Posted by Mike Smith :: July 25, 2008 @ 7:25 am

When you are careful with your personal finances, you do everything possible to ensure that every dollar spent is done so in an efficient manner. Once a purchase has been made, getting the most value from that purchase is a continual effort. There are many purchases that encourage or even enable additional savings.

One example of such a situation is purchasing a high-speed Internet connection. Once that service is in place, you can save money by using your connection to pay significantly less for home phone service. Whether you prefer to make calls from your computer, or through your normal phone, there are many inexpensive options available. I choose to use Vonage, which I have connected to all of the phones in my home.

For less than $20 a month I get more than enough talk time for all of the local and long distance calls I need to make. For an extra $5 I could have unlimited calling, if needed. Plus, I get many more features (voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, 3 way calling, local access numbers for out of town relatives) than I would through my local phone company. A similar amount of services, including long distance, would cost me at least $75 per month.

The $55+ I save each month easily covers the cost of my high-speed Internet connection. So a purchase that might seem like an extra expense is actually able to save me more than it costs.
The additional time I save through the speed of the connection is an extra bonus. Also, entertainment options available through the Internet (simulcast TV coverage, archived series episodes, music and video sites) make my cable subscription seem like less of a necessity. I certainly do not need premium cable with all of the sports, movies, and television I can watch for free over the Internet.

This one example showed how spending money could actually save you more. By taking advantage of the opportunities presented by a purchase, you can get maximum value from the dollars you do choose to spend.