AHAA Moment
AHAA figures that everyone could use a few extra dollars in their pockets or a few extra minutes in their day. So, we're introducing our new feature, AHAA! Moment, where AHAA members can share their tips for saving money and simplifying life. If you have an AHAA! Moment and you'd like to share, send it to us and we may post it here. If we use your submission, we'll credit you with the great idea!
Are you still paying for stamps to mail your bills?
Practically every entity to which you pay a bill now has an online or automatic debit system that you can sign up for – and stop paying for stamps each month! It usually only takes a few minutes of your time initially to sign up, and you can be saving yourself roughly $5 a month in stamps alone if you send out 10-12 bills – that amounts to $100 or more over the course of the year! Plus, it takes less time to click and pay your bills electronically than it does to write out checks and address and mail envelopes. Additionally, you can be sure your payments are received on time, instead of worrying about the mail lag time or your bill getting lost, which means you’re less likely to incur potential late charges.
Okay, you’ll still need stamps for other uses – but you can save money on those too!
While stamps are necessary for mailing cards and some packages, you can save money there too. Programs are available that allow you to print out your own postage or have it delivered free to your home, saving you the trip to the post office. Also, resist the urge to buy themed stamps with the current rate printed on them – if you don’t use them all and the postage rate goes up, you’ll have to buy additional stamps to cover the difference. “Forever” stamps are a better choice here, they cost the same as the going rate for a stamp, but will always represent the current face value of a stamp no matter how much you paid for it or when you use it – no additional postage necessary.
Other AHAA Moments