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Creatively
Frugal Cell
Phones
What
strategies do you use to keep down the cost of keeping connected
by use of a cell phone?
"Long distance phone calls to
family and friends are made after 9 p.m. or on the weekends (this
makes them free on our plan). We call each other on our cell phones
only, even if I am at home because it is free to call anyone anytime
that is with our carrier. WE DO NOT GIVE OUR CELL PHONE NUMBER OUT!!
Incoming calls are just as costly with most plans. If we do not
recognize the number we don't answer it. They can leave a message
and we can check our messages from a land line for free." ~
Kristi
"I keep my cell only for
emergencies and important calls. I buy a $10/month cell card and
bought the cell phone outright, so that's all I pay every month.
It's the cheapest plan I could find, and it still ensures that I
have a cell for priority calls. Most chats with friends or family
wait until I can use the land line. ~ Christa (P.S. I worked it
out. After all the extra charges, it still isn't cheaper to use
the cell alone for my calls.)
"My husband recommended that I
carry a cell phone because I am out alone with the children a
lot. I agreed that we could use the peace of mind, but I
didn't want another monthly bill.
We chose to use a prepaid phone
service (TracFone) and it works really well for us. When I
renew my minutes (required every two months), I buy my air time
online (air time cards are also available at Wal-Mart), I
choose the lowest number of minutes available (60 minutes for
$20), then I buy extra time before having to renew (I think $5
for an extra 30 days). Then, I make sure that I don't use it
for chatting. We spend less than $10 a month on cell phone
expenses. If I have a heavy need for air time during a renewal
period, I just don't buy the extra time. I've never run out
of minutes and I always have peace of mind (for my
family and my budget)!" ~ Anne Margaret
"We have a Verizon plan, and we
are able to call the 'air-time free' line and hear a balance of
our minutes. This includes our free minutes and the minutes that
come out of our plan. This helps me to make sure we won't go over
our minutes for the month. If we are close to our limit, we can
change our calling times to talk to friends and family during
'nights and weekends' when the calls don't use our monthly
minutes." ~ Alyssa
"I just bought a $20 TracPhone from Walmart. You can buy
units as you need them. The phone is very basic.
No music or camera--just a phone. I get good reception also. A
few weeks ago I got a flat tire on a dirt road. I had 5 kids
in my vehicle. That is when I decided it was time for a cell
phone. This is the cheapest thing on the market right now."
~ Tonya
"I also bought a prepaid phone (from Virgin Mobile). I
pay 35 cents a day, but then only 10 cents a minute or 10 cents
a text. My family and friends know that I only
"receive" calls on my phone unless it is an emergency.
They can get hold of me, I can make emergency calls, but my bill
is only about $10 a month. There are other companies that
offer similar services, but read the fine print! One company
charges $1 a day if you use your phone at all! The way I read
it, that is a $30 a month contract!" ~ Barbara in KY
"I resisted getting a cell phone, but was glad I got one
when I had a flat tire last year three weeks after moving to a
new state where I knew no one. I was able to contact my
emergency road service immediately because I had the cell phone.
I, too, have a prepaid phone that I 'top up' at least every 90
days for $20 (or more, if I choose). I have dropped long
distance from my land line and use my cell for all those calls -
no monthly payment for long distance (I don't make a lot of long
distance calls). I use the phone judiciously and because there
is no monthly payment for maintenance, I average about $12/month
($2 more than the "maintenance" on the phone
company long distance). I may pay more per minute for it,
but by not making frivolous calls, it is cheaper in the
long run. If I didn't need a land line for my computer, I would
probably have only a cell phone." ~ KL
"I've found that the
best way to save on a cell phone is simply not to give out the
number! I have a prepaid phone (only $20 every 3
months), and only a select few people have the number to it.
I'm of the mind that I don't want to be bothered while I'm
out, so my entire social network doesn't need the number! I
use my cell phone for my convenience only." ~ Anne Marie
"I have had a GO Phone
for almost 2 years now and it's wonderful! It's just like
having a regular cell phone account. I was able to choose the
plan I wanted, the exact same amount of money is taken from my
account each month AND any minutes I have left over get rolled
over. OR if I go over my allowed number of minutes before the
monthly amount is charged. I either have to add money myself
or live without service until my account is charged again.
