Dear Verizon,
We are never ever ever getting back together!
***In all fairness Verizon did provide excellent service and fast speed but the billing department is what made me look elsewhere. If I had received just one correct bill over the course of our long term relationship I would not have got a wandering eye. Sorry Verizon it’s not me, it’s you.
Here is the 411 on the break up
Phone
Internet
Cable
Cell Phone
Are you paying for all the above? How much are you spending? Grab your bills and let’s see where we can cut costs.
Here is how I did it;
Phone:
I signed up for a FREE phone number and service via Google Voice. Currently
Google voice is 100% FREE and you can make and receive Free local and long distance phone calls with your computer. This is great if you are always on the computer but let’s be real we need mobility. I want to be able to walk around make coffee, let the dog out and do laundry while I am chatting on the phone. I did some research and that is when I found the
OBi100. The
Obi100 is a small device that plugs into your computers router and then you plug in your digital phones. This connection makes your digital handsets work just like always. The device sells for about $40.00 on Amazon. That’s it, $40.00 one time fee and you no longer have a phone bill,ever! The only problem I foresee happening is if Google decides to make us start paying for Google Voice but so far so good. Google Voice has been free for years. If Google Voice decides to charge their still are other free options.
Internet
This was a tough one for me and took some time. I run a website so it’s a service I have to have and it has to be high speed. I did what we all do when searching for better pricing. I picked up the phone and started calling all my local carriers. I was offered better deals than what I currently had but they weren’t good enough. I then started going online seeing what online deals were out there. Again, I found good deals but not good enough for my frugal appetite. I then decide to go out and search for a deal. I was in Best Buy and noticed a Comcast rep in the back of the store and I thought to myself Bingo! Having done enough retail sales in my life I know there is always a better deal if you go direct to the one that earns the commission, they can make deals happen. I spoke to the rep and was offered another pretty good deal. The deals were getting better but I knew the ultimate trick. Walk away and wait for it. I thanked the man and said I am still going to continue my search for the best deal. That is when he called me back over with one last offer. He offered me high speed Internet for $19.99 a month. Sold! My new Internet is fast enough to handle my Internet based business stream all my movies and handle my new VOIP free telephone service.
Cable
Oh boy this was a tough one. My kids just about ran away when I told them to kiss the cable man goodbye. Talk about drama TV! I personally don’t watch a lot of TV so it didn’t faze me one bit but the kids and hubby were not pleased but I was determined to prove to them we could survive this and still provide them with the shows that apparently they would die if they did not get to watch them. I dropped cable completely and purchased a RCA antenna. Not a rabbit ears antenna but a large one that you can hang in your attic or on your roof. The antenna that I purchased gives us 23 channels all the basic channels plus more. This antenna cost me $45.00. That’s a onetime fee and I will never pay again. My TV comes in great and we live in the middle of nowhere. The reviews on the antenna state if you live close to a station you will receive lots more channels than I do. The antenna cured the basic channels problem but wasn’t enough for to keep the kids from whining.
Next I purchased
Roku. The
Roku was about 79.99 and provides us with free movies via Crackle and free music via Pandora. I decided to take Netflix for a test run as they do offer a free one month trial. I am now temporarily hooked to Netflix and we love having a few series shows like Breaking Bad and Weeds at our fingertips. I may just keep Netflix for the $7.99 a month cost. But we shall see.
The next TV drama problem we had was sports. My son was not happy when he thought my cutting cable meant him not being able to watch the Celtics ever again and mumble something about me ruining his life. Determined to prove him wrong I quickly went on NBA.com and there was the Celtics opening game Live and streaming. I just connected a
HDMI cord from my computer to my TV and there it was on the big screen, problem solved.
Cell Phone
This is one I could have gone lower on for myself but decided to splurge a little considering I need email and web access. I bought myself a
Virgin Mobile Pay as you go phone. I have unlimited text web and 300 phone minutes for $35.00 a month. I plan on buying all my top up cards next time we have a Shaw’s gift card Catalina to basically knock 20% off the cost.
My hubby is not a phone person and can’t even email never mind text . I do want tobe able to get a hold of him in case of an emergency like a really good sale that I can’t get home in time to pick up the kids. Hubby got a
Tracfone. The phone itself cost $9.99 and I got it free with ECB’s at CVS. The phone came with 10 free minutes which 30 days later he still has a few left. The plan I got for him is about $6.50 a month.
To recap this is what I now pay for the 4 services
Telephone:
0000
High Speed Internet
$19.99
Cable
Netflix 7.99
Cost for 2 cell phones
Virgin Mobile $ 35.00
Tracfone $6.50 = $41.50
Total Monthly expense = $69.97
Compare that to what you are paying now, do the math, challenge yourself and cut the cord!
