Once a year I get the urge to review family expenses. It usually happens after doing taxes. My thought is that there must be areas to save expense without sacrificing too much convenience or enjoyment. It takes about a day, but it’s time well invested. I was raised with the value that time is money, so as long as I can save more money than the time invested, it’s a good deal. I go through every category of expense, insurance, cable, food, housing, transportation, cell phone, auto, utility, etc. Even my land based phone. I like the land-based phone because when it rings I know where it is.
Naperville city officials insistence that so-called Smart Meters for electric would be a money saver for residents was, as expected, a total fallacy. City officials fought residents to the point that unless smart meters were forcefully installed on their homes, they would be arrested and thrown in the slammer, as some residents were cuffed and arrested. Another example where the City was sued and lost in court, along with its image of being a ‘family friendly city’.
Naperville city officials are reviewing services offered to residents in relation to the cost of those services. In other words, how much inconvenience are the good folks of Naperville willing to endure to save money.
One example of reduced service cuts causing ‘pain and discomfort’ for residents, cited by city staff is the average wait time for calls made to the finance department. In 2016 the wait time was 3-minutes, now in 2018 the wait time is 4.6 minutes; an increase of 60%. Sounds terrible doesn’t it, until you realize it’s an extra 96 seconds or less time than the time between innings of a baseball game. Staff also cited that the number of abandoned calls per day by residents increased from 44 per day in in 2017 to 52 per day in 2018, which equates to less than one per hour.
Just as there’s no crying in baseball, is dropping one call per hour, and waiting an additional 96 seconds anything to whine and cry about when it comes to saving some money. I think not.
The bottom line is why not survey residents online and see which services are most important and which are least important to them. Simply ask the good folks of Naperville how they want their dollars spent. It’s their money.
After reviewing family expenses, I asked (surveyed) my wife if she’s willing to make these changes to save money. She said, yes, if I’m willing sell my 1990 Volvo sitting in the driveway. Ten days later the Volvo was sold, after I came to the realization that my 10-year, and 8-year old grandsons probably wouldn’t want it eight years.