More Cable Company

Well, I posted perhaps 3 months ago on the benefits of going directly to the cable company, Comcast in my case, to negotiate a better rate (ie. ask for the Promo rate). In that time I've done it with mixed success which has led to some changes in my thinking, to wit:

1. I was successful in getting my Internet rate extended for another full year, at a rate lower than what I had been paying. I had been paying roughly $33 per month and it dropped to $29. Hey, $48 per year extra in my pocket is nice! Plus I own my cable modem and don't rent so that's a rental fee savings, like maybe $3 or $5 per month, I can't remember precisely what but if you don't own your own cable modem, you should. They are CHEAP! And the ROI is just a few months, maybe 6.
2. I was unsuccessful in getting the promo rate on cable extended for another 6 months of HBO. Considering the full extent of why I watch HBO is to see Entourage, i made the decision with my wife that it was time to drop that part of the package which also took Encore with it and a bunch of fun channels like History International and Nat Geo. That's all OK so far as I'm concerned as we can watch HBO at a parents or sister's house and catch Entourage in blocks. the other channels you ended up learning to live without quickly, and besides we literally have hundreds of DVDs. All of this ended being a huge savings, something like around $70 for cable when all is said and done.

It should be said as well, that at the end of the current promo deal for cable, my Comcast bill showed up with greater than $200 in charges which was another reason to drop HBO and the extra channels. This happened once before too and both times it left a sour taste in my mouth as that's much too big of a bill for cable.

It made me look really hard at my cable bill.

It made me think.

And for Comcast, they are now going to lose more revenue.

On my bill I noticed, really for the first time, the enormous charge they level on the customer for the right to DVR programs. Now I love DVR, having a Series 2 Tivo on the upstairs TV but not wanting to invest in another for the HDTV downstairs, I just went with the flow from Comcast. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me but it basically breaks down like this:
Monthly Charges
Cable Box: $3 x 2
Remote Control: $0.25 x 2
DVR Service: $16
HDTV Service: $6

That's a whopping $30.50 of every bill. So I thought about Tivo again for the downstairs TV and ran the numbers. By returning the DVR to Comcast, I will have 1 less cable box, 1 less remote and can drop the DVR service. That makes a monthly savings of $19.25 and my monthly outlay is now $11.25. WOW.


So, a series 3 Tivo, since I'm an existing customer for over 5 years and can take advantage of their upgrade program, will cost me $199 plus a buy out of the subscription for $299 equaling a cost of $498 plus 7% tax. That's a big number but consider that: $19.25 x 12 months equals $231 and by some more math in roughly 28 months I will have paid for the Series 3 Tivo plus not have a large monthly bill, it was a no brainer, I placed my order yesterday.

Some other things worth noting however, which as part of my research are important toward this project. Tivo requires you to get a cablecard from your cable company. You are normally entitled to 1 free for every outlet you have in your house. I have an upstairs and downstairs outlet, as defined by my current usage of 2 cable boxes and I need 2 cablecards to use the dual tuner in the Tivo Series 3. Comcast is installing those in the Tivo later this week and it won't cost me a dime.  However, if they do charge, because maybe you only have one outlet in your house, Comcast would only have charged a $1.50 for the second card. First was still free. BTW, they tried to charge me for both, but their own site FAQs did them in.

The lesson is: always do your research.

Spending to save (hopefully)

The end of June marks the 1 year anniversary of my wife and I being in our house.  When buying a house it takes all sorts of time to learn all the different things about it that come up, its particular quirks, needs, etc.  There is also an on going discovery and with us, its been about our water bill.  We get billed quarterly and have 2 meters.  1 for the house and 1 for the outside sprinkler system.  The house water has cost us, quarterly, over $200 every bill and its just the two of us so early on I decided I had to save water where I could and became obsessed with water conservation but entirely for selfish reasons.

 

For about $30-$40 worth of total investment, I changed out all of the aerators on the faucets, the shower head and added water banks to the toilets. (I got most of them through http://www.conservationmart.com  I couldn't tell you how much this saved us, it must have done something, but its been hard to determine.  So my attention next turned to the appliances which came with the house as part of the sale and which I knew nothing about since the prior owner left us zero in the way of manuals or documentation regarding them.

 

I started with the clothes washer as my common sense, backed up by a little research led me to believe that most of the water was being used there. Especially since we maybe use the dishwasher twice a week, tops.  The clothes washer we got with the place looked great but I knew nothing about so i set out to find a manual or something about it online.  Googling the model number and serial number resulted in zilch but I did stumble upon this link: http://www.appliance411.com/service/date-code.php  If you have your appliance's model and serial number, which is usually on a plate in the frame of the washer door, this little tool allows you to look up the month and year in which it was built.  Our washer had been built in 1994! 

 

Part of my research also had me on http://energystar.gov and the reading was interesting about the very poor inefficiency of older washers and that even a washer built today that is non Energy Star vs. one that is Energy Star results in 18 more gallons per load.  Since mine was 1994, I figured it was more but whatever.  The way my wife does laundry (or maybe the way in which I go through clothes during a week), we'd save by getting a new washer.  On the Energy Star site, they have a constantly updated Excel spreadsheet of energy star certified washers and we chose a Maytag and when all was said and done we bought one and had it delivered for free from Home Depot for roughly $850 ($720 for the machine, Tax and another $60 or $70 for a 4 year service contract.).  Additionaly, the state of NJ, in conjunction with your local utility will give you a $75 rebate if the machine you purchase meets certain criteria which I made sure ours did.  I think it was called a Low Energy Factor but the details are on the State of NJ's web site.

