Christmas
How to Trim Your Household Budget Just in Time for the Holidays
By
Dec 3, 2005, 23:52

(ARA) – The holiday season is upon us and before long, people’s patience with long lines in the stores won’t be all that’s wearing thin. If you’re like most people, you’ll have blown your budget long before you cross the last person off your list.
Rather than maxing out your credit cards, and worrying about how you’re going to pay off all those big bills in the New Year, join the growing number of people who make the holiday season a time to re-evaluate their household budget. A good place to start is by taking a long, hard look at your regular expenses.

The amount you spend on necessities like food, transportation and housing is unlikely to change; but thanks to competition and technology, it’s now possible to save a lot of money by shopping around for the best deal on the services you use every day; things like bank accounts, insurance plans and long distance telephone service. Perhaps the biggest savings can be realized by canceling your contract with the phone company and switching to a carrier that lets you make calls over the Internet using a new technology called Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP).

It used to be available primarily to people with high-speed Internet connections, roughly 53 percent of all home Internet users according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project; but now the 45 million of us with dial-up connections can use it too. In late October, United Online, Incorporated, the parent company of NetZero, launched NetZero Voice, a new Internet phone calling service that delivers clear, high quality calling over virtually any Internet connection, dial-up or broadband, worldwide.

Deb Daniels of Denver, Colo., was among the first to try it out. “It’s the best move I’ve made in a long time,” she says. “My long distance bill dropped from $59.99 to $3.95 per month; and my friends and family can get ahold of me whenever they want, even when I’m online.”

With VoIP, a phone call is converted from an analog telephone signal into bits of digital data that are transmitted (like email) over the Internet instead of over public telephone lines. Because there’s no phone company involved, Internet calls don’t incur a surcharge beyond what the user is paying for Internet access.

Some Internet phone calling providers advertise free local and long distance calling while others give you a set number of minutes in exchange for a monthly fee. Depending on the package you buy, you can make free or steeply discounted calls to computers, landlines or mobile phones anywhere in the world. There’s usually no difference between the fees charged for local or long distance calls, and international calls can be made for a fraction of what they’d cost otherwise.

Lowell Hagar of Council Bluffs, Iowa, decided to try out the service after receiving an email from NetZero, his dial-up internet provider. “What really impressed me was how clear the signal was. I called my daughter in North Carolina, and the quality was so good, she didn’t believe me when I told her I was calling from the computer.”

To get started, Hagar downloaded NetZero Voice free from the company’s Website: www.netzerovoice.com. “It only took a few minutes to download and install,” he says. “I initially signed up for the company’s 100 minute a month plan, but have been so impressed, I’m probably going to drop my long distance phone service and upgrade my VoIP plan.”

NetZero has four plans that top out at $14.95 per month for unlimited inbound and outbound calling to any computer or phone in the continental United States, Canada or Puerto Rico. That’s less than half what you’ll pay for unlimited long distance calling from a traditional long distance carrier.

In addition to saving you money, each plan offers a variety of features including free voicemail; an email account; instant messaging capabilities; and an online message center where you can check your voicemail and administer your account. You also get traditional services like call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call block, speed dial and “Do Not Disturb.”

Long distance isn’t the only bill you can reduce thanks to new technology and increased competition. If you’re paying a premium for cable television, you may want to consider switching over to one of the satellite television providers. They offer more channels for less money. If the speed offered by a cable modem or DSL Internet service isn’t critical, switch over to a dial-up service. It could save you at least $50 a month.

But whatever you do, don’t let the savings slip away. Establish a fixed amount you’ll spend on gifts before you start shopping. Following a budget will provide you with financial limits that force you to be more creative with your spending. After all, it'll be far better to start 2006 with bills that are manageable than with a financial crisis.

For more information about NetZeroVoice, log on to www.netzerovoice.com. Courtesy of ARA Content

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