How much do you spend monthly when it comes to internet, tv, and phone? We all want to communicate with the world and stay in touch. We all also don’t want to go poor in the process of doing so. Internet and phone packages can get pretty expensive for your smart phone. You can easily find yourself blowing over $100 monthly just to stay in touch with the rest of the world. You don’t have to. There are better and cheaper options out there. It’s debatable, but we pretty much would have a difficult time trying to live without a cell phone, the internet, and television (especially all three combined). This is why it’s critical that we find ways to communicate with the world without going poor.
A few ways that I cut back when it comes my telephone, internet, and tv package:
Using free wireless.
When I really need to be productive I grab my laptop and head ever to the local Starbucks. I find that this is a great idea for a few reasons:
- It forces me to get out of the house to go out and socialize. It’s easy to use online work as an excuse to always stay in. You don’t have to stay home just because you technically work from home.
- I can use free internet. I grab a cup of coffee and I log on to the free wireless connection. This alone is a savings of at least $30 a month.
- There’s an inherent time constraint. I can’t spend an hour on Facebook because that would require me sitting around in a coffee shop all day.
I also understand the goal to have the best internet phone. I use my Blackberry Torch for all of my blogging needs (and for BBM). The beauty about free wireless is that you can also log on to it with your smart phone. This means that you can save money by not paying the monthly internet fee if you really want to save some extra coin.
Cutting cable.
Let’s be honest, there’s too much living to do out there to be at home watching MTV. You can put cash in your pocket right now just by deciding to cut cable out of your life. I personally think that cable is a waste of time. Now before you freak out on me, allow me to share some ways you can ease the pain of cutting cable from your life:
- Watch your favorite shows online. If I really want to watch a program I try to find it online. This allows me to watch it on my own schedule and it saves me money on my monthly expenses.
- Get out more often. I think that there’s too much living to do in your 20s to stay at home watching tv. If you don’t feel like going anywhere special you can always at least go out for a walk or to meet some friends for coffee. These are better options than sitting in front of a screen.
Life without cable isn’t so bad. I’ve been noticing more and more young people cutting cable lately. Will you be next? How much will you enjoy the extra cash in your pocket?
Syncing everything to my cell phone.
I have everything attached to my cell phone. Some would argue that this is a negative. I personally couldn’t see it any other way. I have my BBM, contact list, emails, WordPress, and Twitter connected to my cell phone. This saves me money and time because I can get work done whenever I need to. The other day I was responding to advertiser emails while I waited for some friends. If you plan on investing any money into your productivity I highly recommend that you pick up a smart phone. You must be warned that it’s pretty addicting though.
I want to conclude by saying that communication is VERY important. You need a cell phone to stay in touch with friends and family. Television can be a great way to stay on top of current events and to kill time when you need to. The internet is simply an amazing thing when used to its potential. Why not try to save money on these items when possible? I hope this article proves to you that you can stay current without breaking your wallet.
Check out the rest from the series:
How to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill & Lose That Belly.
Fill Up Your Pad With Cheap Furniture.
(photo credit: asimulator)
