capitalist-types, though: What about retirement? Do you split that too? What happens if one person doesn’t invest adequately in retirement?

Filed under: Finance, Money Saving Ideas | No Comments »