With the recent downgrade of the credit rating of the United States, I've been hearing a lot of talk from financial analysts about a potential double-dip recession.
I'm still not sure I believe the first recession ever ended, and I sure hope things don't get any worse. I've seen many loved ones struggle as layoffs forced them into a difficult job market. I know families who have had one parent relocate out of state to find work and have to telecommute long distance with spouse and children. While technology helps, this is a difficult situation, but one some families have felt forced to make.
To change our financial situation, we must make more money, spend less, or both. That's budgeting, plain and simple. One way I cut my budget years ago was by cutting my home phone service entirely. I wasn't going to continue to pay a monthly bill for a landline out of habit, when my need didn't justify the expense.
For many families, to completely cut the cord is unthinkable, but there are now many other options available that have come a long way in terms of service and reliability.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers offer alternative cost plans that can save your family a home phone bill if you have high-speed Internet service. Ooma, Vonage and Magic Jack are well-known providers of this service. Many offer a porting fee allowing you to keep your current phone number, and all have differing cost structures.
Ooma (ooma.com) offers free domestic calls and low-cost international rates; the adapter is listed on the company website for $229 but can be found around $200 from other retailers. The daily deal site woot.com often features the Ooma for even an even greater discount; I've seen it as low as $119. The new version of Ooma costs $3.50 a month for taxes for free domestic calls, but the older Ooma adapter can still be found online and does not have a monthly fee. I prefer products and services I pay for upfront without monthly fees, as monthly fees can really add up over time. Ooma reviews on Woot and Amazon have been very positive.
Vonage (vonage.com) is currently offering a free adapter, with monthly fees of $11.99 plus taxes and fees for domestic calls.
Magic Jack (magicjack.com) is offering a free trial offer, but its reviews aren't as high as the other two services for voice quality and reliability. Also, I can't seem to locate Magic Jack's fee structure following the trial offer.
Skype (skype.com) and Oovoo (oovoo.com) are similar VoIP services that are free and do not require an adapter, using a computer rather than a telephone. I use Skype quite often to keep in touch with my international friends and family members for long-distance visits on the holidays. I found Oovoo when trying to locate a cross-platform video conferencing service that would allow video calls from Android phones to Apple phones and computers; it also works computer to computer just as Skype, and with a video camera on the computers, both work for free video calls.
Before canceling any contract, be sure you do not have to pay a cancellation fee on your current plan, and price the porting fees if you want to transfer your current phone number to a new plan. With VoIP phone plans, an interruption to Internet service would also disrupt telephone service, as could a power outage if your adapter does not have battery backup.
Contact Nikki Boertman at boertman@commercialappeal.com. Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/fabfrugalca.
I'm still not sure I believe the first recession ever ended, and I sure hope things don't get any worse. I've seen many loved ones struggle as layoffs forced them into a difficult job market. I know families who have had one parent relocate out of state to find work and have to telecommute long distance with spouse and children. While technology helps, this is a difficult situation, but one some families have felt forced to make.
To change our financial situation, we must make more money, spend less, or both. That's budgeting, plain and simple. One way I cut my budget years ago was by cutting my home phone service entirely. I wasn't going to continue to pay a monthly bill for a landline out of habit, when my need didn't justify the expense.
For many families, to completely cut the cord is unthinkable, but there are now many other options available that have come a long way in terms of service and reliability.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers offer alternative cost plans that can save your family a home phone bill if you have high-speed Internet service. Ooma, Vonage and Magic Jack are well-known providers of this service. Many offer a porting fee allowing you to keep your current phone number, and all have differing cost structures.
Ooma (ooma.com) offers free domestic calls and low-cost international rates; the adapter is listed on the company website for $229 but can be found around $200 from other retailers. The daily deal site woot.com often features the Ooma for even an even greater discount; I've seen it as low as $119. The new version of Ooma costs $3.50 a month for taxes for free domestic calls, but the older Ooma adapter can still be found online and does not have a monthly fee. I prefer products and services I pay for upfront without monthly fees, as monthly fees can really add up over time. Ooma reviews on Woot and Amazon have been very positive.
Vonage (vonage.com) is currently offering a free adapter, with monthly fees of $11.99 plus taxes and fees for domestic calls.
Magic Jack (magicjack.com) is offering a free trial offer, but its reviews aren't as high as the other two services for voice quality and reliability. Also, I can't seem to locate Magic Jack's fee structure following the trial offer.
Skype (skype.com) and Oovoo (oovoo.com) are similar VoIP services that are free and do not require an adapter, using a computer rather than a telephone. I use Skype quite often to keep in touch with my international friends and family members for long-distance visits on the holidays. I found Oovoo when trying to locate a cross-platform video conferencing service that would allow video calls from Android phones to Apple phones and computers; it also works computer to computer just as Skype, and with a video camera on the computers, both work for free video calls.
Before canceling any contract, be sure you do not have to pay a cancellation fee on your current plan, and price the porting fees if you want to transfer your current phone number to a new plan. With VoIP phone plans, an interruption to Internet service would also disrupt telephone service, as could a power outage if your adapter does not have battery backup.
Contact Nikki Boertman at boertman@commercialappeal.com. Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/fabfrugalca.
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