Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Budget Wednesday: Saving on Cell Phones


In today's world, cell phones have become the norm and almost a necessity for some people. For us, cell phones are something we choose to pay for, because we like to be able to contact each other at all times. After signing a contract with our provider almost 2 years ago, it is now time to 'upgrade' by signing another contract. However, we don't feel a need to make our phones fancier or our bill bulkier, we just want two working phones and the minutes to use them. So how do you save when you need to replace a broken cell phone?

At first, we went directly to our provider, but they tried to make us sign another 2 year contract, saying that we could not just walk in and buy a phone. Since we do not know whether or not we will be continuing with that provider, we didn't want to sign another contract. Sadly, the cheapest phones that they did sell were no less than $150! That seems outrageous for a simple cell phone.

We decided to try something a bit sneaky and went to Wal-mart. They sell multiple cell phones from a variety of providers. Do not look at the $200 ones out for display- instead go for the pay as you go phones! These phones were amazingly cheap (the cheapest being under $20) and they were exactly what we wanted. Although they are sold as pay as you go phones, if you just insert your old SIM card into the new phone, you still get the service you pay for! I wonder how many people actually know this, and how many people have been sucked into signing another contract or buying a phone they could not afford.

So, next time you need a replacement cell phone, instead of going to your provider, visit places such as Walmart, Best Buy and HHGreg where you can outsmart the big dogs and protect your budget!

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