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TELEPHONE MONEY SAVING & BUDGETING TIPS
Long Distance Telephone Service
Telephone Service Alternatives
Local telephone service can be affordable for most households, but can quickly get
very expensive with all the options and add-
1. Do you really need all those bells and whistles or will standard service be just fine? Consider canceling those extra services to save.
a. In most cases, call waiting is not really necessary. How many of your phone calls at home really must be received without any delay? And do you really want the phone call you are on to be interrupted and put on hold? Plus, if you have a cell phone, if the call really is important, the person trying to reach you can call your cell.
b. Same goes for call forwarding. How often do you really use it and is it necessary?
If you have a cell phone it’s needed even less. Caller ID is another feature that
is nice, but is it really necessary? If you generally pick up the phone in any case,
do you really need to know who is on the other end before they speak? Same goes
for 3-
c. Call messaging service or voicemail can be eliminated if you purchase a phone with an answering machine. These phones are now more affordable than ever.
d. Avoid using directory assistance. Look the number up the old fashioned way or go to a web site like WhitePages.com and look up any number you may want. It’s free.
2. Consider getting the least expensive local phone service available or even discontinuing your home phone service, if you have a cell phone and the service is reliable.
a. Ask your phone company if they have an economy plan. If you only make a few local calls, this plan may work for you, particularly if you have a cell phone.
b. If you have a second home, do you really need a phone in the house if you are not there very often? Consider using only your cell phone when at the second home. If you do maintain the land line, and you are only at the second home on a seasonal basis, have the service turned off when out of season.
c. If you have a second phone line for the fax machine or Internet service do you
really need it? If you have moved from dial-
3. Check your bill closely and often to see what you are being billed for, and whether any of the charges are for unnecessary services.
a. It is not unusual for unauthorized charges for long distance or other services to show up on phone bills. Call your phone company and have them removed.
b. If your phone company is charging you for receiving a paper copy of your bill, ask them to stop charging you or have them provide your bill over the Internet.
c. If you are renting your phone from the telephone company, stop. Purchase your own phone (some are available for under $10) and stop wasting your money.
d. If you are being charged for something called “inside wire maintenance” that provides for repair of telephone wiring inside your home, cancel it. Wiring inside a home rarely goes bad, and if it does it usually is a telephone box in your wall that is inexpensive and easily replaced.
Long Distance Telephone Service
While local telephone service is regulated, with limited competition in most parts of the country, long distance service is highly competitive and much more competitively priced. Shopping around for different ways to make long distance calls is definitely worth the time.
1. Long distance services offered by your local service provider are probably much more expensive than other alternatives that offer the same quality. This is true whether or not it is a monthly fee plan and/or includes charges by the minute. Although they may be convenient, unless an exceptional deal is being offered, avoid these plans.
2. When considering long distance options, the amount of long distance calling
you do is the first step to deciding how to save money. If you do a lot of long
distance calling, unlimited calling fixed-
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