Money is a topic that we all think about daily. How much is in my wallet? Did we pay the trash bill this month? How much is it going to cost me for my son to join the basketball team? How much did I just spend on groceries? As long as you are just thinking about money you probably don’t have a problem. If you are “worried” about money then you may need to make some changes and live more frugally, or cheaply.
Focus on cutting some bills out completely and reducing others. You don’t have to take every suggestion I make to heart, but do consider the suggestions that seem doable for you and your family. This week I’m going to suggest that you take a good look at your phone usage.
Do you have a home phone with long distance service and a cell phone? If so, reduce the costs on one. Use your cell to make your long distance calls and cancel your home long distance plan. If even when you’re home you use your cell phone consider completely cancelling your home phone. Why pay for what you don’t use?
On the other hand, if you hardly ever use your cell and still lovingly use your landline, consider switching your cell to a prepaid phone. You never get a bill in the mail and you pre-pay as needed. The only requirement to my prepaid phone is that I buy a $20 phone card every 90 days. It costs me .10 a minute, and I use it just like a regular cell phone with text messaging, internet, and photo taking. My minutes roll over as long as every three months I remember to buy a new minute card. Instead of paying $40 a month for a cell phone, I pay $20 every three months, which saves me $100 quarterly, or $400 a year. If you pay more than $40 a month for your cell phone your savings would be higher.
There are many prepaid cell phone companies out there. Each company has different costs per minute and requirements so be sure to shop around for the best deals. Some of the most popular prepaid cell phone companies are:
- -Virgin Mobile
- -AT&T
- -TracFone
- -Verizon
- -Net10
Prepaid phones can usually do everything regular cell phones can, and basic models start out around $15 at Walmart. Typically prepaid phones also comes with minutes included, so it’s like getting the phone for free.
If you worry about bills, or just want to save money, reduce or omit the bills and services you can live without. Look at your phone usage and see if there’s any changes you can make. Little changes here and there add up to big savings! If you have any frugal tips, or if you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment! We love to read comments!
November 10, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Great post, Brandy!
Prepaid is the rule and not the exception outside the U.S. But it’s now the fastest-growing segment of the industry here for a variety of reasons. People are obviously catching on.
All of your points are great and here’s another thought:
It’s also a fantastic way to teach children about money, responsibility, budgeting and more while empowering and enabling them, and providing parents the ability to communicate with kids and keep in touch.
And TracFone (ahem!) makes this all very easy, since it’s the least expensive way to own a cell phone.
You mention that prepaid phones are perfect for people who don’t use them a lot. That’s very true! But they’re also great for heavy users, too.
Straight Talk offers two prepaid plans: 30 days of1,000 minutes of talk, 1,000 texts and 30MB of Mobile Web access for $30 OR $45 for Uulimited talk, texts and Mobile Web.
It’s available at Walmart or online at: http://straighttalk.com/ShopPhones
Thanks and keep up the great job!
May 27, 2010 at 8:39 am
Prepaid is really the way to go. I have found that Net 10 id the best option. You only pay 10 c a minute for calls and 3 c per text. The beauty of this is that there are no extra charges. It is great no to get those surprise bills at the end of the month.