Uncategorized

A cellphone bill is an expense almost everyone has to pay each month. Even if you set up automatic payments to make paying it easier, it’s still money you have to come up with monthly”and it can be a big bill.

Here are five ways to lower your cellphone bill:

Switch to no contract. One of the big costs of a contract plan with your phone provider is paying a subsidized price so that you can get the latest phone every two years. Some companies run the contract for 30 months, which lowers the payment, but also adds six months to the time it takes to pay off the phone.

A no-contract plan requires you to buy the phone upfront, but should give you a much cheaper monthly cost over the next two years.

Keep your phone longer. Your phone purchase is no longer bundled in a monthly cellphone bill with a no-contract plan, and you can continue that savings by keeping your phone for longer than two years. The savings increases each month you keep your phone.

Call with WiFi. Most phones offer the option of calling using WiFi, saving data usage and keeping your bill low. You can also use WiFi to send text messages or chat by video, as well as use the internet.

Keep the background silent. Even when you’re not actively using your smartphone, email and apps are running silently in the background and eating up data. Turn off this data usage in the settings menu and only check your email when you have free WiFi. Be sure to check out the background data usage for individual apps on your phone to get an idea as to which ones use the most.

Match your data to your usage. With an unlimited data plan, you may not be paying extra for using a lot of data, but you may see speeds drop when you hit a limit that resets every month. If you’re using WiFi often to save on data usage, look at your phone’s data usage in the settings section to see if it’s within a data amount your phone provider allows at a lower rate.

If you don’t use as much data as you have access to, why pay for it? Conversely, if you’re watching Netflix on your phone and use a lot of data, you may be able to save money by switching to an unlimited plan.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, granite countertops are in less demand today, while the use of quartz is on the rise.

Why? For one thing, man-made quartz countertops are offered in a far greater range of looks and feels. Reason number two: its a bit easier to maintain over the long haul, and its deemed a better environmental choice because it emits lower levels of radon”a potentially cancer-causing agent. To be fair, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains the radioactive materials in granite countertops are far too minuscule to pose a health threat.

So what, exactly, is a quartz countertop? Its made of engineered stone, composed of at least 90% ground-up quartz mixed with a binder (like resin) then molded into a slab. Because pigment is added during the manufacturing process, the sky’s the limit when it comes to color. And quartz is non-porous and fairly resistant to stains, mold and bacteria.

Unlike granite countertops, which require periodic resealing to maintain their beauty, quartz is low-maintenance, needing only regular cleanings with soap and water or a mild detergent.

Quartz can be more impervious than granite to cracking or chipping under average conditions, although it is not quite as heat-proof. Most manufacturers recommend using a trivet when placing scalding hot pots or pans on a quartz countertop.

Apart from durability and maintenance, quartz comes in an infinite variety of designs, ranging in look and feel from sleek solid colors to organic-looking variations that resemble real substances found in nature, like veined marble. It can have a smooth and shiny finish or a softer, brushed feel (almost suede-looking). Choose wisely because the design can make a huge difference in the look and feel of a room.

Quartz counters may be a bit more expensive, up to 10 percent higher in cost than their granite counterparts, but shopping around and resealing over the years can mitigate any cost differences.

So, what side are you on? Natural stone mined from the earth or a man-made variation?

Published with permission from RISMedia.

If you have a sign in your front yard warning burglars that you have a home alarm system in place, you could be attracting a new breed of scammer. Thats the warning from the consumer watchdogs at Consumer Reports, who say scammers look for signs of existing installations, especially older-looking signs, then strike with one of two approaches:

1. Fraudsters claiming to be remote access technicians from your security company tell you, they noticed glitches in your system and they want to repair it. You let them in and they tamper with your system so they can return and burglarize your house.

2. Scammers claim your company has gone out of business and theyve taken over their accounts. They “examine” your system and convince you to buy new equipment. They take your money and are never heard from again.

The fact is that legitimate home security system companies never simply send a repairman unannounced to your door. Even if they telephone first, call them back to confirm. Similarly, if your monitoring company had gone out of business, you would have been notified by mail, not by telephone and certainly not by someone simply showing up.

