Ok, so the country is in national debt of two billion dollars. This we all know. We also know that no one has quite figured out how to get us towards a balanced budget without all the painful and drastic cuts.

A lesser known fact, however, is that our personal debt is approximately six billion dollars. Yes, that’s right: Six. Billion. Dollars. This simply means that we, as private citizens and business entities, have OUT borrowed the government threefold.

What is most important to know is that each and every one of us has a personal responsibility to reduce our own expenditures and monthly bills.

Today, we can look at two very simple forms of controlling our personal spending.

Surf n’ Turf

Around 25 years ago, Cable TV arrived and we could finally be liberated from the two legacy network channels of ABC and CBS. We then had access to maybe 100 new channels including: HBO, Cinemaxx, Showtime and other networks.

We were happy to sit down and channel surf our lives away and become certified couch potatoes, paying out approximately $100 per month for this luxury. So, basically, by the end of the year, we were paying between $1200 and $1800 a year for cable TV.

These days, that sort of money can be saved by switching to Internet TV. For as little as $150, we can purchase any number of devices that stream video content from the internet to our TV sets

•Roku

•Apple TV

•Amazon Fire

•G Box

These can be purchased at a number of locally owned establishments such as:

•Red Laser

•Bermuda ITV

With access to providers such as Netflix, Blockbuster, and HBO, these devices allow you to access almost every single form of television show and/or movie that has ever been released. You can catch up on entire seasons of Game of Thrones, House, Scandal, House of Cards, etc.

You will need to have a Wi-Fi internet speed of about 4-8MPS in order to avoid “Bufferitis.”When you factor in that you pay a one-time fee of $150 per device, you will be saving over $1,000 per year with a wider range of entertainment.

Can you hear me now?

If someone were to tell you 25 years ago that you could watch movies on a phone and have free video chats with anyone, anywhere in the world, you would have asked them how many Dark N Stormies have they had to drink that day.

Well, cell phones have evolved from the size of a lunch box to the size of a small wallet with no money in it.

For a while, we were once all addicted to Blackberry phones. Then iPhone took over and now Samsungs (or Sam’s Son) are making their mark.

Almost every two months a new model comes out with a price tag of nearly $1,000.

Recently, Digicel has decided to do the world a favour and provide us with android phones with a price tag of about $100. These units are capable of downloading the exact same apps as the S5, for a fraction of the price.

I myself have one of these units, and it has served me well for the last few months. I would highly recommend investing in these units for yourself and your children. Teach them from now on that they do not have to pay $500-$1000 to have a brand name phone.

We all must do our part to cut down on personal and family expenses. A Penny saved is a Penny earned.