Phones
Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone. Steven Spielberg
PHONES
Drop your landline
If keeping a land line try Vonage, Ooma
How to Ditch Your Home Phone for Google Voice
Use Vonage or a similar Voice over Internet Protocol Service (such as
At&T CallVantage, SunRocket or www.voip.com) to talk by computer. It gives you unlimited calls throughout the United States and Canada plus caller ID, call waiting and 911 service for $25 or less a month.
There are many phone services that cost less like VoIP Services: Verizon FIOS and AT&T U-verse offers them at a cost from $30 to $50 a month. There are other alternatives that cost even less (from nothing to $25 a month) like www.Ooma.com , www.Vonage.com , www.MagicJack.com, . www.Skype.com You can buy get them also at www.amazon.com and local retailers.
Ask the cell phone company if they offer discounts to certain employers. Depending where you work… if you are a federal or state government employee or work for a big company like KMART, Sears or Home Depot or a big hospital they might offer you a discount that could save you 10-25% a month.
Using directory assistance can cost you as high as $3.49 per call. There is a way of getting free directory assistance by using 1-800-FREE-411 (1-800-373-3411) or 1-800-411-SAVE (1-800-411-7283). The tradeoff is that you will have to hear an ad for about 15 seconds before you can get the number.
Do not pay extra fees for using too many minutes on your cell phone. Now you can download free software at www.watchmycell.com. This program sits in your computer and checks your cellular account through the Internet. When you are about to run out of minutes, you get an e-mail alert. Check also www.overmyminutes.com which is a free service that sends you a text message or e-mail whenever you are getting close to over your allotted minutes.
Sell your unused cell phones to www.greenphone.com. You will receive about $35 and the phone will be refurbished and resold. Other places were you can sell your old cell phone for cash: www.cashmyphone.com , www.cellphonetradeins.com or www.cellforcash.com or www.sellyourcell.com
If you want an extra voice mail box or you need to receive faxes but don’t have a fax machine you can sign up for a free phone number at www.k7.net and you can receive both services at no cost.
www.skype.com lets you talk to anyone worldwide through the computer free of charge.
Sign up for the Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222. Those already enrolled must re-register after five years.
Save on long distance phone calls at www.saveonphone.com by selecting your state and you will be linked to the lowest long distance rates
Choose a monthly price limit or amount of minutes and www.letstalk.com will sort through plans that meet your needs with the best deals
You can get out of expensive contracts without paying termination fees at www.celltradeusa.com ; www.trademycellular.com or www.cellswapper.com
TV (cable or satellite?)
This site will do the research for you and will tell you which one will save you more. Will even tell you how much you can save if you bundle up your Internet and phone or cable bills together. Just go to www.whitefence.com and enter your home address
Thanks to www.billshrink.com you can find out the best cellular phone plan for you by putting information about your phone usage, current monthly bills. The free site compares contracts to find one that meets your needs and cuts your cost.
Avoid exceeding your cell phone minutes and avoid overage charges by calling the carrier’s short cut phone number. Once you dial it they will send a message telling you how many minutes you have left that month. For T-Mobile dial #646# ; for Verizon is
#646 ; AT&T is *646# and for Sprint is *4
If you want to switch your cell phone service without paying penalty even if your contract is not up go to www.cellswapper.com and the site will connect you with someone willing to take over your contract. Then you can sign up with the carrier of your choice without having to pay a termination fee.
Call anyone anywhere in the world for free if you are willing to sit through a quick 10 second ad at www.talkster.com Enter your phone number and the number you wish to call and Talskter will provide a set of local numbers for you and your friend to call to connect.
Visit the www.LetsTalk.com to buy a new cell phone much cheaper than at the retail store.
Find the best and cheapest cell phone plans at www.billshrink.com
The Citizens Utility Board launched a free site that helps cell phone customers save. Simply log on to www.cubcellphonesaver.com to have your statement analyzed and you will get recommendations on the provider that best fits your talking patterns for the cheapest prices If you are not ready to switch services, the site also lets you know which plan from your current carrier will help you save big plus it gives you cost cutting tricks that will lower your next bill.
Drop your regular cell phone service and get a prepaid phone or pay as you go phone. Phones are sold at retailers like Wal-Mart. Carriers that offer prepaid phones: Virgin Mobile USA, TracFone Wireless a unit of America Movil; MetroPCS Communications and Leap Wireless International. , T-Mobile USA and AT&T
Instead of signing for a long distance phone plan, shop around for phone cards at discount chains and shopping clubs such as Target, K-Mart, BJ’s and Costco. The per minute rate on phone cards is often cheaper than those offered by long distance companies.
Log on to dial mycalls.com and you can send a call and/or e-mail with a message to everyone on your list . The free service will detect voicemail and wait for the beep to leave your message and you will receive a detailed report informing you if the call was answered live, went to voicemail or had an error. The free service let you send a 30 second message but a brief ad is included in your message.
www.billshrink.com suggests alternatives for lower-priced cell phone plans that are similar to yours and offers tips to maximize credit card perks or lower fees and interest rates.
Options to call from overseas for free:
Install a SIM card on your phone
Use other services like
WeChatWeChat is more than a messaging and social media app - it is a lifestyle for one billion users across the world. Chat and make calls with friends, read news and use local services in Official Accounts and Mini Programs, play games with friends, enjoy mobile payment features with WeChat Pay, and much more.
GO SMS Pro - Nearly 100 Million users' choice, all time #1 messaging app to replace the stock! The brand new messaging app is simple, intuitive, personalizing and fun! GO SMSPro comes with beautiful themes, lovely stickers, private box, pop up windows, GO chat (send free SMS & MMS), dual sim support, and much more.
Viber is a messenger that is as fast & easy as texting - only for FREE! Viber messenger uses your phone's internet connection (whether Wi-Fi or your data plan) to let you send text messages, share photos & videos, add stickers, or make voice and video calls - all for FREE! Will use a lot of data so make sure your phone can handle lots of data use.