• Home
  • GET THE BOOK
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
  • Shop TBM
  • Courses

The Budget Mom

Real Women. Real Life. Real Finance

  • Home
  • Products
    • Live Rich Planner
    • Budget By Paycheck
  • Blog
  • FREE RESOURCES
  • COURSES
  • GET THE BOOK
  • Shop TBM

A life you love on a budget you can afford.

Here on TBM®, I provide you with simple, easy-to-follow solutions to help you budget your money, pay off debt, save more, and crush your financial goals. But more than that, I give you the tools to start doing the things that matter most to you, on a budget that actually works!

4 Tips to Lower Your Cell Phone Bill

February 10, 2020
Cut Expenses

Share
Pin152
Share
Tweet
Email
152 Shares

Whatever your financial goal, you can reach it faster when you find ways to reduce your spending. Check out 4 smart tips you can use to lower your cell phone bill.

If you want your financial life to improve, you have to be willing to stretch yourself in ways you never have before. Are you trying to get out of debt? Do you want to save money for an emergency fund, vehicle, or vacation? Whatever your financial goal, one of the best ways to reach it faster is to find ways to reduce your spending.  

Like most people, I’m a huge fan of saving money. I opt for reusable products when I can. I look for ways to conserve energy and reduce my utility bills. I even put together this guide on 30+ ways to save money with some of my favorite tips.

One area where I found some extra room for savings in my budget was my cell phone bill. Believe it or not, a few simple changes can lower your cell phone bill and add up meaningfully over time.

  • Read: How I Save Money Every Month Buying Generic Brands

1. Shop around for a less expensive carrier.

A great way to save money when it comes to your wireless plan is to learn what the competition has to offer. If you’re looking for a discount carrier, there’s no shortage of options you can consider:

  • Tello Mobile: Has coast-to-coast coverage through the Nationwide Sprint Network. Unlimited talk, text, and data start at $39 per month — including calls to Mexico, Canada, and China.
  • Mint Mobile: Mint's latest program offers unlimited talk, text and 5G or 4G LTE data for $30 per month. You must pay for three months in advance ($90 total).  Regular rates for the same plan climb to $40 per month afterward. And right now you get three months free when you buy any three month plan! Other plans are available with unlimited talk and text, but limited data amounts. Check out Mint Mobile now.  
  • Ting Mobile: Ting provides Nationwide coverage in a different way. You choose your plan: Flex pay-per-use, a set monthly data plan or max unlimited data plan. All their plans offer unlimited talk and text.
  • Xfinity Mobile: Xfinity Mobile combines Verizon’s LTE network (which covers 98% of the U.S. population) with millions of WiFi hotspots across the country. The result, Xfinity advertises, is less mobile data usage and less money out of your pocket.
  • Republic Wireless: Republic Wireless offers unlimited talk and text for $15 per month. You pay an additional $5 per GB of data. The carrier also provides a yearly option where you can prepay for service and save. For example, the 2 GB of data plan can be prepaid at $250 per year — $20.83 per month versus $25 per month if you pay as you go.
  • Sprint/T-Mobile: Sprint recently merged with T-Mobile and is considered one of the “Big” wireless carriers, along with Verizon and AT&T. But its unlimited plans stand out among the competition. Sprint/T-Mobile's Unlimited Magenta Plan is $35 per month per line and includes Netflix (another savings opportunity).
  • Boost Mobile: Boost Mobile offers an unlimited wireless plan (talk, text, and data), starting at $50 per month. The plan includes 12 GB of mobile hotspot usage and comes with unlimited SD streaming.

Several of the plans above require you to use less data or deal with slower speeds than you might enjoy on higher-cost plans. Perks like mobile hotspots may be limited or restricted with discount cellular plans too.

Are any of the above are deal breakers for you? If so, you can still consider other ways to potentially lower your cell phone bill with your current cell phone company.

  • Read: 8 Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Utility Bill

2. Choose a family plan. 

Many cellular carriers offer you a break when you sign up for multiple lines. So, if you need wireless service for several phones and tablets, you could save more money across the board.

Here are a few examples of how much you might save:

  • AT&T: Pay $65 per month for one line on the Unlimited Starter plan. When you switch to four lines, pay $140 per month ($35 per line).
  • Verizon: Pay $70 per month for a single line on the Start Unlimited plan. Change to four lines with the same plan and pay just $35 per line, per month.

Even if you don’t pay for cellular service on multiple phones yourself, you might be able to sign up for a shared plan with family members or friends you trust. Splitting the cost with other trustworthy loved ones can reduce the price everyone on the plan pays for coverage.

  • Read: Alternative Ways to Save Money on Your Utility Bill

3. Sign up for autopay. 

 Using auto pay for your monthly bill is another way to cut the cost of your wireless service potentially. Numerous carriers offer autopay discounts, including:

  • Sprint: Save $5 per month, per line.
  • Verizon: Save $10 per month per eligible plan when you sign up for autopay and paperless billing.
  • T-Mobile: Save $5 per month, per line.
  • Cricket: Save $5 per month on eligible plans.

Before you opt for automatic payments, be sure your budget can handle them. The last thing you want is to rack up overdraft fees from automatic payments because you didn’t plan for them in advance.

  • Read: How to Save Money with Honey Browser Extension

4. Negotiate.

Over the years, I’ve found that negotiating with service providers is a great way to save money. Cell phone companies spend piles of advertising dollars every year, trying to attract new customers. You can leverage this knowledge to your advantage.

