Get into a regular routine of shopping around for cable TV, telephone and Internet service, and ask providers for discounted rates, says Julie Murphy Casserly, CFP and author of "The Emotion Behind Money." Some cable TV companies will offer new customers monthly packages that are $20 less per month than their standard rates, she says.
You also can save money with your existing company by letting someone there know that you're willing to shop around, she says.
"If you call your cable provider and ask about what certain promotions are going on right now for new customers, they may be able to switch you over to the promotional price instead of charging you the full rate," says Andrea Woroch, a consumer adviser based in Santa Barbara, Calif . "And sometimes threatening to cancel will secure that next promotion."
Potential savings: $20 per month, or $240 per year.