Pentimento

How To Make Your Puget Sound Energy Bill Affordable Each Month

The Budget Plan

I'm surprised that more people aren't taking advantage of this payment option from Puget Sound Energy. Just recently I mentioned on Facebook that I had switched our PSE account to 100% Green. What that means is that all the electricity we pay for helps them produce green power like wind farms, etc. In our newsletter from PSE they had begun offering this way to purchase our power, and said that it would add about $10 to our monthly bill.  When I got our first bill and it was exactly that amount, that was what I mentioned on Facebook.

Shocking Power Payments YOU Are Making

The comments I got in reply to my Facebook statement really shocked me. Some people are paying several hundred dollars out of their pockets each month and not really knowing how much they'll be doling out until they get their bills. (Technically, yes, they can go online and see what their bill will be when it's been posted) To me, that is just too uncertain though. I like to know approximately how much I'll be paying. I say approximately because they do re-calculate the billed amounts every six months or so and so depending on usage, fuel prices, and temperatures, our bill fluctuates a little up or down.

Payment Plans

Budget Payment Plan

Our Budget Payment Plan which spreads your energy costs over a 12-month period helps you plan your household budget. Sign up by calling us at 1-888-225-5773.

Signing up is easy just call us at 1-888-225-5773.

Payment Arrangements

If you need to pay your PSE bill in smaller, multiple payments over time, we're happy to work with you to find a mutually acceptable payment plan. Please call us at 1-888-225-5773 (TTY 1-800-962-9498).

 

The Choice Of How You Pay Is Up To You

So, having said all that, there was one question I had about who would qualify for the budget plan so I called PSE (1-888-225-5773) to ask: can those who are renting a home also qualify.  The answer was YES.  I would say though that it probably has more to do with your credit worthiness rather than if you are a home owner or a renter because essentially you are asking PSE to trust you to pay the full bill but do it on a time payment.

If you're a PSE energy customer you can visit their Ways to Pay page for more information, or call the number provided in this article. 

The Last Word

This has all been about one bill. Your electricity bill. Now, take a look at all of your bills and determine which ones you might also be able to put on a budget payment plan. We have our Cascade Natural Gas bill on budget too. We pay our insurance on a montly plan also because that's what works for us. I think we all have options, and if you are having trouble coming up with large lump sums of money each month for your bills, then why not check into making your life a little more easy and affordable?

 

I don't work for PSE or any other utility. All the opinions stated are mine.

 

 

I Slashed Our $72 A Month Cell Phone Bill In Half!

Verizon Is No Longer Making A Bundle Off Us

I wish I had done this a long time ago, but to be honest, I'm not savvy enough to figure out how to do certain things without researching them a bit. Mostly because, I don't want to go to some business and make an ass out of myself. 

No doubt many of you are aware of Pay-as-you-go or PrePaid cell plans, but it might seem a little daunting to try to switch to one. It really wasn't for us, but we did have to pay off our contract. That detail was a personal choice dictated by time constraints (I wanted this new plan in place before summer travel season), and I waited as long as possible to get the pay-off amount down to something workable.

Here's what we had to do to change plans:

• Go to our local Verizon store (not a kiosk) and tell them we wanted to switch to their Core plan.

• We will have to change our calling habits somewhat, but we were only using 27 minutes a month on our old contract plan and that just seemed like a waste of money at around $72/mo. We're not cell phone junkies though, and we only use them to call if we're traveling, etc. Since some of our friends and family have Verizon too, as you can see by the schedule above we have unlimited calling to them.

• It was a tiny bit more involved to change both of our phones over to the new plan, but we had two really adept Verizon employees who got it done quickly for us. We signed the agreement to pay off our contract balance, and opted to pay $100 to the new prepaid plan so we didn't have to worry about running out of paid minutes. (You can also opt for a low balance auto-refill if you so choose).

• They opened up the backs of both our phones and reset them (for the new plan, I'm guessing), leaving intact all of our contacts and settings. One thing to be aware of is that with the plan we went with, should we change phones they do not have the contact backup available through their website anymore. That is for contract customers only. "Daring" people that we are (not), we decided to "take a chance" and we can re-input them again if necessary.

Summary

So, to sum it up, we did pay over $200 to cancel our old contract and put $100 towards the new prepay plan. But, since March 15, 2010 we have only spent $12.79 for calls. That's a big drop from the $72+ we were obligated to pay each month, and in a short amount of time it will pay for itself while still giving us the cell phone service we require.  The Core plan may not work for your situation, but they do offer other plans. Check them by clicking on the Core link above.

This is not a paid article or anything. It is entirely my own opinion and experiences, and I have related them here in hope that it will, in turn, help someone else. 

New! Babies R Us Brand Infant Care Products

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

What's new on the infant care line horizon? It’s Babies R Us the brand, now in their stores! It includes everything from diapers, formula, baby wipes, detergent, and purified water at significantly lower prices (as much as 50%) so you know you're getting a trusted brand as well as affordable products for your family.

