I am always amazed about how service providers today magically have a good deal when you are ready to take you business to another company.  I always thought the idea of really good customer service was to proactively deliver value to you by doing things like adding new services and lowering your overall cost.  Instead, the game today with cable, internet, and phone companies is to play dead and wait for you to tap them.

One easy way to trim your overall household expenses going into 2011 is to simply go bill by bill, vendor by vendor, and call each of their 1-800 numbers to let them know you will be leaving them.  This happens so often now that many of these companies actually have one of the automated options that will actually say press X to discontinue your service.

When you press that button, it will feel like you have entered Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.  This is the land of sweet and good.  In this land, you can ask for anything that you want to lower your bill or get more services. Magically, your super duper customer service representative will make the next 12 months sweet as pie for you.  They know full well that you won’t read your bill for at least another 12 months and maybe more before you figure out there’s another better deal just around the corner.

This is an annual ritual for me, and one I take great delight in doing in making my own smart money moves.  As you take off a few days over the holidays, perhaps you should consider breaking out all of your bills and just take some time to press the discontinue service button.  Just one touch of that button, and your holiday season of savings will be off with a bang!

oXYGen Financial, Inc. co-CEO Ted Jenkin is one of the foremost knowledgeable professionals in giving financial advice to the X and Y Generation.

Ted Jenkin, CFP®, AAMS®, AWMA®, CRPC®, CMFC®, CRPS®
Co-CEO and Founder oXYGen Financial, Inc.
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TED JENKIN IS SECURITIES LICENSED THROUGH INVESTACORP, INC. A REGISTERED BROKER/DEALER MEMBER FINRA, SIPC.  ADVISORY SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH INVESTACORP ADVISORY SERVICES, INC. A SEC REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISORY FIRM. Linked sites are strictly provided as a courtesy. Investacorp, Inc., and its affiliates, do not guarantee, approve nor endorse the information or products available at these sites nor do links indicate any association with or endorsement of the linked sites by Investacorp, Inc. and its affiliates.