Money Saving Thursday’s – Reduce Your Cell Bill

 

Today’s money saving discussion is going to be about our dreaded cell phone bills. Statistically 91% of Americans have a cell phone and if you are anything like me, you can’t live without it. Heck, even my 90 year old grandpa has a cell phone. Many cell phones are basically small computers that can do everything; text, email, facebook, internet and even use them for wi-fi hotspots to connect your computers to the internet. All of these fun features can come with a hefty price tag. Let’s explore the many ways you can save some cash on your cell phone!

1. The most obvious one is to shop around. When your contract is getting close to ending start doing some price/plan comparisons and don’t be afraid to call your current cell company and tell them you are shopping around. Many companies will cut you a deal to keep you as a customer.

2. Assess how many minutes you actually use compared to what your plan is. My current plan is for 700 landline minutes, free mobile to mobile and free nights and weekends. After looking at my actual used minutes per month the most I have used recently is 350 minutes. Basically I am paying for minutes I don’t even use so I am going to bump my plan down to the lowest family plan my cell provider offers which is 600 minutes and save myself $10 a month. My provider also offers rollover minutes, which I am maxed out on and each month I loose some, so if I do have a month that I talk a lot I have those to fall back on.

3. If you have a data plan on your cell phone look to see how much data you actually use each month. Most cell providers have different plan rates for different data usage. Even if you use a lot of data there are ways you can bump your plan down and not go over. I use my phone more at home than anything and I can simply turn my wi-fi on and use my home internet through my wireless network and save my data for when I am out and about. My cell provider charges $15 for 200 MB’s of data and $25 for 2 GB’s. By using my wireless network at home I am able to bump my plan down to the $15 plan and save $10 per month.

4. Assess the “extra’s” you may have on your phone and whether you really need them or not. Many people love the navigation on their phones but that usually comes with a price tag. Do you use it enough to justify the cost?

5. Consider dropping any insurance plans you pay for. I think these are a waste of money. Have you ever used the insurance? Most of them have a deductible of like $100 and you are paying $6 a month for the plan. Just not worth it in my opinion.

6. Look into discounts that you may receive through your employer. I receive a 10% discount because of who my husband works for. It could easily be a savings of $15-$20 if not more. Some employees even get 20%! Typically it is 1 simple form you fill out and provide proof of employment such as an ID or paycheck stub. I had to fax mine and it took all of 15 minutes to do.

7. Consider joining a family member or close friends plan to save money. Obviously this needs to be a person you trust but it can pay off. When my husband and I decided to switch providers we just joined onto my dad’s plan and it saves all of us money.

Hope you found some of these useful and can implement a few of them to save some cash. Don’t spend more than what you have to!