Save money on your home phone bill

Alexander Graham Bell accidently invented the telephone in March of 1876 when he spilled acid on himself, and realized that his voice was being carried. Over 100 years later, the telephone has advanced and become such a mainstay in peoples lives, one that some people may find it difficult to live without.

Unfortunately, staying in touch with loved ones via telephone can come with a huge price tag that some families can find hard to keep up with. With a few smart moves, you can enjoy staying connected and avoid dreading that monthly bill. Check out our list of the top 15 tips on reducing your landline bill. 

1. Go old school- Eliminate the need for service such as caller ID and automatic redialing. The solution? Simply do what you did before these services were ever available! Pull out the phonebook, use your phones redial button, or just manually call people back. it's really not that much of a hassle. Use Yellowpages.com to speed things up when looking up a person or business.
2. Get personal during the holidays- No need to rack up a tab calling your friends and relatives long distance during the holidays. Postcards are inexpensive, unexpected, and much more thoughtful. We promise, the receiver of the postcard will smile, and remember that time much longer than they would a phone call.
3. Temporarily suspend your service- If you are going to be away from your home for 2 months or more, talk to your provider about temporarily suspending your service. While there is a fee associated with this, it is often cheaper than paying the bill when the phone isn't in use.
4. Free 411? - Using 411 charges you per call. Avoid paying those fees and punch in a few extra digits by using a free 411 number. Some require you to listen a short advertisement, and some don't.
5. Do you need it at all? In some situations, people rarely even use their landline, and there is no need for it. Examples: young adults that live alone, families that have great deals on their cell phones, and people doing a house swap.
6. Get incoming calls at your computer- Yahoo offers a service called Yahoo Phone In where you choose a phone number for around $3.00/month, and receive unlimited incoming calls. In order for it to work, you must have a Yahoo account, and be signed into Yahoo messenger at any location. This is worth a look for anybody that spends a great deal of time at the computer.
7. Consider a bundle package- Do you pay separate bills for phone, Internet and cable? Ask your provider about saving money on your bill using a bundle plan, where 2 or more services are combined into a consolidated bill. Check out LowerMyBills.com to see what companies are providing money-saving bundles in your area.
8. Get a break- People that have home businesses, or work at home often are sometimes eligible for a tax break on all or part of their phone service bill.
9. Talk to children- Explain to children that using the phone (especially long distance) costs a lot of money. Instruct them to ask permission before using the phone.
10. Stay in the time zone- When making long distance calls, make them within that time bracket where there is a reduced rate, usually nights & weekends.
11. Let the operator know- Reach a wrong number? Let the operator know immediately after the call to avoid being charged for it. This is especially helpful when it comes to long distance calls.
12. Use the right number- Most companies have a toll free 800, or 1-800 number. Find this, and use it rather than the metro number.
13. Make the switch- Consider switching to VOIP and save $50-$100 per month versus a standard landline.
14. Schedule calls- Make long distance calls frequently? Plan it out! You and the other end could take turns calling each other to share the long distance fees, make your calls during the cheapest time of the day, or agree to talk less via telephone and more through an instant messaging program or e-mail.
15. Calling cards- Consider using a calling card instead of long distance through your provider. Some cards have rates as low as $0.03/minute.