Communication/Information
– Landlines vs. Cellular: Many folks have abandoned their analog based land lines in favor of a simple digital cell phone. One company offers simple (not smart) cell phones for $10 and programs for moderate use (180 minutes) at a mere $7 per month ($20 for 3 months). These programs allow no extra charge for phone calls in the US & Canada. When compared to a land line at an average of $30 – $35 a month plus extra for toll calls this amounts to quite a bit of savings! Another way to save on a quasi-land line is to utilize a VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system. You will still need a basic land line connection, but most providers offer a basic line which allows for emergency calls and all incoming at a price in the $5 – $8 + tax per month range. Any outgoing calls would be charged at around $.10 per minute, but if you use a VOIP system you will never need to make outgoing calls on that line. One system that has been around for about 10 years is Majic Jack. The cost runs about $3 per month after an initial devise cost in the $20 – $40 range. On special, the initial devise cost comes with a free year of service. Calls to the US & Canada are free. Another system that can be used with a computer, tablet or mobile devise is Skype. Service is free from devise to devise & toll charges are very low when calling a land line or cell phone. International rates are also very low on this service.
– Cell phone compared to “Smart” phones: The basic cell phone is great for phone calls and texts, but not so great for Internet use. If you use the Internet for emails and occasional surfing & download then it can be more cost effective to go with a “smart” phone with an unlimited plan. At the entry level these plans allow for unlimited phone, text & data, but the high-speed data is usually limited according to a monthly maximum. When that limit is reached the data speed is reduced until the start of the next month. If you are a moderate data user (just emails and occasional surfing & downloading) you will most likely not exceed the limit.
More on this is next weeks posting