How I Save $$$ on my utilities

After getting married my wife and I each had a cell phone but no home phone.  It worked for the most part.  We could always get in touch with our friends & family.  Well, except when they were long distance.  We had to do the old trick of call them, hang up, and have them call you back.

Plus, my wifes cell was with Bell Mobility and the bills were ridiculous!  She had the absolutely cheapest plan we could find, made maybe 6 or 7 calls a month and about the same amount of texts and her bill vaired from $60 to upwards of $80.  We needed to get rid of it!

Here is what we did:

We cancelled her cellphone with Bell (avg $70/mth)

We switched our Lite Plus cable internet with Cogeco (approx. $30/mth) to the basic analog cable tv package.

We then signed up for the Ultimate/Ultimate Cable plan with Distributel.  We get unlimited DSL internet at about 5Mbps & a home phone with all the regular features.  For an extra $10 we added unlimited long distance for Canada/US and $2 more to get the same plan on my cell phone.  The package comes out to $75/mth ($65/mth for the 1st year).

With my cell phone @ Telus we upgraded to the iPhone 3G 8GB for $100 & a 3 year contract.  We got the basic data plan with the My 5 Favs option ($55/mth).

The way long distance on the cell works with Distributel is they have a ton of access numbers.  Your phone number is given access to the system.  You call the access number for your area.  After a quick moment you hear the dial tone.  Then you dial the number you want you call without the 1.  You will hear an automated voice say "Distributel" and then you will get connected to the call and hear the line ringing on the other end.

You will have to let your friends & family know that when they see Distributel on the ident-i-call that it's just you and not  telemarketer.  The biggest is hassle is having to remember phone numbers and dial them in manually.

My solution was the iPhone app IsaDial.  It's meant for using calling cards because they also have access numbers.  I programmed a few different access numbers as a 'profile'.  When I want to make a call I launch IsaDial instead of Contacts.  It asks me which profile I want to use.  Then it takes me to my contacts.  I choose the person and number I want to call.  The program calls the access number, waits a few moments, and then dials the number I wanted.

So for the cost of one less cell phone we now have cable tv, high speed DSL internet, a home phone with unlimited long distance in US & Canada and a cell phone with the same plan.  Sure it costed me $100 to upgrade to an iPhone.  But my monthly plan was actully $10-15 cheaper per month on the iPhone.  So the upgrade paid for itself after 10 months.

Update

I've had other blogs in the past that I used for venting and posting updates on my life. I never really updated them on a regular basis (not that I post here very often). Now with Facebook I find that blog posts, emails, and the such are falling by the wayside.

So here is where I'm at...

I know I have some good solid pieces so far. I just need to memorize them so I can start 'performing' them. My problem is that I suck at setting time aside to practice. I don't want to practice where anyone can actually hear or see me. And when I do I feel like a total knob. So until I get in some SERIOUS practice I don't see myself placing much better at poetry slams.

I REALLY want to put out a chapbook. I don't really care if I'm 'ready for it' as a writer. I think it will (at the very least) give me credibility in my own mind as a writer. As of right now I'm looking for an artist / graphic artist. I had someone lined up who wanted to do it for free! But they never got back to me.

Writers block. It's weird because I have lots of things I have ideas about or opinions on but when I try to write the thoughts just can't come together. I think I might just have to start writing random posts on here about whatever is going on in my mind because writing is writing.

So I will definitely....most likely....probably....maybe....possibly be posting here more often. Maybe I'll start tomorrow?