Saving money on your cell phone bill may be as simple as calling up your wireless carrier and asking for a better price. When you call, let the customer service representative know that you’re thinking about canceling. You’ll likely be transferred to a customer retention specialist.

From there, let customer retention know that you’ve been looking at offers from other mobile phone carriers. Ask if they’re willing to match those better deals to keep you on board as a customer. (It helps to have some specific offers on hand to reference during the call.)

  • Read: 4 Little-Known Ways to Cut Expenses When You’re in Debt

The Bottom Line

When you’re trying to improve your budget, it’s critical to find ways to control your spending. There may be some conveniences you’re willing to cut altogether — perhaps a daily Starbucks trip or cable TV. Yet you can’t cut all expenses from your life.

Of course, just because you can’t cut an expense, like your cell phone bill, doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Lowering the cost of your cell phone bill can help you find more money to put toward the financial goals that matter most to you. Repeat this process in other areas of your budget, and these small changes can add up to something exciting in time.

Share
Pin152
Share
Tweet
Email
152 Shares

Filed Under: Tagged With: BILLS, CELL PHONE, CUT EXPENSES, NEGOTIATE LOWER BILLS, SAVE MONEY

Previous article:
« The Budget Mom’s 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
Next article:
I Only Made Instant Pot Recipes for an Entire Month – Here’s What I Learned »

Hello, I'm Kumiko, but everyone just calls me Miko. Welcome to my blog, The Budget Mom. I am an Accredited Financial Counselor® , and mom to a rambunctious boy. Come along with me as I strive to live a life I love on a budget that I can afford. Read more about me.

RECENT YOUTUBE VIDEO

The Budget Mom

The Budget Mom
It’s time for another Real Life Budget. I asked my readers to submit their REAL information. Real spending, real debt, and real savings goals.

I am taking those real-life numbers and showing you how I would organize and budget that information using my Budget By Paycheck® Method.

If you would like to submit your budget information to possibly be picked for a Real Life Budget that we will show on YouTube, please reach out to budgets@thebudgetmom.com.

Diane is a single mom who is a Database Administrator for an IT Department at a local college. She lives in Queens, NY, and eventually wants to move to a lower-cost of living area in the future. 

Diane submitted her information because she is struggling to organize and tackle all of her larger short-term goals.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
02:15 Why & Personal Story
04:20 Income 
04:37 Fixed Expenses
05:48 Variable Expenses
06:31 Debt
07:53 Savings Goals
10:18 Budget By Paycheck Method
14:51 My Recommendations

➡️ HOW I TRACK MY SPENDING: https://bit.ly/3aIe89I
➡️ HOW TO USE A BUDGET CALENDAR: https://bit.ly/2IzF2Vj
➡️ FINDING YOUR WHY: https://bit.ly/3aJUryj
➡️ THE BUDGET MOM'S FINANCIAL FREEDOM STEPS: https://bit.ly/3cfJXsp
➡️ HOW TO GET STARTED WITH THE CASH ENVELOPE METHOD: https://bit.ly/2vQJaO5
➡️ HOW TO CREATE A PLAN OF ATTACK TO PAY OFF DEBT: https://bit.ly/2wDETxF

ABOUT ME

Kumiko Love is a single mom who empowers women everywhere to regain control of their financial lives. An Accredited Financial Counselor with over nine years of experience in the finance industry, she founded The Budget Mom, a community of millions of women on a path to financial fulfillment.

She's also the creator of the wildly popular Live Rich Planner® and Budget by Paycheck® Workbook. Love has been featured on Good Morning America, the Today show, CNN, CBS, ABC and in USA Today, US News, World Report, Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Parents Magazine, the Washington Post, and Real Simple. She lives in Spokane Valley, Washington.

YOU CAN FIND ME AT:

📝 WEBSITE: https://www.thebudgetmom.com
📘 FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thebudgetmom/
📸 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thebudgetmom/
📌 PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/thebudgetmom/

GET STARTED

➡️Start Here: https://www.thebudgetmom.com/start-here/
➡️Courses: https://courses.thebudgetmom.com/
➡️Free Resources: https://bit.ly/2PDmTHz
➡️GET 10% OFF my popular Budget-by-Paycheck Workbook - Coupon Code TBMYOUTUBE https://bit.ly/3FEdZFp

Soundstripe License Code: LBWMAQPEPWYVFKT3
Load More... Subscribe
Free Resource Library

Recent Posts

  • To Pay Off Debt or Not to Pay Off Debt: The Pros and Cons of Using Home Equity
  • The Secret to Personal Finance I Never Learned About in Business School
  • Don’t Overpay for TV and Internet: How to Shop Around for the Best Deals
  • 4 Simple Tricks to Stick to Your Grocery Budget
  • Celebrate Without Breaking the Bank: How to Save for Special Events

Blog Categories

Amazon Associates Disclosure

The Budget Mom, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

  • Cart
  • Shop Policies

Start With My Friday Newsletter

Every Friday I send you a short helpful email with my popular Friday freebie. Join my 500k+ subscribers!

About

  • Home
  • ABOUT TBM
  • Contact
  • Start Here

Important

  • DISCLAIMER
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Subscribe

Favorites

  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Live Rich Planner
  • Budget by Paycheck

Start With My Friday Newsletter

Copyright ©2023, The Budget Mom®
This website contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive a commission. This website is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program where I earn advertising fees by linking to amazon.com.
  • How financially fulfilled are you? Take this 2 minute quiz to get your score!
    Click Here to Start