Why don't you get Google voice for a second line, and send faxes through your computer? I use Skype for a lot of calls as well.

I'm appalled at what we spend for communication in this house. But I think your costs are in line, even pretty good, considering the number of lines you have.

We have bundled phone/internet/cable through Charter. We have 10mbps for internet and HBO/Showtime on cable. The monthly nut for that is about $165.00. We sign up for the "deal" du jour and it it lasts for 6 months or a year and then some part of the "bundle" will shoot up again and I call and harangue them until they work me another deal. I contemplate dropping the phone portion of this, but when I do the math on the various plans, it wouldn't save us more than about $10-$15 a month, so I leave it as-is. That and we're approaching fogey-dom (45 and 58) so can't fully embrace not having a home phone.

We have two smart phones through Verizon, with the required data plan and I think 500 minutes shared between us. That costs us $135 a month.

So the total is $300 a month, $3,600 a year. That's a lot of gelt!

ideefixe I used Google voice a couple of times kind of as a test but it's been several months. We have unlimited long distance on our landlines (and cells of course) but that's US only. Loved being able to call a friend in Toronto for free, but the the call quality was not terrific, far worse than cell which is still not as good as landline and yes I can hear you now! I'm far deeper into *fogey-dom* than jakebedy and I want my clear calls!

As for faxing through computer..... not sure I can get DH on board. He'll balk at the idea of having to scan a document first, save it THEN fax it. He is such a creature of habit. I drag him kicking and screaming into every technology update.

We have bundled services that include: 2 phone lines, cable with 3 dvr boxes, high speed internet, and a family cell plan with 5 cell phones. Our average monthly bill is $700.00. I just canceled the 2nd phone line since it was only used for faxing, I was able to keep that 2nd number and use it on my primary line with a distinctive ring that goes to the fax while only using one line. That drops the monthly bill about $40.00. I also turned in one DVR box since DD moved out. Another $15.00. Every little bit helps.

Have you considered calling your service provider and asking for a discount?

We have been with our service provider for 4 years. We kept getting flyers with great promotions and deals in the mail from them but the catch was that it is only for "new" customers. I called the customer service dept last year and asked about these deals and why I couldnt get a discount, I even threatened to leave and go elsewhere...they didn't care.

This year, my friend who also has the same provider was also looking at her bills, decided to see if she could get a discount. Instead of calling customer service as I did last year, she called the sales dept. Low and behold they do offer "loyal customer discounts". This is something they do not advertise I guess. When my friend told me about this I called right away. I was given a discount of $36 month off my regular $166/month bill which has internet, cable, and phone bundled. They even wavied the price increase which is coming April 1. I saved myself over $400 a year!

We pay $80 per month for our landline and internet access. Our internet access is locked at $20 for life unless we upgrade. It is always amazing to me how much of that bill goes to taxes and various fees.

For cell phones, we use pre-paid plans right now and those run about $40 every 3 months for 2 phones. We are contemplating switching to other plans offered by Virgin Mobil that would give us unlimited text/data and a certain number of minutes each month without a contract and then cutting out the landline. I need to track our phone usage to see if it would work for us.

We don't have cable. Around football season we always contemplate getting it but the rest of the year we do not watch much television so we go over to a friend's for Monday night football if there is a game we really want to see. We paid a one time fee of $30 for an antenna for the television though. So our total for the year is $1080.

I really appreciate what you've all shared. One thing I should clarify is that we have Cable internet access but do not have Cable TV - never have.

judigal I agree - every little bit helps which is why I'm always on the look out and calling our providers for options.

roseabbly at the moment we have 3 services - landline, cell and cable internet - and 3 providers. We can save a bit if we bundle the landline and internet but it will require a different modem purchase and a couple of other expenses so the savings don't kick in till those items are expensed. The biggest savings comes when you have a bundle for 3 services and we won't do the TV option so don't qualify. Just asked for discounts last month - got a small one on the internet, nothing on landline and there isn't an option for a better package. With cell phone we're stuck until our youngest is out of college - if you don't have Verizon you don't have cell service there - it's pretty isolated.

tishtoshnm those taxes and fees are crazy!

"loyal customer discounts"

What provider are you talking about? TIA

We have DISH (cable not available), bundled with home phone/internet. I'm on my sister's AT&T Family Plan with DD1, my sister and our parents. I handle my families financial affairs, so it get divided up each month. The cell phone cost is ridiculous. :-/

Our landline and internet bundle is about $40 per month (no cable tv) from Time Warner. The real killer is the AT&T family cell phone plan with 5 phones in it (3 are iphones) at about $350/month. Almost $5k a year! Ouch.

No wonder my parents generation was able to build wealth (in their early 70's) ... compared to my generation ... they didn't have all these "small" expenses that add up to a substantial number.

Imagine the above $5k per year saved yearly w/compounded interest for 30 years!!

I agree with chispa, it's amazing what we're spending for extra stuff.

Here's our tally (service before various taxes)

Home landline: $40/mo

Cell-phones: $89/mo for 2 older no internet ones (plus one w internet)

Internet connection #1 (Virgin Mobile plus AOL) is total of $66/mo

Internet connection #2 (Verizon plus Acmenet) $73/mo

Total is $268/mo (before the considerable taxes and fees, of course)

No cable TV.