It's GREAT! Not only myself but both of my teenagers also have
GO Phones. The first several months my daughter had a hard
time with a set limit of minutes. However she has since
learned to ration them and I don't have to worry about how
much any of our cell phone bills are going to be because they
are the same amount each month. My specific plan comes with
300 anytime minutes and 1000 night and weekend minutes all for
$39.99/month. All of which I find to be more than enough
air-time each month." ~ Tauna
"My
cell phone provider just started allowing me to log in to my
account on line and see a graph of how much time I have used
in my plan and how much I have left. I love seeing things
visually. This would be great for people who have
trouble staying within their minute limit. I also don’t like
to waste my free minutes, so I try calling friends and family
long distance (which is included free with my plan) at the end
of the month to use up my minutes.
" ~ Beth
"My family is
scattered all over the
USA
( nd one abroad). We all got nationwide plans on the same
carrier (Cingular) so we can talk for free. During the evening
hours, I can call my best friend long distance for free, as it also
has free nights and weekends.
We plan our long distance calls for times when it’s free, when
feasible.
" ~ Denise
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"I USE A PRE-PAY PHONE, WHICH IS STRICTLY NO-FRILLS. NO CAMERA
NO TEXT MESSAGING--JUST CALLING AND RECEIVING CALLS. IT COSTS
ME $15 A MONTH, WITH ROLL-OVER MINUTES. RIGHT NOW I HAVE OVER
1500 WEEKDAY ANY-TIME MINUTES, AND OVER 2400 WEEKEND MINUTES."
~ Constance
"I finally broke down and realized
that having a cell phone in my car for emergencies was a good idea,
especially since I have an older car with high mileage. But I didn't
want to have a monthly fee, which I felt was ridiculous. I don't
like being attached to a phone and in constant contact with people.
So I just bought a prepaid phone that I use for emergencies. It has
already helped when my car overheated in the middle of heavy traffic
and I was left in the median of a very busy highway in the middle of
5 o'clock traffic in the middle of the summer. I was able to contact
my mechanic son who arranged for the tow truck and contacted my
other son to pick me up on his way home. Actually, just that one use
convinced me that I need to have the phone in my car for
emergencies." ~ Linda
"Moderation in all things is the answer. Sometimes we think
that if we purchase something it must be used. I use my cell phone
only in emergencies, and when I really need
to call my husband or children's schools. My cell phone
is not fancy. I don't waste time taking unnecessary pictures
or text messaging." ~ Carolina
"I have a prepaid cell phone.
I have it because I work the 11p - 7a shift and if I am away
from home and I'm needed I can still be reached. It costs me
$100 per year and I get about 450 minutes for that price. As
long as I activate a new card by the due date I can roll over
any minutes I have from the previous year. Basically, I use my
phone for emergency situations only. Driving at night I feel
safer having it and I know that if something happens at my
daughters' school I can easily be reached." ~
Annie
"One way to save money is
to miscall someone. You let it ring once and then hang up. You
show up on caller ID and they can call you back, which,
depending upon your plan or if you have a phone card, will be
free for you. Just be considerate if it's costing them, though.
With my husband and some friends, they get so many minutes per
month that they never use up, so that works great. With others,
you don't want them to always pay for your chats. But it does
also allow them to return your call when it's convenient."
~ Beth
"I simply signed up with T-Mobile when they had a special
where you could get a nice, new, free cell phone. And the
monthly plan was only 19.99 for 60 weekday minutes and 500
weekend minutes (it included voicemail and caller ID). This
way I can have a cell phone for emergencies and to make quick
calls which is very convenient and not have a big cell phone
bill each month. I know this since I used to work for a big
phone company and sold cell phones and I know this was a
good deal." ~ Suzie
"We have mobile phones
for - originally - safety reasons. I could always call my
daughter if I would be late picking her up from school because
of traffic (her school never had anyone in the office at that
time); and as I work late two evenings each week, I could
always phone home if I was going to be even later, or for help
if I broke down, without leaving my car.
Pay as you go phones are the
best. You just pay for what you use. I give my daughter £10
credit each month, with the proviso that she always has at
least £5 available for emergencies. As she is given credit
for presents by relatives, she always has much more than this,
and now keeps her base-line at £10 by her own choice. I keep
my own base-line at £20. You never know what might happen.
Neither of us uses our phones
just for fun, although we have a great provider which gives
free texts etc each month - and those we do use to the full!
Keep the cost down by taking
advantage of all the offers from your provider, and make any
long calls from your landline.
I'm in the UK, so this may not
be entirely relevant to most readers. Sorry. But I do love
your emails." ~ Susan
Editor's Note: Thanks to these readers for taking time to share
their ideas!
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