Author Topic: Help: Ideas for Slashing Cell Phone Bill  (Read 2181 times)

johnsonran

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Help: Ideas for Slashing Cell Phone Bill
« on: February 26, 2014, 11:32:05 AM »
Hello fellow savers:

Could use some feedback on the lowest cost cell phone plan available for my needs in central Phoenix, Arizona:

What I have and feel I "need"

-Unlimited mobile talk, moderate cell to landline like less than 300 minutes if there is a difference between the two.
-Large amount of data about 5G that is fast enough to support uninterrupted music streaming and make short videos like from Youtube not too overly difficult to view. I do not have access to Wifi and do not expect to currently.
-I manage my entire life on my smart phone and tether to a work laptop on the weekends. I need to retain the ability to complete all financial management and communication with this device (smartphone).
-I would like the ability to tether but could forego this if the overall plan was affordable enough.
-Unlimited text both picture and message but no international needed.

Currently I am paying AT&T about $90 a month for these services with an iPhone 5.
I would be open to moving away from the iPhone 5 and learning a new device and sell it for something else but I would just as simply keep it if I could move it to another carrier without too much headache, expense and stress. I also would want comparble performance, preferably better

My contract expires this September and the fee to cancel is dropping $10 a month and is currently at $155.

This is not an issue of affordability but steamlining and freeing up resources to help me reach my financial independence goal as early as possible.

Thanks for your help...


the fixer

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Re: Help: Ideas for Slashing Cell Phone Bill
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2014, 12:39:23 PM »
If you want to save money you need to realize that you're addicted to your phone and the expensive plan that AT&T is selling you. You can't get away from paying the price without losing some of the service. 90% of the things you list as "needing" you don't really need at all. For instance, music streaming, really? Ten years ago this service was nonexistent, and now this is something you absolutely cannot live without? Download some music from iTunes or Amazon, or just listen to the radio or birds chirping.

There are also lots of ways you can alter how you use your phone to reduce data consumption. For instance, forget Apple Maps and download an offline GPS navigation app like NavFree. In general, look for apps that can download and cache data when you're on WiFi so you can access it when you're on the road.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!