Maximize Your Monthly Budget Part One (The Phone.)
By
R.D. Swartz
We are all hurting financially and need to make our money stretch as far as possible. The first place to reexamine is the home phone, mobile phone, TV and internet services. The choices you have if you are an internet user from home are multiplied and need to be explored to see where you can save money in other areas due to your 24/7 connection to the world wide web. If you are not a computer user then you may want to look at the advantages of having one and how it can save in your monthly expenses.
The overall goal here is to make sure if you have one or all of the four you are getting your monies worth and not overpaying or double paying for services. You and your family must be absolutely honest about your habits in using your home phone, mobile phone, TV and internet to make a determination on how to save money. So what questions need to be answered first?
Phones, do you need a home phone line, mobile phone or both and how much do you use them?
Write down the answer to the following questions honestly. What are the true monthly costs after adding in taxes and fees by the providers and any extra fees due to your phone calling habits? Is a mobile phone absolutely necessary or a luxury? Most people want an emergency mobile phone for car break downs and if you had one is that all you would use it for? Are you surrounded by phones all day at home or work that are all you really need as opposed to a mobile phone? What is the cost of the extra services such as texting, emailing and more that are common on mobile phones and if you have internet access can you use them on a computer instead of a mobile phone? On the daily route you drive is it necessary to have an emergency phone or if you had a car break down what would you do or where can you get help without a mobile phone?
So what was the result of yourself examination? Is a mobile phone necessary or can it replace a home phone and serve as the only phone you need? What services do you need on your mobile phone if you have intent at home and or work? We will look at the possibility of an internet phone number in one of the next maximize your monthly budget articles to see if it is a viable option as well.
An emergency only prepaid phone can cost around .25 a minute plus a daily activation fee of 1.00 and if this option is best for you than you need to make sure it is only used in an emergency and not used to make unimportant calls or the costs will eat you up in the long run. A mobile phone that is used a lot with an unlimited number of minutes is best for those who do use them frequently and or as a replacement for a home phone line. I know many people that made the choice to go mobile only because they use it all the time and never use their home phone line.
If you cannot live without your mobile phone than you probably already have an unlimited plan costing around one hundred dollars and includes texting, emailing, voicemail and other luxuries. This is usually the best way to go and of course covers you as an emergency phone for car break downs. So the question is do you unload the home phone line or do you need it as part of your internet service? Let’s wait to make that choice until after we look at the phone, cable TV and internet combo packages in the next article.