Security experts say you can protect against these scams by taking the following steps:

• Get references. Ask any salesperson for names of previous customers, especially in your neighborhood, whom you can check with for legitimacy.
• Do a background check. Demand information about the contractors license: the number, state of registration, etc. Check them out before taking any action.
• Get it in writing. Insist that estimates for service or equipment be in writing, specifying who will install it, how it will be maintained and the cost”and pay by credit card, not with cash.
• Read the contract. Ensure that everything youve agreed to is written into the contract. Check the small print for any monitoring fees or terms you did not agree to.

Most importantly, remember that the FTCs cooling-off rule gives you three business days to cancel the deal if you sign the contract at home. You do not have to give a reason and you can change your mind even if the equipment has already been installed.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Like most homeowners, you probably have your water heater strapped down and you flush out the gutters every spring. But there are many other tips that make a big difference in terms of both safety and thriftiness.

The home safety watchdogs at FamilyHandyman.com offer seven tips to start with:

Monitor furnace filters. Clogged furnace filters cost you in both efficiency and higher bills. For peak performance, replace them every 30 – 60 days. Keep track of when you replaced them last by buying several and labeling them by month.

Shut off the water when on vacation. Every insurance adjuster hears it: “We left town on Friday and returned Sunday evening to find thousands of dollars in water damage.” Before going on vacation, turn off the main water valve. In less than a minute, you can eliminate the most common cause of home damage.

Dont leave the remote in your car. Anyone who breaks into your car can grab the remote for easy access to your garage, and the registration card in your glove box gives the thief your address. Ditch the remote on your visor and buy a keychain model you can take with you every time you leave the car.

Think about replacing pipes. If you have galvanized steel pipes in your home and low water flow at faucets, chances are the pipes are to blame. Galvanized pipe is prone to mineral buildup, which eventually chokes off the water flow. Replacing the pipes is the best cure, especially if you live in an older home.

Check the breaker first. When a light goes out or a switch doesnt work, check the main electrical panel for a tripped circuit breaker. Look for a switch thats not in line with the others. Flip it to the ‘off’ position and then back on.

Get low flow showerheads. Showerheads are heavy water users and major energy eaters, since 70 percent of the water used is heated. By reducing hot-water consumption, a low-flow unit can pay for itself in just one month. Many of todays water-efficient showerheads now provide a high-flow feel.

Install ceiling fans. Moving air increases evaporation from your skin and helps keep you comfortable at higher thermostat settings.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Wood floors are a top choice for modern homeowners. Proponents believe they offer warmth as well as elegance, but they do require care to maintain their luster and are costly. Fortunately, say flooring exerts, technology makes it easy to achieve the look and feel of wood flooring without the need for special care”and at a far lower cost.

Check out the look and feel of these alternatives at local flooring or big box stores. (If you don’t plan to do it yourself, factor in $30 to $45 an hour for professional installation):

Bamboo
Bamboo flooring is an eco-friendly alternative to hardwood that is easy to clean, shrugs off wear and tear, and results in a similar look. Available in vertical, horizontal or strand-woven varieties, it will cost $2 to $5 per square foot.

Engineered Wood
Designed to handle moisture and wear, engineered wood flooring is durable, moisture resistant and available in a variety of wood-look patterns. This faux wood flooring is so much like the real deal (because it includes real wood in the layering) that it can even be refinished. Expect to pay $8 to $12 per square foot.

Laminate
Laminate vinyl is a photo of wood that is laminated onto vinyl flooring. Very resistant to high-traffic wear, it’s available in a wide variety of wood-like designs. It’s moisture-resistant, making it a great choice for kitchens and bathrooms. Laminate vinyl can come in sheets, tiles or planks. The price is significantly less than hardwood, with luxury vinyl tile coming in at $2 to $5 per square foot.

Porcelain Tile
A perennially popular flooring material, porcelain flooring comes in a variety of sizes, colors, and designs, many of which mimic wood-grain textures. In general, tile is durable, easy to clean and water resistant, making it ideal for bathrooms and kitchens. Large-format tiles can serve as a dramatic decor element, visually expanding a room due to minimal grout lines. Average cost is $4 to $9 per square foot.

Published with permission from RISMedia.