Clark saw a disturbing story in
The Los Angeles Times about how the rate of disconnect for utilities is up 50% year over year around the country. In Chicago, they've seen a 33% increase; in Detroit, 56%; and in Southern California, 15%.
This is partly because of the slowing economy. The solution is to trim your budget. Of course, there's a segment of the population that lives life so close to the edge that maybe there's nowhere you can cut.
But for most of us who are pinched, it's because we haven't analyzed how we spend and where we can change things. For example, 30 years ago people lived without the Internet, cell phones and pay television. Isn't it amazing how our expectations have changed so much in just one generation?
Think and re-think how you spend. Here are some pointers:
• If you spend $43/month on Internet, why not go Neanderthal and switch to dialup? You could save up to $400/year by doing so.
• When it comes to your cell phone, try a pre-paid plan like
Net10.com. • Stop paying for 1,000 channels of TV -- there's nothing on to watch anyway!
Clark mentions these 3 things just to get you thinking. We look at them as must haves. But survival only requires food, health, shelter and clothing. Not cable, cell and Internet.
The poster child for being thrifty is Clark's associate producer Joel. He's 24 and has not yet learned to blow every penny. While he does have a cell phone, he doesn't pay for TV or Internet. He also drives a used car he bought for $3,200 and typically wears used clothing. Clark even calls Joel "cheap." That's high praise coming from the penny-pincher himself!
