How much is this job worth? Let me tell you about seven seemingly little things that save me NIS 440 a month. That's just about $100. Or think about it as a $1200 a year "raise."
1. Save money on long distance calls.
Comparison shop the long distance companies to get the best deal to the numbers/countries you call most often. And if you're already paying your Internet Service Provider for email service (which I assume you are if you're reading this newsletter!), write email letters overseas instead of calling as often as possible.
My monthly savings: NIS 30.
2. Stay on top of your internet provider's rates.
As long as we're talking about the Internet, I ahve to tell you about one of my biggest savings. Just by calling my Internet Service Provider, I was able to lower our monthly rate first from a whopping NIS 171 to NIS 121, and then down to NIS 89. How? The ISPs are always running a sale. But they will not contact you about any new deals. You must contact them.
My monthly savings: NIS 82.
3. Monitor insurance rates.
Are you getting the best deal on your auto, life and homeowner's insurance? Check out this site which has links to all the big Israeli insurance companies: http://www.tapuz.co.il/index/proceed.asp?c=811. It allows consumers to compare coverage and prices. If you currently have insurance policies with several different companies, see if discounts are available for consolidating all of your policies with one insurer. By comparing costs I was able to save NIS 500 on my household policy alone this year.
My monthly savings: NIS 42.
4. Cut your children's hair.
One of my children actually prefers that I cut his hair rather than going to a barber. And I enjoy the creative experience. I cut his hair every 5-6 weeks. At the barber we use, that haircut used to be NIS 50 a pop.
My monthly savings: NIS 33.
5. Move your child to a neighborhood school.
This might not apply to you, but it worked out big time for us. We moved our daughter from a non-neighborhood/semi-private school to the public elementary school across the street. The local school is quite wonderful. Plus we saved on an expensive "hasa'a" (transportation)...not to mention the higher school fees. And now our daughter has all her friends right here in the neighborhood.
My monthly savings: NIS 220.
6. Get online with your bank.
Here's something the banks actually want you to do - use the Internet to check your statement instead of using the machine in the bank to print out a copy. Because you can check whenever you want in the privacy of your own home, you'll catch errors much more easily and get fees reimbursed to you. Finally, you'll receive 1% more interest on any savings plans you set up yourself via the Internet.
My monthly savings: up to NIS 13
7. Purchase an EZPark from the post office.
If you find yourself driving a lot and overfeeding the meters because you're guessing at how long you'll be, invest the NIS 100 to buy the new computerized EZPark machine. Then when you park, you just turn it on and off with the press of a button so you get charged only for the exact amount of time you were out.
My monthly savings: NIS 20.
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