Top 5 Ways to Save Money Using Your PC

Our Tuesday Top 10 List has had to undergo cutbacks this week, and you will only have a “Top 5” list. This is a good list to refresh your memory about using your PC to save money!

Everyone is trying to save money these days. Money is tight and getting tighter. We all have incentive to cut our costs or increase our income to meet the unique financial stress that we’re experiencing.

1) Skype – You can use Skype to make incredibly cheap phone calls. Call landlines and cell phones at great rates. Simply pay as you go or pay monthly for unlimited calls to landlines with a subscription. Skype Calling Unlimted US & Canada starts at $2.95 per month. All you need is Skype, a good broadband connection, and a headset. You can even use a Skype phone that connects into your router directly.

2) eBay & Craigslist – Sell your stuff, especially the things that you aren’t using anymore. Your trash is someone else’s treasure. eBay is great for selling unique items & collectibles that don’t appeal to eveyone. eBay is ranked 20th of all website visits. You might need that many people to sell of your Aunt Ruthie’s Fish Dish which has been sitting in your garage for 12 years. Craigslist is great for selling large items, expensive items, and items that you might actually throw away. I have sold everything from old cell phones to my wife’s 1999 Minivan using Craigslist.

3) Comparison Shopping – The one revolution that was evident in in the 1990’s was how the power of shopping shifted to the consumer. If an item is being sold in multiple places, and and a shopper can easily price compare at the click of a mouse, why would anyone choose to pay significantly different prices? Don’t forget online coupons and shopper rewards, either. Use PriceGrabber, Bizrate, Google Products or FatWallet to start!

4) Online Billpay – If you have a good number of bills each month, you can save time and money by using Online Billpay with your bank of choice. This may only save you $5 a month, but it’s worth it to cut your time and save some cash.

5) Cut Cable Bills to ZERO – Are you ‘leaning in’ instead of ‘leaning back’ to watch TV? That was the difference between watching TV on a computer and watching TV on a TV. Now, you can use internet technology to watch your favorite shows. Check out Hulu, Boxee, and AppleTV to watch programs without actually paying the cable company! Cutting your cable bill to zero requires some moderate skills, but you could save over $600 per year if you have basic cable and are able to turn it off.