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Should a person say goodbye to cable or cut out a gym membership?
My kids kept telling me to try streaming, but I was stubborn.
A premium cable package can indeed be a big expense.
According toCNET, the average monthly cost of a premium cable TV and internet package is $217.
Turns out Im on Wi-Fi 90% of the time.
Switching to a smaller plan was a no-brainer.
Fancy Gym Membership
Jennifer said that this one was tough to admit.
I kept telling myself Id use that fancy gym with the pool and yoga studio.
But you know what?
Im just as happy walking with my neighbors every morning and doing YouTube yoga in my living room.
Thats $900 a year back in my pocket, she said.
When I actually tracked what I watched, I realized I was really only using two of them regularly.
The others were just auto-renewing and being ignored.
This isnt uncommon, either.
Landline Phone
My kids thought it was hilarious that I still had a landline, Jennifer said.
I kept it for emergencies but realized my cellphone works just fine for that.
The only calls I got on the landline were spam anyway.
Storage Unit
This was a big one.
Id been paying for a storage unit for five years after downsizing, she explained.
Total Monthly Savings
Thats almost $7,000 a year I was literally throwing away, Jennifer said.
Now that money goes into my travel fund.
Im heading to Italy this spring my first trip to Europe ever.
Much better than paying for a storage unit full of stuff I never used!
Her advice for other retirees?
Look at every automatic payment and ask yourself if it really adds value to your life.
We get stuck in these patterns of paying for things just because we always have.
Retirement is a great time to break those patterns.
She also suggested reviewing bills quarterly.
Companies are sneaky with those rate increases.
They count on us not paying attention.
But when youre on a fixed income, every dollar counts.
So, I say, not me anymore!
Dont be embarrassed to call and negotiate or to cancel things.
Get rid of it!
You probably dont need it.
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