Good Lord! That's a lot of money!

 I'll be surprised if anyone wants to do this.
If you do, have a drink in hand and be patient. It'll be worth it in the end.

 We saved a lot of money just by switching car insurance and having the cable company lower our bill.
I know, you would rather stab yourself in the neck with a plastic fork than deal with insurance companies willingly on your free time. Again, worth it!

I was with Geico several years, until my husband saw the bill. Apparently,  I was paying way too much and had no idea. Needless to say, I started comparing insurance companies right away and boy, was I being takin' for a ride. Allstate had the best deal and half the cost I was paying that lizard! I didn't even want to see if Geico could lower my cost. I figured they had enough of my money. Allstate has some really good people working behind the phones. Quick to answer your call and wasn't on hold once. I've been on the phone with Allstate more than just once. All of my encounters with them have been painless. I'm such a sucker for a company with great customer service. Thumbs up, Allstate!

 Then there was the cable. A necessary luxury. I didn't want to have to cancel it or switch to a dish. We entertained the thought of not having TV all together, but a person can only take so much reading! "How will I take naps on the sofa without the cheesy jazz music The Weather Channel plays?" I know I would miss TV even though I don't watch much on it.
 Thankfully, I have a friend who also has Time Warner cable. He told me to just call and ask them to lower our monthly bill. Sure...just call and ask. Why didn't I think of that? So I did!
 It was a test of my patience. I was on hold for 45 minutes before I could talk to somebody that could help me.
In the end, she gladly lowered my monthly bill and gave me free DVR service. The catch is, it's only for one year. That's ok though. I've been told I could call back after that year and have them keep it at the price it is currently. I'm not sure this will work with everyone or every cable/dish company. It never hurts to ask and never hurts to threaten to switch.

All in total we saved $1500 a year doing this.

I think sometimes WE (the customers) forget that we are the boss. We decide where to shop. We decide what to pay. We decide if they're worthy enough for our hard earned money.