City Highlight: Moving to Atlanta

Summer is almost officially here, which means that the time for people to start moving is fast approaching or already underway for some people. One of the more stressful parts of any move is connecting all of your utilities and home services. Getting everything set up can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you're new to the area and don't know what's available.

Last month, we did a piece highlighting the best deals on home services in the Chicago area. This time, we wanted to do the same thing for another destination: Alanta, Georgia. Hopefully this list will be helpful for anybody moving to or in the Atlanta area.

Check out the list below to see the best specials!

Shopping Deals for the Month of June

We're all about saving money here at WhiteFence, and we know that you are, too. That's why we're always on the lookout for great money-saving deals and specials out there, so we can pass them along. This is a time when people are trying to cut down on their spending, so I know that it's nice to find good promotions whenever you can.

While scouring the Web today, I came across a post on Lifehacker with some great finds. They basically put together a list of all of the discounted items that you can purchase in June, so that you don't spend more on them later in the year. I actually didn't realize just how seasonal some of the things we spend money on actually are, so it was definitely helpful. Some of the more interesting items they listed were:

• TVs. This is the time when new models are starting to roll out, so it's possible to get a steal on an older HD television. You can get a great TV for a much lower price if you buy something that is a version or two behind the latest and greatest.
• Housing. Since the summer is the typical time to move, there are lots of great deals on the market that you may be missing. While prices are lowest at winter, we still haven't hit the highest part of the season yet, so you can maybe save some money in this area.
• Tools. Apparently, people love to buy their dads tools for Father's Day. As a result, lots of stores are offering discounts. If you've been looking to replace your tools, this might be the time to do it on the cheap.

To read these and the rest of the excellent shopping deals for the month of June, be sure to visit Lifehacker for more information.

Provider Highlight: DIRECTV

In the last few months, we've taken more time to showcase specific things that consumers may not know about WhiteFence or its providers. This week, we're taking a look at Satellite TV provider DIRECTV. Here are some things that you might not know about their service:

• HD Programming. DIRECTV has a stellar high-definition lineup, with over 160 channels available in crystal clear picture. In addition to all these offerings, they have many movies available to watch in 1080p, which is the same resolution as Blu-ray.
• DVR Technology. Over the last few years, DVR's have become a staple in home entertainment, and DIRECTV is constantly on the cutting edge. Their DVR equipment has double the capacity of many TV providers out there, and you have the ability to record and watch shows from any room in your home with just one DVR box. Plus, you can set the DVR to record from the TV itself, your computer, or your phone.
• Sports. If you are a sports nut, then DIRECTV has a lot to offer for your affection. In addition to having all kinds of nationwide sports networks that give access to sports games not available with other providers, you can also sign up for special sports packages like NFL Sunday Ticket, which gives you access to every NFL game each week.

As of the writing of this blog, these are the promotions and services they're offering, but they could be changed at any time. To learn more, visit DIRECTV on WhiteFence and see what they're offering in your area.

Hottest Deals on WhiteFence

Who doesn't love a good deal? Our providers often run special promotions to woo you to choose them over the competition. These promotions can be pretty substantial, and can easily save you hundreds of dollars.

With that in mind, I've compiled the best deals available right now in this handy list:

• Lock in your rate for life when you order a bundle from Cincinnati Bell.

• Save over $400 a year when you order select AT&T U-vesre bundles.

• Get two months free when you order high-speed Internet service with Hawaiian Telecom.

• Enjoy Starz and Showtime free for three months with select DIRECTV packages.

• Pay nothing for your first month when you order television service from Everest.

• Save over $120 a year with select Verizon bundles.

• Get a $100 Visa gift card when you order home security service from ADT from Security Choice.

These promotions are running as of the date of this blog, but could be removed at any time. Not everyone will qualify for each of these deals. To check availability in your area, just visit WhiteFence.com and enter your address. More details are available once you have entered your address.

City Highlight: Moving to Chicago

Over the last few months, we've incorporated a variety of unique topics and features into the blog, including WhiteFence 101 tutorials, FAQs, and Provider Highlights. One of the new things that we want to start doing is highlighting specific cities around the country, and show what deals are available for each of them. This should be of great use to anyone moving to that area or even people that already live there and want to save some money on monthly bills.

Our first city on the list? Chicago. I admittedly don't know much about Chicago, but I have friends that live there or are from there, and they seem to be mostly alright people, minus that bizarre love of socks, bear-like animals and bulls. But regardless of whether or not I've been there or understand their fascinations, I've been able to do some digging around inside the WhiteFence engine to find some great deals for Chicagoans.

