Need A little help from the more experienced

Agree on the roomate...i know ur parents are taking care of it...but if they need a place...i can only think of $300 extra bucks in your pocket...he needs a place and he wil be paying for one. So i dont think it would be taking advantage of the dude/girl

 

2wire is AT&T. Yours is probably U-Verse if you're getting that kind of speed (but even U-Verse tops out at 24mbps guaranteed). DSL maxes at 6mpbs guaranteed.

If you want TV, you could look into their bundle deals. Sometimes it's cheaper to go with a bigger bundle as they have promo rates and usually include free installation (which saves about $150). Some include additional cash back. Then after the promo period is up, drop to a cheaper package (e.g. U-Family). The more you bundle, the cheaper it will be overall. You can bundle phone service, internet, TV and cell phones.

They offer U-Verse internet-only as well (basic is only 3mbps). You might have an installation charge with that.

Nowadays, you can get most of your TV through the internet with sites like HULU Pro or Netflicks, so you might get by just as well with faster internet. U-Verse Max Turbo (24mbps) is $50/month for 12 months.

The only issue with U-Verse is availability. It's not everywhere so you may not get it depending on where you live.

They're $14.95 DSL is good for a year but it's only 1.5 Mbps and the way they bill it is pretty goofy (they charge you the full rate for 2 months and then rebate the rest of the year so it works out to $14.95/month.

 

Sometimes you can threaten to cancel service at the end of the promo period and get another promo deal. If the service rep won't do it, ask for "Customer Retention." Their job is to keep you as a customer.

 

Skip cable. Try to share internet with someone close. Or do internet and get netflix for tv, plus get local stations free. All about going the cheapest route first. Need to spend less not more. Most places today pump out free wifi, use theirs, not pay for it. Or if you have cellphone with data just teather it. You blow through $700 a month fast out on your own.

 

About the roomate: My parents didn't want me to get one. I'm not going to CL a roomate, and all my friends dont want to move out from their parents house or cant.

About internet: Thanks for the info, and I will look into the introductory thing. I probably wont get cable. No need too. I want to focus on school and health when I am not working, so IF I have time, I dont want to be using it to watch tv. And you guys are right, I can use HULU or Netflix (which I used to have and watched instead of TV. 8 bucks is worth the documentaries.
Thanks for all the help guys. Keep the advice coming. Anything you guys think I should learn/look into.

 

Electric is not a choice you will have whatever place you choose will have one and only one electric company it's not like cable or Internet it's just you use whatever is there.

 

Not true. Not here in Texas, there are a few to choose from. and yes I am aware I have to pay that haha. Thanks though.

 

There are many companies here in Colorado and all other states too but every home is conected directly to the power grid for an electric company when it is built the same company will serve all or part of a town what I am saying is your electric service will be through what ever electric provider the electric for that particular house or apartment is you don't get to choose unless you choose where to live based on who the electric service is through its not like cable or Internet they can't just disconnect a property from one company and hook it up to another.

 

Only $700 a month I spend at least $500 a month on gas!

 

Try Amazon.com's Prime Instant Streaming vs the offering of Netflix. $79/year... $6.59/month and I got better quality and more things I would watch.

 

You don't need cable, there are better ways to entertain yourself. If you can't separate yourself from the TV, there's always the internet.

I'd budget more like $300 for food. Get used to packing your own meals; eating out/fast food will run your food bill way above $300.

Quit drinking soda/beer, water is not only the healthiest thing for you it is also the cheapest.

You don't need a gym membership to be fit. Run outdoors, do body weight exercises, and get yourself a doorway mountable pull up bar.

Constantly seek additional sources of income; another job, a higher paying job, a side job, etc.

Get in the habit of turning lights off if they're not being used. Keep your heater and A/C set conservatively. Keep your water heater set low.

Seek financial aid. Take a loan if you truly need it, leave it be if you don't.

 

A programmable thermostat is a good investment. You can have different settings for different times of the day.

During the colder months, I programmed mine to be cool while I'm sleeping (e.g. 65) or not normally there (50) and to heat the house just prior to waking up (70). I also set it to warm the house just prior to getting home from work. The rest of the day it was set very low. It keeps the heater off for most of the day. The same can be done for warmer days and A/C.

I got the one I had from Walmart for about $30.