In this technological age, we all know the importance of staying connected. It doesn’t take long for the individual fees associated with telephone lines, cell phone charges, internet bills, wireless connectivity, and other services to add up to large monthly expenses. Here are some things that you can look into to help combine and trim these monthly home office costs.
It’s hard for many people, especially those of us who grew up in the pre-internet age, to consider the idea that we may not actually need a conventional telephone line any longer. However, getting rid of your land line and relying
on cell phones and internet phones is an option that should be seriously looked into. After months of receiving terrible service from my telephone company, I finally terminated my land line and don’t miss it at all.
If your main internet connection is DSL, getting rid of your telephone land line may not be a viable option unless cable access is available in your area. That alternative is worth looking into, though, as we will talk about in the next tip.
Both DSL and cable companies offer some attractive combination packages in many areas of the country. These offers can vary a lot depending on location and season, but you may be surprised at the savings they can offer. In fact, it’s possible that some of these packages may include more services that you are currently getting at a cheaper rate.
While I still maintain that you shouldn’t swap internet providers too frequently, especially if you’re getting good service, the switchover itself is fairly painless. Most plans will even include free setup and installation so your work is limited to just researching and deciding on a new plan.
How many cell phones does your family currently have? Do you really need all of them? Even if you do find that you need them all, the charges associated with each one could be adding up to one big monthly bill. With a little shopping around, you may be able to find a plan that gives you a better discount when you have multiple accounts or one that even allows you to share minutes between phones.
Even if you only have one cell phone, your currently plan may not be the best for your usage. If you don’t spend a lot of time using your cell phone, you’re probably better off purchasing a plan with a fixed number of minutes each month. On the other hand, if you’re like me and your cell phone is your primary mode of communication, you’d most likely do better with
an unlimited plan or one that allows you to pay low rates per additional minute for those months that you go over your monthly usage.
Continue on to Part 2 of this article to see more tips on avoiding cell phone cancellation fees and cutting back on fees associated with wireless connectivity.