So here's the article I promised to write. I had written it before but it got erased so I had to reconstruct it. I am looking to look closely at the money I spend per month on communications.
Here's a breakdown:
2 phone lines (barebones services)..........$44/mo
Qwest long distance..................................$2/mo
Phone Cards to Philippines........................$40/mo
DSL............................................................$41/mo
webhostng..................................................$7/mo
webhosting.................................................$10/mo
2 cell lines (down from $95/mo w Sprint)..$74/mo
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Total $218/mo
Yikes. That's a lot. Here's some things I think can be done to reduce that and/or get better services for the same money.
The low hanging fruit.
I can stick with my $10/mo webhosting by moving my website off the $7/mo service. Savings $7/mo.
I can improve my wireless internet access coverage at home and reduce my monthly bill by $10/mo in the house by moving my DSL from my downstairs phone line to my home phone line on the second floor of a 3 floor house. The only risk is a locked in 1 year contract with Verizon. No problem since I didn't plan to leave them anyway. I explored cable but don't have cable service now so I think it would be more expensive.
I can cancel my phone line downstairs and my long distance with Qwest for a savings of $22/mo for the phone and $2/mo for the long distance. I still want to keep my home office number though. I will get Vonage for $25 per month. It's an even trade money wise but I gain unlimited long distance plus some technical features I may take advantage of in a second round of "restructuring" my communications budget.
Let's tally the changes so far...
1 phone line (barebones services)............$22/mo
Phone Cards to Philippines........................$40/mo
DSL............................................................$31/mo
webhosting.................................................$10/mo
2 cell lines (down from $95/mo w Sprint)..$74/mo
Vonage.......................................................$25/mo
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Total $202/mo
Only a $16/mo difference but I have vastly improved the services. I can now call my parents and leave the connection turned on 24 hours a day. I still have an office line and can send faxes to anywhere without paying extra. Plus I get call waiting and three way calling.
Second Round Communications Restructuring Sketch
With all this extra capability at home, perhaps I can downgrade my cell phone service. Since I can keep the same numbers, it's not an issue for me. I'm locked in for at least 7 months so nothing to do right now. Perhaps, I can get 1 individual plan for $40/mo and a pay-as-you go phone that would be used on average $10/mo. Proposed savings of $24/mo more.
Vonage opens up new possibilities for communicating with the Philippines. My wife's family and many of my aunts/uncles/cousins still live there. DSL is available in their area too. I can switch the $40/month spent on phone cards for an equivalent DSL/Vonage set up in the Philippines. Instead of 2 hours per week talk time, my wife could get unlimited talk time with her family.
If Vonage could offer 2 phone lines from one DSL connection, I think I could save even more.
All of these are small personal examples of opportunities that can present themselves as technologies and competitive markets change the rules of the game. People who use information to their advantage can save money and/or improve services by taking a hard look at their technology stack and not being afraid to make a few moves.
