Beware! Avoid these 5 scary money-wasters
Oct. 25, 2011—Residents of the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois had to fend off one of film’s scariest villains, Michael Myers, in the 1978 horror classic, Halloween.

But real Illinois consumers have a much more frightening foe to deal with: their phone, electric, and gas bills!

CUB’s top five scariest money-wasters don’t want to take a bite out of us—just our bottom lines. But defeating these real-life utility monsters is as easy as making a phone call or screwing in a light bulb, and can save you nearly $500 a year.



1. Line-Backer

This “Line-Backer” isn’t Brian Urlacher, but it can be just as punishing. It’s an optional AT&T insurance plan, for about $100 a year, that covers repairs to the phone wires inside your home. One big problem: Those repairs are needed on average about once every 20-30 years. Drop it!
Yearly savings: $96
 
2. "Dead" Minutes

Cell-phone users may be frightened by high “overage” rates, but a bigger problem is “dead” minutes—the calling time they pay for but never use. In fact, CUB and Validas, the makers of the CUB Cellphone Saver, found an average of more than six hours of wasted calling time on cell-phone bills. That amounts to consumers overpaying by more than $200 a year. If possible, downgrade to a plan with fewer minutes, or go with a prepaid cell phone.
Yearly savings: $200
 
3. Vampire Power

This vampire doesn’t want to suck your blood—just your electricity. It’s estimated that plugged-in but unused appliances could rob homes of an estimated $11 billion a year in wasted power. Make sure your appliances are turned off and unplugged. Also, use a “smart” power strip to take a bite out of vampire power. See CUB Energy Saver for more actions to cut your utility bills.
Yearly savings: $100
 
4. ComfortGuard

See if your Nicor Gas bill is haunted by this optional $4.95 monthly gas-pipe insurance plan. An analysis by the Illinois Attorney General’s office and CUB found that ComfortGuard was hardly used, and the annual cost was more than the average cost of pipe repairs. A state regulatory judge recently criticized the marketing of the plan as misleading. REMEMBER, you don’t have to pay for ComfortGuard to have Nicor investigate a gas leak. The company does that for free. (Note: Peoples Gas offers a similar plan called “Pipeline Protection,” for about $3 a month. Ameren does not appear to offer a pipe-maintenance plan like ComfortGuard.)
Yearly savings: $60
 
5. Incandescent Light Bulb

Like the infamous “Blob” in a bad B-movie, the traditional, incandescent light bulb has a big appetite—for energy. It uses 75 percent more energy than a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb. Each CFL can help you save up to $10 a year on your electric bill. See CUB Energy Saver for more tips on lighting.
Yearly savings: $10
 
Bonus Tip! Bloated Bills

CUB finds that the average landline phone customer is overpaying by $200 a year. Scary, huh? Visit CUB's Phone Savings Center to trim your bill.
Yearly savings: $200