And that describes the main problem; we're in a rural area with NO cable or DSL connections available. Satellite reception here is poor because of mountainous terrain obstructions so that left us with only a landline until recently. Last Fall, my husband finally got fed up and intsalled what amounts to our own private mini cell phone repeater station to access the nearest cell tower, which is more than 10 miles away. That increased our costs $100/mo for the two different flavors (Virgin Mobile & Verizon) of mobile broadband service we then signed up for. Neither is truly reliable, and both are incredibly slow compared to "typical" broadband, but for us they are a quantum leap in speed. (Mine is the slowest and doesn't allow for any moving pictures, flash etc., but for the first time I can actually see pictures like those posted here -until now I have never been able to see your pics at home! The improvement was great - and had become necessary many sites wouldn't even download w/o pics, so it became increasingly useless to even try to use the 'net.)

We have our providers all spread out in order to minimize total blackouts when/if one or more goes out of service - something that happens a lot because the demand is low here and providers get us back on line last when there's a problem. None of our three cell phones work in the house or property because of weak signals, so we only use those when away from home. The internet broadband connections only work because we have cables running from the repeater antenna directly to our machines.

Looking at this total of more than $8/day (plus added taxes)shocks me.

L

liriodendron I don't know that I'd have the patience to cobble together all the providers and equipment as you have - and after all that it's still limited service! You're a patient woman.

texanjana ouch is right! Wow that hurts.

chispa it is staggering when we look at what 'life' costs today. And for me, it makes me question - is this really living?

we pay $134.00/month for Premium Cable TV/high speed wireless internet/land line phone with voice mail + caller id.....Verizon FIOS.

My husband's cell phone is 79.00/month.

I use a Prepaid TRAC cell phone that costs less then 120.00 a year.

ML

Yeah, not really my idea of 'living' either, dlm. I can't imagine spending all those hundreds of dollars a month for all this stuff. I used to pay $155 for internet/VOIP/cable tv. I thought that was an outrageous amount to spend on these things! I also have a cell phone strictly for emergencies that costs $25/mo.

I've since switched to a landline $17/mo (only $8 for the landline but another $8+ surcharges). I need this for security system/fire, incoming calls, and power outages. I use Google Voice (free) for all outbound calls (usually works just fine though certainly not as convenient as just picking up a handset). Switched from broadband to DSL which is half the cost at $30/mo. It usually seems to be faster! As for the tv, it's not something I really enjoy or want to spend my time on. I will use the DVD player when I want to spend my time watching something really good (once I get it set up). Or read, play music or even watch select shows that are available on the net. I am however paying $22/mo for the antenna service at this point (the digital box and indoor antennas I tried aren't working very well). I think I'll be getting a roof antenna installed to rid the monthly fee for that expensive service. I am also changing over to a $100/yr prepaid phone card for the emergency cell (has a $1 daily access fee when the phone is used). So, $8-$10/mo for that instead of $25, reduced by $200/yr.

So, down from approximately $180/mo (ridiculous) to $78. Hopefully $56/mo in the near future when I've got an outdoor antenna installed. Boy that sounds good. More like the old days!

When we had comcast, I discovered that I could do the same thing that roseabbey and her friend did. The deal was that you had to wait 6 mos. between invoking advertised specials, so you could get a discount for 6 mos, pay full price for 6 mos, then invoke whatever new discount they were offering for the next 6 mos, etc.

We have had Verizon for years, and only last year did DH realize that we could have been getting a 20% discount the whole time through his employer. UGH. But at least we've started now. I still think it's all too much

We have only cell phones now (I'm the only one with a smart phone, since I 'need' the internet while I'm out), but I have to admit I'm thinking of adding a land line for security, or if the cell towers are down for whatever reason...and since this is the decor forum, folks will understand that my finding a vintage orange-red trimline phone at an estate sale is also a significant factor in my desire to reactivate a land line :)

Landline with long distance (AT&T and MCI) ... averages $55/month

Expanded basic cable TV/Internet (high speed Cox) ... $120/month

Consumer Cellular flat rate $35/month ... we never use it more than that

Total: $210/month

I have Fios cable tv, landline with free long distance, and internet. For these I spend about $150.00 a month. I also have 3 cell phones, two with internet and spend about $110.00 for them.

Plus I have 2 Tivos and 2 satellite radios.

We have Dish tv and I've done what was mentioned above. I get sick and tired of seeing all the specials for "new customers only". Of course I know they are trying to bring in more customers, but still! So I have called in and asked why long time customers do not get special rates, etc. I have been given free DVR receivers, my rate lowered, etc. so it does pay to call and ask.

As for our costs -

landline (no long distance) and hs internet service is $65/month

2 cellphones (1 smartphone) - approximately $75-80/month
(1 with web access, both with texting, etc.)

Cannot remember what DISH cost is - well below $100/month and thinking of changing to one of their new custom packages which are lower in cost.

tina

Another expense which didn't exist before is satellite radio in the cars. We bought 2 new cars recently and they came with free trials. I did not renew mine as I'm happy to listen to old fashioned AM/FM radio or use the built in connection for my ipod. DH is a bit of a technology lover so he did renew his subscription. He does have a commute, but it isn't too long. It isn't a big expense, but it didn't make any sense to me!

chispa, I would almost be willing to pay for it to just not have to listen to some of the commercials. You know the american public is aging when you here ads for prostate supplements on the classic rock station. Not to mention that many of the talk by the DJs can border on assinine. I however do not spend enough time in my vehicle to pay it. Although I may get a radio that I can hook my ipod into and then, no DJs or commercials.

Land line (2 lines - needed for MIL's Lifeline and central station monitoring) -$100/mo

Cell phone (4 phones) - $130/mo

Cable/internet - $170/mo