Frugal Telecommunications Solutions?

[fidgiegirl]

Hi all

We spend approximately $250/mo. on:
- our two iPhones ($50 is voice service, $60 data, $15 texting)
- DirecTV, home Internet, land line (bundled) ($130 total/mo.)

I have heard about other options for some of these but wanted to pick your brains.

For example, we read about using Google Voice to eliminate texting charges. If we port to Google Voice, what happens? Madgeylou, didn't you mention that you use Google Voice? I just don't get what happens after we port.

Magic Jack, how does that work?

I want to get rid of DirecTV and landline. We will be keeping iPhones and home Internet but are open as far as how to do it.

We do split the phone charge three ways with DFiL and DSisIL (Hmm, that's hard to acronym-ize). I really dislike us being in "charge" of this and so I wonder if it's time to break free and tell them to all get their own contracts. But I would have to crunch numbers, because $50 for the voice component is basically what I was paying for my own phone before we got married. We are the ones who have it because as state employees (kinda) we get an 18% discount with Verizon. That trickles down to everyone else, too.

We already have converter boxes to do over-the-air TV, so that would be ready to go. But DH is hung up on stoopid NFL and to a lesser extend MLB. Sorry NFL fans, but that is not worth $60 a month to me for DirecTV. But I just saw you can get games through iTunes? Anyone done it? MLB seems to have a package you can buy to watch online.

Anyone use Verizon's Internet service rather than DSL line?

Thanks!

[Zoebird]

You might consider seeing if a neighbor is willing to "go in with you" on internet. If it's wireless, they need only let you into their network (via password), and then you can pay them for your useage. Eg, pay 50% or some such.

internet is metered here, so it's not really possible with data caps, but it is what we did back in the US. our whole condo building (8 homes) had one wireless network. I hosted it, and each person paid a portion per month to me. It worked really nicely. And if they didnt' pay their bill, i changed the password and didn't tell them the new one (giving them plenty of warning), and gave everyone else the new one. It took a little contract to agree to the details, but i think we were paying like $15/mo for broadband when it was said and done.

[ljevtich]

Kelli,
I will tell you what we do, and you can decide if it works for you.
We use Skype when away from home, and in a high speed internet area (library, coffee-shop, etc.)
Otherwise we have pay as you go Net10 phones. $30.45 for 300 minutes and 60 days. Then we keep re-uping every two months. Each person has to do that, but still $30.45 a month is not bad.
We have a Verizon data card, but will be changing to another service in November. I believe that one is the same price but 20 GB. Right now it is $62.77 for 5 GB a month. It is very easy to go over that 5 GB, so we go to Libraries, Rec Centers (here in Grand Canyon NP there is a nice center with high speed internet, but I am sure you have other places near you.)

This way we can download movies and tv shows or go to the library and watch a show streaming.

We do not watch any live shows. If your DH has to watch a sport show, I would suggest him joining a gym, working out during the game. He gets healthy and you will ultimately save money.

Get rid of your Land line, you do not need it.

$250 vs $93.22 - not too bad. Add another $40 for a gym membership or rec center.

[Alan]

For example, we read about using Google Voice to eliminate texting charges. If we port to Google Voice, what happens? Madgeylou, didn't you mention that you use Google Voice? I just don't get what happens after we port.


Google Voice is a nice service. How it works is Google assigns you a phone number that you can attach to any other phone. I currently have my Google Voice number ring at my home landline and on my blackberry. In order to use it for text on my blackberry, I need to install the Google Voice app, which simply uses my phone's internet connection to send and receive SMS messages (I don't think MMS is possible) to my phone.

If you want to make calls using the Google Voice number from your cell phone, the app will allow you to choose to use your normal cell # or the Google #. All Google Voice calls are VOIP calls using your data connection. I don't think it's possible to use a landline for anything other than receiving calls.

[treehugger]

Another use for Google Voice is to have one number ring two different people. When we cancelled our landline, we set up a Google Voice number that rings to both our cell phones. That way we have one number to give out to people (e.g., our parents) who used to call the house landline to talk to either of us.

I can't help you about the paying for cable for sports. We cancelled cable 11 years ago and have never missed it, but it does seem like there's no great alternative solution for people who want to watch sport.

Kara

[fidgiegirl]

Thanks, all! Keep those ideas comin'! Some of these would work for us, some not. For example, we are on a corner lot with a rental next door, so sharing the wireless with them isn't really an option. Maybe in the new house, though, where our house will be closer in proximity to another one. I can see where in your condo this was a steal!

We could look further into the Google Voice, though, and I love the gym idea for the games :)

[lhamo]

New house? you bought another place? I missed that! Congrats....

I was going to suggest moving to China, where cell service is much cheaper (even for Iphones), but that is probably not the most cost effective solution!

Do think about how much you really need to use your phones, and whether the packages are what you need. I know it is not really a fair comparison, but I have a bare minimum package that gives me up to I think 500 text messages a month (texting is HUGE here), free incoming local calls, and pretty cheap outgoing calls. I can also identify I think 5 numbers that are on a "friends and family" kind of list that are free to call. I hardly ever use my phone to make calls myself -- text most of the time. I try not to use my phone for work purposes when I'm in the office (or at other times) -- tell people who call me on my cell I'll call them back from the office line. All this costs me about US$4/month.

