Do You Hulu?

     Yesterday I mentioned that we canceled our $79.99 a month cable TV and added Hulu for $7.99 per month. In the past we’ve heard about Netflix and Hulu as an alternative to cable, but never did anything about it.

     We decided to research these alternatives partly because we were looking for ways to save money, and also because there are only a few shows on cable that we actually watch.

     In my opinion, Netflix and Hulu are both good ideas. Netflix seems to have more movies and Hulu appears to have more TV programs. Since we have many movies on DVD, we decided to go with Hulu.

     We’ve been using Hulu for a few weeks and I feel liberated! Now I choose what I want to watch, and when the program ends I get up and do something else. I no longer get caught up in the mind-numbing trap of sitting in front of the television. If I want to watch TV, I have to make a conscious decision to watch a specific program.

     Not only are we saving money, but I have so much free time I was finally able to start my blog.

 So tell me…Do you Hulu?

Taking a Good Hard Look at How We Spend Money

     With talk of the Sequester being implemented in the near future by the US Government, many people are re-evaluating how they spend their money.

     Whether there’s crisis or not, I think it’s a good idea once in awhile to take a good hard look at how we spend money. Here are a few adjustments we have made at our house.

1. The bill was $79.99 a month for cable TV. We canceled it and added HuluPlus (more about this in another post) for $7.99 per month.
2. Go to the grocery store with a list and stick to it. This helps us not load the basket with every goody we see. It also helps us avoid returning home with tons of food, but nothing for dinner.
3. Cook at home…what a concept! Now that we have the proper ingredients in the pantry we actually cook, instead of going out so often. This saves a lot of money and the food is much better at home.
4. Only purchase food we intend to eat in a certain time period. This helps us not buy things that get lost in the back of the fridge and pantry. You know, like the cake mix that has an expiration date of 2009, or the Tupperware with the mystery food at the back of the fridge.
5. Portion control…we now cook for two instead of five. If there are leftovers, we eat them!
6. Pay attention to the cost of gas and adjust driving habits. Now we use the internet or telephone instead of driving to the other side of the city to see if Best Buy has a particular movie.
7. Amazon is a great way to save money on books and many other products. Quite often the postage is free.
8. Replace light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs and join the energy saving program offered by the local electric company.
9. Re-evaluate home and auto insurance. We were happy to find that we already had great coverage at an affordable price.
10. Refinance mortgage at a much lower rate. Although our payment went up slightly, we were able to lower the interest rate so much we went from a 30-year to a 15-year mortgage. WooHoooo…can you say happy dance?

     With these changes we are saving money and time…and the food is better. I’m sure there are many other things we can do in addition to the few I’ve mentioned. I’d love to hear about them.

     Do you have any tips on how to save money?