Lowering Your Phone Bills

In this economy we're all trying to get the most out of every dollar we spend. The cost of using the telephone has long been an issue for most people on a budget. It's one of life's necessities but it can get so expensive you just want to get rid of it. Nowadays it seems every member of the family wants their own cell phone with all of the features included like text messaging and Internet. Here are some great tips that will help you wrangle in you phone expenses without losing touch with the world:

Evaluate the different calling plans. Perhaps when you signed up for your calling plan it was the best deal at the time. Things change so rapidly in the world of phone service that there might be a better plan that suits your lifestyle. Also, if you overestimated how much you'd be using your phone, you'll want to drop down in plans. If you underestimated, and are using your phone too much, you'll want to get into the plan this is right for you. Either way, you'll avoid overpaying.

Rethink the need for a cell phone. Can you get by without a cell phone? Many people claim they can not, but humans went a long time without having cell phones. Having one around for emergencies is always a good idea, but if you start using it too much you'll start going over your minutes. With services like Skype and Yahoo Voice that let you make phone calls from your computer, you might find that you do not need your cell phone enough to justify the monthly cost.

Shop around. There are so many different ways to get phone service these days, it only makes sense to do some searching online to see where the best deals are. VOIP service let's you use your broadband connection to make phone calls. Plus many online services let you make calls from your computer. If you use Gmail you've probably noticed you can use Google Talk to make video calls when both people have a webcam. It's never been cheaper to communicate with one another, so do not get bogged down by needless phone bills.

Forgo features. Even though they're fun , they're rarely necessary. Text messaging can be a cheap and fun feature for a phone, but the nickels can add up pretty quickly, especially with younger users. Having the Internet on your phone is also a big lure, but in daily practice most people find that they do not really need to take the Internet with them. The added cost that comes with these sort of features makes it hard to justify their use.

With a good hard look at how you use your phones and what services you can not live without, you should have no trouble getting your phone bills under control.