Save money painlessly by negotiating discounts for monthly household expenses.
OK, so you've already cut your monthly budget in an effort to build your savings. Daily lattes are gone, dinners out are rare, and perhaps you're saving money by working at home. What else can you do to cut your monthly household expenses?
你正在通过节省家用开销来省钱。那好吧,你已经开始减少每月的预算来努力存钱了。每天一杯咖啡的享受没有了,也不去外面餐馆就餐了,也许你为了省钱都呆在家里工作了。你还可以做些什么来节省每月家庭开支呢?

Cutting your monthly budget again doesn't mean trimming necessities; it means saving money on them. That might include trimming grocery costs and comparison shopping for items likes clothes and household goods.
节省每月的开支预算并不是说减少生活的必需品。而是说在这些上面省钱。这也就意味着要减少日杂开支,买衣服或家庭用品的时候多逛几家店对比一下价格。

But when you save money on these purchases, each discount only happens once. To really maximize your savings, cut your recurring expenses, and let the savings add up.
但是当你在买这些东西上面省钱时,只能有一次的打折机会。为了真正达到节约开支的目的,你需要削减你的日常开支费用,多存点钱。

Review Your Monthly Budget Expenses
回顾一下你的每月开支预算

We tend to think that the costs of goods and services only goes up, but, in fact, they sometimes goes down. Competition and new technology often bring down prices for services like cable, telephone and Internet--giving us an opportunity to cut monthly budget expenses painlessly. So consolidating your business at one company or signing up for bundled services also might mean a discount.

我们经常会想当然的认为服务以及物价是一直上涨的,但其实有时候他们是会下降的。竞争以及新的科技经常会给电视,电话,网络这样的服务行业带来降价,这就提供给我们每月可以毫无痛苦地节省开支的机会。所以,只购买固定的品牌或者是办理捆绑性的服务都有可能会给你省钱。

But few companies advertise to existing customers that they have lowered their prices. You have to review these monthly household expenses periodically to be sure you are getting the best deal.
但是很少有公司在降价后会打广告通知客户这一振奋人心的消息。所以,你需要每月都审查这些家庭开支预算,以确保自己得到了最实惠的折扣。

Here's a list of 10 places to cut your monthly budget:
以下10招帮你节省每月开支

1.Insurance  
保险

Compare prices for auto, home, health, business and life insurance. Consolidating at one insurance company could lower your insurance costs. That might mean you'll need to take your business elsewhere to save money. But before you do, be sure you're getting all the discounts you deserve at your current company.
比较汽车保险,家庭保险,健康保险,商业保险以及人生保险的价格。在同一家保险公司买的话可以降低你的购买成本。这就意味着你要在别的地方省钱。但是这样做之前,要确保那家公司给了你最优惠的购买折扣。

Consider raising your deductible for lower rates. Ask your agent what other discounts you might qualify for. Often working from home could mean a discount on auto insurance.
考虑下以低利率来增加你的可扣款。问问你的代理机构你还可以得到什么样的其他折扣。经常在家工作就代表着可以在汽车保险上省钱。

2.Financial Fees
财务费

Are you still paying a monthly fee even though your bank now offers free checking? Particularly if you have direct deposit, most banks offer some type of free checking. I found I was paying $8 month for only a few services (like free certified checks) that weren't available on the bank's free checking program.
即使现在的银行提供免费存储业务,你是否每月还在继续为你的户头付费呢?特别是如果你办理的是直接存款业务的话,大多数银行都会提供好几种类型的免费储蓄。
我发现每个月我都交给银行8美元,但是只能享受到银行不免费提供的个别服务(如免费确认支票)。

Do you incur ATM fees because your bank's machines are not convenient? It might be as simple as reviewing your current bank's options or you might consider migrating your account to an Internet bank, especially if earning more interest is important to you.
你是否因为银行取款机不方便而要支付ATM费用呢?解决的最简单的方法也许就是看看你存款的银行有没有其他选择,或者将钱存到网上银行,特别是当存款利息对你来说是很重要的时候就更要这样做了。

3.Cable and Satellite Television
电视和卫星电视

Competition in this industry means that new packages are available that could save you money. Television and phone service providers are now bundling together their services, so consolidating your phone and TV services at one company may save money.
在该行业的激烈的竞争就意味着新产品能够帮你省钱。如今,电视和电话服务商都喜欢将业务捆绑在一起推销,所以在同一家公司办理捆绑业务可以帮你省钱。

New customers, whether bundling services or not, usually get the best deals, so it may be necessary to switch providers. But sometimes threatening to switch will net you a discount. Also, if you're really serious about saving money, consider downgrading your package by cutting out pay cable channels.
新客户,不管是否选择捆绑业务,都会得到最优惠的服务,所以有必要的话,可以经常换供应商。但是经常更换供应商的危险就是会使你享受不到折扣。并且,如果你真的想省钱的话,可以考虑下减少付费频道的订购。

4.Cell Phone
手机

Cell phone companies love to offer free phones to induce you to sign up for another two-year contract. Before you renew your contract ask yourself a few questions:
手机公司都会以提供免费手机为名,让你签下两年的花费合约。在你签之前先问问自己:

(1)Do you really need a new phone and what is the hidden cost up sticking with your plan to get it? (I got my cell phone from Ebay for $30 rather than take the free one and the two-year contract.)
你真的需要一个新手机吗?在你得到这个手机的背后你要付出多少成本?(我宁愿从易趣网上花30美元买个手机,而不愿要一个免费的手机和两年的花费合同)。

(2)Are you using all the minutes allotted?
你用得完所有的通话时间吗?

(3)Are you paying for Internet and texting but not using it enough to justify the cost? Or are you using it so much that another plan might be a better deal?
你是否支付了过多的短信费和手机流量费?或者你是否每个月都超支,换选另外一种套餐也许是更实惠的做法。

(4)Would a cheaper plan or a prepaid cell phone serve you just as well?
是不是有适合你的更便宜的套餐或者付费电话服务呢?