Late last year, this product line made it’s debut in Babies R Us and Toys R Us stores, and I can imagine it was a hit with anyone looking for one-stop shopping for the little ones.  It might initially be a surprise that Babies R Us would offer their own brand of formula, but when you think about it, why not? Other stores like warehouse and chain grocers are offering their own high quality store brands too, and truthfully, I, for one, like them just as well if not better.

Let's face it, the economy is tight and there doesn't seem to be any reversal of that on the near horizon. As I mentioned in a tweet recently, store brands are just as good as national brands. It's the name that's different, not the quality. Babies R Us and Toys R Us make it easy to buy their trusted brand and do your infant shopping all in one place.

Please Leave NO SENIOR Behind: Repeal GPO and WEP Now!

Why do I rail on and on about the Social Security Offset and Windfall Elimination Penalty? Because my husband worked for private industry and paid into Social Security from age 18 (1967) until he was 31 (1980), BUT because he began working for the United States Government in 1980, our retirement income is reduced by two thirds because the government has deemed that money to be a "windfall".

What is the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)? 
  

Retirees drawing any government pension and also qualify
with a minimum of 40 quarters for Social Security benefits 
 may have their Social Security benefit reduced by as much as 60%

"Retirees drawing a benefit from a private pension fund
  do not have their Social Security benefits reduced.
 Why should we do this to our civil servants. "  Rep.Max Sandlin

As it is right now, he gets a very small pension from a corn processing company he worked for before going in the military and serving in the Air Force for 4 years (also paying Social Security), and also after he got out and reclaimed his job there. The government does not reduce his government pension because it's a private pension fund through Kraft. Before he ever hired on with the government, he had fully paid his 40 quarters for Social Security benefits.

From 1981 to 2008 my husband worked for the Federal Government as a civil servant with the Dept. of Defense paying into his government pension each paycheck.  Right now, he is only 60 years old and so not old enough to begin collecting social security, but he is collecting his government pension. He was in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).

Now, here's where it also cuts to the quick. I was a stay-at-home mom, and haven't worked enough in my lifetime to pay into Social Security. At this point, I'm disabled with fibromyalgia, but I rightfully don't qualify for any disability insurance or anything. I didn't pay into it, so I shouldn't get it. But, because my husband's Social Security benefits are reduced by this supposed 'windfall', so are any that I will get through him!! Just for being a woman, and being married to him for almost 39 years, I too am being penalized financially while he is alive.

Why don't they fix it and repeal this provision?

Because Congress, since 1977 (Carter) has fed at the pork trough and robbed Social Security so much that there is (seemingly) no way to pay federal retirees the full amount to which they are entitled. They could repeal it, but we need to speak up. We need to tell Congress to do the right thing.

Whether or not you are a federal retiree, or about to be, personally write to your Congressperson and express your opinion.

House of Representatives: H. R. 235 - Social Security Fairness Act of 2009

Senate: S.484 Social Security Fairness Act of 2009

Bush asked Educators     "Leave no child behind" (he blew that one, didn't he?)

Offset Windfall asks Congress    "Leave NO SENIOR Behind"

While Idaho Suffers Governor Otter Plays Politics

I received this email from my friend Sheryl who lives in Idaho in response to an email I forwarded to her from MoveOn.org. As you can imagine, she is furious with her elected officials and has voiced her opinion to her Senator Walt Minnick. The "them" she refers to is MoveOn.org. Here is what she said:

I sent them $10.  Hopefully, everyone can scrape up $10.  This is exactly what I want to see plastered all over all the TV channels, all the time.  I hope they show the ******** with a big red A on their foreheads or whatever would be appropriate for ******** that cut education, school construction and aid for states so that states can keep fire fighters, policemen, and state offices open, or whatever. 

Or, worse yet, Democrats that we voted into office WHO DO NOT SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT THAT WE OVERWHELMINGLY VOTED INTO OFFICE!!!  In Clearwater County, our unemployment rate is 15.5% and the children are attending school in crumbling buildings and/or temporary trailers with sad equipment.  Our county officials and the school board do good work and make the hard decisions and they are frugal. 

We pay our taxes and we donate to the school on a regular basis, but we need this infusion from OUR government.  How any elected official, especially a Democrat, could vote against help for our state is mind boggling and criminal.  Perhaps they are Republicans, just calling themselves Democrats, just to get elected.  We ARE going to suffer if our state has to make deeper cuts in services. 

Thanks for sending this to me  I thought we were past all this and, the Dems, at least, would get on with supporting our DEMOCRAT President and doing the people's work.  Oh, well.  I have put my.barackobama.com

 and MoveOn.org back on my monthly auto pay list and I recommend that you all do the same.  Remember to donate books and computer equipment to your local school library, they all desperately need the help!  Thanks for blogging this for me.  Sheryl Finley

I have seen the schools in Sheryl's area and they are a disgrace. In fact, a couple years ago two of the schools had to consolidate just to keep the children enrolled. This isn't the slums. This is rural Idaho where people are too poor to move anywhere else.

The Latest Insult

Now, tonight, I saw this new article

. If ever there was a doubt in your mind that politicians care more about their jobs than the people they serve, reading this article would dispel it once and for all.

GOP governors consider turning down stimulus money