 

So its here, and its quiet, holds more laundry in a load than our old one, uses special detergent called HE (High Efficiency), has a tremendous spin cycle that really removes the little bit of water it does use, which has had the side benefit of us running the dryer for around half the time per load of what we had been running it so we're saving there too.

 

Mentally I'm putting a lot on the washer saving us on utility expenses (less electric to run, less gas to heat water, less gas to dry clothes, less water over all).  Since I just paid the 2nd quarter water bill, the 3rd quarter will be pretty clean for usage so I'll post an update in a few months.  I'm hopeful it makes a big difference.

The Cable Company

How can the cable company be a True Outlet? Well, its like this: Competition from Verizon, Direct TV, Dish Network, the Internet, etc. has motivated cable companies to do whatever they can to hold on to customers so if you're motivated and don't mind asking for it, you can get cheaper cable and Internet service from them simply by asking for it.

In my case, I'm a Comcast customer and I sign in to their Live Chat with their customer service whenever my promotional period is about to end. Its easy, convenient and no phones. A quick convo with the rep and they usually offer you up the promo rate without you even having to ask. For example, this past week I got my notice that my 1 year promo rate of $33 per month for Internet was coming to an end. Around 7:00 am this morning, with my coffee in hand, I logged into Live Chat and mentioned the letter I got and that it wasn't clear what my new rate would be but could they tell me what options there are for me. Withing just moments they offered me another 1 year promotion rate of 29.99 per month so I'm actually saving $3 per. If I had not logged on they would have raised me to $42.95 (at least, I really wasn't sure based on what they sent me).

Anyway, it pays to ask and I've done the same with cable for 6 month promo rates although to get it I had to go the road of them canceling HBO if they couldn't give me a better price. They did and I still have HBO which is good because we like Entourage.

All in we pay about $95 per month for cable and Internet but if we didn't ask I think it would be somewhere around like $150-$160.

The Lenox Outlet

The Lenox Outlet - 545 W Tilton Rd, Pomona, NJ

My wife and I love Christmas, and she loves to shop, and I love to driver her places to shop so one of our shopping destinations is the Lenox china outlet in Pomona, NJ. Another true factory outlet, if you are interested in starting a china set and have your pattern picked out, like things like Snowbabies, Christmas ornaments or Lenox silverware, dishes, plates and so on and so forth, then this is the outlet for you.

It's open year round, and has some of the most amazing deals you'll ever see on Lenox and brands they represent, it's a pleasant ride to South Jersey and is very much worth the trip.
One thing we've discovered over the years, is that the absolute best time to hit the Lenox is right after Christmas. They do an inventory reduction event as they prepare for a weeklong shut down in order to inventory their warehouses so the deals are even more phenomenal.
It's location is also convienient in that a trip could be combined with going to Atlantic City or stopping in at Smithville.

Tip: Get on their mailing list. Special sales and coupons await.

Update 05-2009: My Wife and i went to the Lenox shortly after Christmas and it was doing a huge clearance in anticipation of having to move. We talked to the people who work there and they didn't know where that location would be. Its now May and still no word on if/when it will reopen. That said, 4 times a year, Lenox opens their warehouse in Cranbury NJ and we're getting coupons in the mail for those so that's still an option worth investigating.

The Vanity Fair Outlet - Featuring Vanity Fair, Lee, Wrangler, Healthtex, Jansport and Nautica

As the very first entry on this site, what would be better than the truest of the true shopping outlets than the VF Outlet in Reading PA? From NJ you can figure on going and hour or so into Pennsylvania to Reading in addition to whatever it takes for you to get to the PA Turnpike.
The VF (Vanity Fair) Outlet is massive on an impossible to describe scale and is loaded with deals on clothing and has the biggest selection you've ever seen. It's truly worth the drive and the drive is a pleasant one into rural PA. The Vanity Fair Outlet features Vanity Fair, Lee, Wrangler, Healthtex, Jansport and Nautica


Map and Directions to the VF Outlet from Google Maps

Be sure that when you plan your trip you go to the VF Website and download the Coupon . You'll have to sign-up but they don't spam you and the emails are limited to only really good events they are having or friends and family shopping day coupons so the sign-up is worth it. Or stop at the first rest stop heading west on the PA Turnpike where the tourist center is. After geting a mocha at starbucks, grab one of the reginal travel magazines which usally also have a 10% off $100 coupon in it.

The VF Outlet

The VF Outlet is not only VF either, it's surrounded by an entire village of outlet stores. Now these stores are not the deals that the VF Outlet it, they are mostly typical dicounter stores that have popularly been called outlets but there are a few like the Black and Decker which are worth it.

The VF Outlet Village

Now, if you are more interested in staying local and a drive to Reading PA is not your particular brand of Vodka, the VF has a smaller outlet in Cinnaminson, NJ (click here for Google map) but it is not nearly as big, perhaps a tenth of the size of the Reading outlet, but it's prices are good and it does have a few things I don't remember seeing in Reading.