My philosophy is simple; The key to saving money in your daily life is to take some time just once a month to look at the things you use and pay for every day and see if there is room for improvement.
These days, what was once a luxury has now become a necessity… yes, that mobile phone that eats money. How we have lived without them, we will never know. And now with iPhones and the like they give us more support than ever. But the catch with our mobile phones is that it’s very easy to let the cost spiral out of control if we don’t keep an eye on them. So here are a few things you can check out this month to keep your mobile chaos under control.
1. Review your plan:
I’ve heard it over and over again, “I would have no idea how much my calls cost.” It doesn’t take long to make a quick call to your current provider and find out the facts. If you want to save money, you need to know how much money you’re spending! If you know how much you’re spending, you’ll make a mental note if you need to reduce the length of your calls, the number of texts you send, or the amount of information you’re downloading. You’ll also get the leverage you need to go out and shop around for a better deal and save money.
Remember to be aware of when your contract ends. The best time to negotiate a better deal is near the end of your contract. After knowing the facts, go online and search for the best deal on the market. You don’t have to move, just ask your current provider to move you over. Be strong in expressing your ability to switch providers easily if they don’t stack up, and let them know you’ll leave them behind if they don’t give you a better deal (of course, check what costs there are to get out of your existing contract if you’re not nearing the end of your contract). ). You will most likely be transferred to someone whose sole purpose is to keep your business, so put your negotiation skills to work.
2. Make your existing mobile plan work better for you:
Use your mobile phone wisely and make sure you take full advantage of any low-cost gifts or services. Find out from friends and family which carrier they’re on so you can take advantage of free talk time or keep your conversations short if they’re on a different carrier. You might be surprised to find that you regularly exceed your calling limit but don’t use all of your text messages, so changing the communication style you use could help you save.
3. Don’t let the texts catch you:
Texting has become very popular and continues to gain momentum every day. It’s easy, fast and let’s be honest, sometimes it’s easier to text than to talk. But remember, a phone conversation that might take 5 minutes over the phone can take much longer over text, eating up both your time and credits. Sending text messages is easy, but it can be expensive.
And if you have children who have mobiles that you are paying for, here is an interesting fact for you; 1 in 3 teens send an average of 3,000 text messages a month! Because it’s so easy to get caught up in the texting phenomenon, the best solution is to find out if you can get a plan that includes unlimited texting to play it safe. Another alternative to text is instant messaging. If you have an iPhone or similar smartphone, why not take advantage of MSN Messenger and other great messaging clients? If you have friends you talk to regularly who are online, it can be just as easy to send a quick message via IM.
4. Make free internet calls:
Do you have broadband and a webcam on your computer? You may consider using Skype software to call over the Internet, anywhere in the world for free! Basically, Skype users can call each other for free and the fun part is that you can see the person you’re talking to. Skype also offers the service to connect to a ‘normal’ phone for a small fee.
5. Do not pay for information calls:
If you have an iPhone or similar smartphone, make it work for you. Many of us are still in the habit of calling information numbers when we urgently need a phone number or address. Calls to information numbers can cost you a lot, so why not change this old habit and make your smartphone earn a living? Simply go online and find the information you need in seconds, it could save you quite a few dollars at the end of the month.
6. Do you really need that app?
Smartphones like the iPhone are a lot of fun and offer some great apps that not only keep us entertained or up to date with the latest music, but also help us organize our lives or learn new skills. The cost of the apps is really unbelievably cheap considering the content we get in return. To think that a Nintendo game costs you around $100.00 but a new app for your iPhone costs around $2.00 is mind blowing!
These apps are really cheap, but the question you have to ask yourself is: do you really need them? Let’s say you bought some apps and songs every month at $2.00 each, let’s say 10 per month. That’s $20 per month, which works out to $240 per year! For most people, that would probably cover 2 months of phone bills. It adds up faster than you think, doesn’t it? Of course, if an app is useful to you or you enjoy it a lot, go for it. But if it’s just the latest fad or a friend tells you to check out an app because it’s cute, just take a minute to think back to the $240 per year figure.
7. Earn money with your old mobile:
Do you have an old mobile lying around or do you just give it away when you get a new one? Why not get some money to pay or even cover next month’s bill! There are plenty of people ready and willing to buy your old phone, and now there are even companies that will buy it quickly and easily too. eBay is a great place to sell your phone, but if you don’t like the risk of an auction, you can look up companies like money4mobiles.com.au and they’ll offer you a fixed price.
Don’t forget that every dollar you spend unnecessarily makes a difference, so take some time this month to review your mobile phone bill and make a few quick changes that could make a big difference by the end of the year.
Happy saving!