I know, apples and oranges. We keep a bare bones Virgin Mobile account active in the US and pay $15+tax every quarter for that privilege, just to keep the number operational. We have something like $250 in credit on it at this point because I have trained myself not to use the phone unless I have to, so even though I know I have money on it I am loath to use it! My mom carries it as an emergency phone when we're not using it, though, so it isn't totally unused.

lhamo

[madgeylou]

kelli, we've been experimenting with google voice and it works pretty well. i haven't gotten around to giving my google voice number to anyone but my fiancee yet for two reasons -- i haven't had time, and also r. just got a new iphone 4S and the google voice texting doesn't work for that yet. once they release the new google voice app, i will start giving it out.

the thing that totally sucks about at&t is that they won't let us share a texting plan -- we each have to have our own. so he has a $5 a month one and i have a $10 a month one (i'm chattier). the thing that gets me the worst is that our texts to each other count against both of our allowable totals! even though we are on the same bill! it is the dumbest, evillest thing. being able to just send SMS messages via google voice was wonderful because most of our texting is with each other.

[Rosemary]

We keep our bills lower by limiting services to which we subscribe. We have basic cell phones, with as many minutes as we need; texting only on DH's = $77/month (including taxes). Our high-speed internet runs about $40/month. We also keep a pay-as-you-go cell phone with minimal minutes on it for babysitters to use for calling us if needed = $3/month. Total = $120/month.

[Selah]

My husband and I both recently got rid of our T-Mobile cellphone contract and went to Net10 pre-paid plans, since we don't use our cellphones very much. Our Comcast bundle covers our TV, broadband and digital phone service with unlimited minutes. The only problem with the bundle is that if one thing goes down, EVERYTHING goes down, and then we have to use our cellphones to call Comcast to tell them that they're down! My husband has missed several important Skype meetings and calls because the internet was down, and he couldn't get online to email them to tell them he couldn't make the online meeting.

We both set up Google Voice numbers because we are moving overseas soon, and wanted to give people a domestic number to leave voicemail messages on, instead of them having to call Israel. When we get a message, we can call them back by Skype or by using an international calling card. Also, we need to leave a kind of U.S. "presence" to keep banks and other institutions happy when it comes to updating our contact details.

Not much help to your situation, but that's what we're doing. I've only been uncomfortable about the lack of a landline when we are under a hurricane or tornado watch or warning. When our power goes, EVERYTHING goes, and cellphone lines get jammed up fast.

[fidgiegirl]

I just called to see how different it would be if we broke out the cell phone bill into separate bills. I am mad at my sister-in-law because she just brought the check over and when I told her it would be $54 she says "Exactly?" and I, taken by surprise that she was even questioning it, said, "Well, $53.98." Guess how much I got a check for: $53.98. She doesn't stop to think that when she spends more by calling directory assistance the tax on the whole bill goes up, which we eat. So I'm pissed that she is concerned over $.02. As you might imagine, my SiL and I have more issues beyond just the phone bill.

Anyway, we share a STUPID phone bill with DH's mom, dad and sister. This is to save everyone money. It also means we have to collect monthly checks, which half the time people forget to give us and we have to track down, and confirm the amount 72 times even though they have been paying $50 a month for the last two years. So tonight after the $.02 incident I decided I was finally going to call and see how bad it would be if we told everyone to go get their own.

But it turns out we are the ones who save the most in the arrangement. Based on usage, they would have to pay about $60 a month (MiL/FiL together, SiL alone) and right now they give us $50 + whatever is used for directory assistance. We would have to pay about $160, and right now we pay about $125. So I guess I have to get over it, or go for the more costly arrangement of just taking care of ourselves.

Sorry, blowing off a little steam if you couldn't already tell. GRRRRRRRRR!!!!! His family and mine are so different when it comes to money, and it makes me CRAZY!!!!!!!!!

[treehugger]

Kelli, that would bug me, too, especially since you have to go through that every month. I share a bill with my MIL, too, to save us both money, but she is great about sending a check each month. She has it set up on auto-pay with her bank for $50, which is a dollar and change more than the bill usually is. Clearly, I am very lucky!

I'm glad you called to check on the rate change, so at least now you know how much you are saving each month for dealing with that annoyance.

Kara

[fidgiegirl]

Thank you, Kara. It helps just to have a little sympathy, even though in the grand scheme I feel silly for being irritated over such a small thing.

[Tradd]

Fidgie, have you updated your phones to the new software (iOS 5, that is if you have a 3GS and newer). It now has iMessage. I even have this on my iPod Touch. You can message other iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch users FREE. It goes through the data network rather than the "talk/text" part. So if I'm home with my iPod Touch on my home wireless, I can "text" a friend halfway across the country who has an iPhone.

Check it out!

[fidgiegirl]

Nice, Tradd! I have been putting off doing the upgrade just because I heard it takes a while . . . but this will make it worth it!! Thanks for the tip!

[Tradd]

Here's the tip to download. When it asks you if you want to download or download and update - just do download. That way you can unhook iPhone from your computer and do the download in the middle of the night. Then, when you plug phone back into computer, it will update then. Might take 30 minutes or so to update once it's downloaded to your computer. It took me 3 hours to download, but I'm on slow DSL.

Hopefully this will allow you to down grade how many texts you pay for. I just did 200 for $5/month when I was with AT&T on iPhone (went to Verizon & Android because AT&T made me nuts - this was before Verizon had iPhone).

[Rosemary]

Sounds like an annoying situation! I know that anytime I have to discuss anything that involves sharing costs with particular relatives, they put on their tightwad caps, despite the fact that their day-to-day spending far and away eclipses ours, by at least 3x.

[nocar]

I've been using magicjack for a little over a year now. I happen to love it. $20/year. Calls go through your computer; you have to have your computer on to make & receive calls but even if it is turned off, your voicemails will be waiting for you. No one ever calls me haha so I don't feel the need to leave my computer on all the time. Also, I'm old enough to have been around pre-cell phone so I'm used to getting home & checking my messages there.

I've also just discovered google voice which I have set up NOT to ring my phone (though it would ring my magic jack if I chose that setting) & I use that to text for free :)