Cut The Landline – Frugal Tip

Do you still have a landline phone? It always surprises me how many people continue to pay a monthly bill for a phone that only seems to be used by telemarketers. Even worse, I recently came across an older relative who still pays a monthly rental fee for their kitchen telephone.  She’s been faithfully paying almost 2 dollars a month “rent” for the past 35 years.

Take 2 minutes today and think about what you use your landline phone for. Do family and friends already have and use your cell phone number? If so, it would be pretty easy to cut the landline and switch everything over to your cell phone. Yes, it will take a little time to update account information for your utilities and the likes, but it won’t be nearly as hard or nearly as much work as you may think.

There are quite a few good reasons why you should consider cutting your home phone:

• It’s easier to get in touch with you. There’s only one number to keep track of and you always have it with you.
• You’ll be saving cash because you’re getting rid of a phone hardly anyone uses anymore.
• Your cell phone has voice mail built in and most plans come with free long-distance. No need to pay for those extra services.
• No more Telemarketer Calls! That’s reason enough to cut of the home phone if you ask me.

Of course there’s always an exception to the rule. While it’s a good idea for most people to get rid of their landline, I can think of a few scenarios where you may want to hang on to it:
– No cellphone and no real need for a cell phone. This one is obvious. If you don’t have a cell phone right now and don’t feel the need to have one, stick to the landline. It’s much cheaper than a cell phone (though less convenient).

– Poor cell coverage at your house. We’re in that situation right now. It gets a little annoying because I have to remember to sit my phone in the window when I get home and stand next to the window to make calls, it’s not annoying enough to make me spend $25 a month on a basic landline phone.