Shrink Your Cell Phone Bill

Money-Saving Tips 4-8

4. Go month to month or day to day
If you are a heavy phone user but don't want to be tied down to a monthly contract or risk paying steep cancellation fees, a prepaid service with unlimited calling plans may be for you. Boost Mobile has rolled out a prepaid plan with unlimited calling, texting, and Web use for $50 a month. The caveat is that you must purchase a Boost phone (prices start at $30). And Verizon just added several new prepaid plans, including the Prepaid Unlimited Talk plan, which offers unlimited calling during peak hours for $3.99 per day only on days you make or receive calls.

5. Combine your lines
Most carriers now offer "family plans," so parents with children can choose the number of monthly minutes to share as a family and spend a lot less than it would cost to buy separate service contracts for every household member. There's a two-line minimum; carriers charge about $10 per month for extra lines (up to five max).

6. Don't give out your number randomly
Exercise restraint with your cell phone number; pass it only to people you truly need to hear from. And where you can, encourage friends not to call your cell if you've limited your minutes.

7. Return to the basics
Classic rock ring tones are fun and it's convenient to have e-mail, GPS, and stock quotes at your fingertips. But ring tones can cost $3 each; GPS often runs $10 per month. Do you really need all those features on your cell phone? Review recent bills to determine exactly what you're paying for and ditch unnecessary extras.

8. Bundle data services
Texts and e-mail may cost 15 to 25 cents to send or receive if you're paying for each individually. So if you text and Net-surf a lot, why not choose a higher-priced plan that includes unlimited messaging and Internet access rather than paying a la carte? The price can drop to as little as a penny per text when you pick a multimedia bundle -- about $5 a month for 400 messages from T-Mobile.