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| image from here courtesy of PhotoPin |
I read a lot of blogs about saving money, because I'm always looking for new methods to the madness. How do I pay off debt quicker? How can I cut costs and be more efficient?
One of the methods I read about last week discussed completely cutting cell phone coverage…
Shocking, right?
In this day and age, who doesn't have a smart phone? I know 12 year olds with them! And 80 year olds too! Basically, the premise was that if you cut your cell phone plan, you can just rely on wifi for texting (WhatsApp, iMessage) and calling (Skype). The US (not my experience with Europe) provides plenty of free wifi access points making this easier and easier to do. Not only do Starbucks and McDonalds all have easily accessible internet, but there are (or soon will be) whole cities with free wifi. (Google Fiber anyone?)
While I've only had one experience as an adult without a cell phone years ago, I could totally see this being a fantastic opportunity to save money. At $100 a month, we'd be saving $1200 a year, and that's a low number. Justin and I are part of a family plan for the purposes of saving money; however if you aren't part of a family plan, you could save even more depending on how much you pay per phone per month! With an average savings of $1200 a year, you could pay for a plane ticket to Europe! Or make a downpayment on a new car! Buy new furniture! Drink 600 cups of coffee (at $2 a cup)! The possibilities are (almost) endless!
On the same note, but kind of different, I was challenged recently to delete 5 apps on my phone and add 5 more. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn which apps I use and are worth keeping and which apps are just taking up space.
These are the apps I deleted:
1. Trivia Crack – How often do I really play? It seems like more often than not I find myself losing games because I don't respond in time. (iTunes • Google Play • Amazon)
2. Lounge Buddy – I downloaded it because of a travel blog's mention, but I never used it. Out it goes! (iTunes • Google Play)
3. Mindsnacks Learn German – This was another case where I contemplated how often I used it. Yes, I did pay for it, but I had also completed all of the levels. While I could keep the app and use it for review, in the past year I haven't opened it or used it once. Similar to cleaning out my closet, I knew this app had to go. (By the way, it's a fantastic app for learning the basics of any language! There is a wide variety of games that are fast-paced which make learning easy and fun!) (iTunes)
4. Honeywell Home Security – We had a security system in our last house that we were able to use our phones with, but we don't have one in our current house. It was time for it to go. :)
5. Light Leaker – This was an app that allowed you to add "light leaks" into your photos when editing them on your phone. It was pretty fun for a while, but I rarely edit photos that intensely on my phone. (iTunes)
These are the apps I added:
1. Amazon Prime Music – Justin and I have Amazon Prime, but I didn't have the music app. I had heard good things about it – like being able to listen to whole cds without paying for them – which is why I downloaded it. (iTunes • Google Play • Amazon)
2. Target Cartwheel – Another opportunity to save money? Sure! (iTunes • Google Play)
3. Chase Mobile – With 2 new Chase credit cards in my name, I decided this would be the easiest way to keep up with them. (iTunes • Google Play)
4. Learn & Play Languages – With one language learning game gone, I decided to find another. (iTunes)
5. My Disney Experience – Knowing that Justin and I would be going to Disney World this year, I decided to take control of the experience and try a Disney app. Time will tell if it is useful. (iTunes • Google Play)
After a week with the new apps, I found myself re-downloading Trivia Crack, loving the Amazon Prime app (!!), and deleting the Learn & Play Languages App (Too boring!). I have yet to try any of the other apps. :-/
If you were to add/delete 5 apps on your phone, what would they be? Would you consider giving up your cell phone contract and relying solely on wifi to save you money? Share! I'd love to hear your input! :)
** Participate in the A-Z blogging challenge with me! You know you want to! :)