If you live around the area, you'll definitely want to check these out and see where you can cut some spending out of your expenses.

Myths About Using Coupons

I'm not sure how many of you watch Mythbusters, but every time I am flipping channels and find that it's on, I just can't pass it up. It does the same thing to me that Apollo 13 does for some reason, where I am almost physically incapable of turning away. I love watching Mythbusters because nearly everything they spend their time debunking is stuff I've repeated or heard from somewhere before. I think my favorite episode is the one they did about ninjas, because let's face it, ninjas are cool.

The other day, I stumbled across an article at Get Rich Slowly about busting the myths of saving money with coupons. It's a really interesting look at the perceptions that people have about using coupons to buy things and why more people don't use them. For instance, did you know that generic brands aren't always the cheapest? Or that the average coupon user "is between the ages of 25-34 and earns between $25,000 and $100,000 per year".

Besides those, there plenty of other useful facts and pieces of information about coupon shopping. Personally, I've never done a whole lot of it myself, but after reading this article, I might adjust a few of my thoughts on it. How many of you regularly use coupons to save money when shopping? Tell us in the comments!

To read more, visit Get Rich Slowly.

WhiteFence 101: Home Service Categories

We post quite a bit on this blog about home services and how you can save yourself both time and money when you shop with us or use our tips. Typically, the conversation centers around things like TV, high-speed Internet, electricity or phone, because these are the categories that many people are interested in. However, we may have a few additional categories that you weren't aware of:

Home Security

Appliance Rental

Maid Services

Lawncare

Pest Control

Newspapers

Magazines

Moving

Auto Insurance

Homeowners Insurance

Product Warranty

Credit Cards

Cell Phones

Who knew, right? Entering your address with WhiteFence can help you find the best results for your area for each of these categories. You really can get everything you need for your home, all in one place.

The Best Deals on WhiteFence Right Now

Our providers often run promotions to persuade you to choose their services over the competition's. These promotions can add up to some pretty significant savings for the savvy consumer, so it pays to keep an eye open for them.

Here are some of the hottest deals available on WhiteFence right now:

• Get a $200 AT&T reward card on select AT&T U-vesre bundles.
• Save over $20 per month with select Frontier bundles.
• Get $150 back and save $5 per month for 24 months on select Verizon bundles.
• Lock in your price for life with select Windstream bundles.
• Get a $100 Visa gift card when you order home security service from ADT from Security Choice.

These promotions are running as of the date of this blog, but could be removed at any time. Not everyone will qualify for each of these deals. To check availability in your area, just visit WhiteFence.com and enter your address. More details available once you have entered your address.

Megabits Matter: Our Fastest High-Speed Packages

It's funny to me that not too long ago, I had never really experienced high-speed Internet on my home computer before. Within the past decade, we've seen crazy leaps and bounds in terms of what we can do on the Web, at speeds most of us probably didn't think were possible in the 90's. The crazy thing is, as fast as my home high-speed connection is at 6.0 Mbps, there are even faster speeds out there.

Have you ever wondered about the fastest possible high-speed Internet package you can find? Lately, I've been curious about this, thinking about the best connection I could actually find and get hooked up in my home. Granted, I think about things like this because I'm a nerd, but I'm sure you are not a nerd, so you probably have more valid reasons to be pondering this idea. Regardless of why you've considered this question, I did a little bit of research into WhiteFence's providers to find the fastest high-speed Internet packages offered.

While most providers offer packages ranging from 1.0 Mbps to 10.0 or even 12.0 Mbps, there are some that go far beyond that. Check out the interesting results below.

Find Average Utility Bill Costs with the WhiteFence Index

Recently, we've had a few discussions on this blog about monthly spending as well as the average cost of utilities during the summer. Naturally, utility costs and rising prices are always a concern for people, especially during an economic climate such as this one. It always helps to save money wherever we can, and the easiest place to start is our home services like electricity, high-speed Internet, etc.

Another resource that can prove useful if you're trying to get a sense of how your average utility costs rank is to use the WhiteFence Index. This tool allows you to look at top cities, by utility or service, to see what the average costs are for that area. It's actually pretty helpful, and looking at it right now I can see that I'm paying a little more than average for my home phone/TV/Internet package.

So, where do your bills fall? To find out more, visit the WhiteFence Index.