Is your cell phone bill secretly dragging you down? Spending exuberant amounts each month is frustrating and draining, but it’s not necessary! Use your phone at a fraction of the bill you now pay with these tips.

The Cost of Your Plan

While a basic unlimited plan may cost somewhere around $60 a month, many cell phone users find their bills drifting well over $100 on every bill. When you up the cost for all 12 months and multiply that by each family member with a phone, there may be thousands of dollars going out the door each year from cell phone bills alone.

This is a financial drain many are facing – 2013 statistics from the Pew Internet Project showed:

• 97% of adults have a cell phone
• 29% of users describe their phone as something they can’t live without.
• 80% of users will participate in e-commerce this year.
• 9% used their phone to contribute to charity

Time Magazine reported the national average price for each cell phone, as reported by the CTIA Wireless Association, was $47.16 a month in 2012, though most American families were spending well over $100 each month. Time reported that 13% of American families said they spent more than $200 each month on their cell phone bill.

Slashing Costs

Since the odds clearly stacked in the favor of the service provider, let’s take a look at a few ways to combat those high costs.

Watch Your Bill

Don’t allow your bill to be pulled from your account unnoticed, look at it each month and make sure costly fees aren’t appearing. If you are going over your minutes or data, for example, change to a plan that will better fit your needs and not result in expensive charges. If, instead, you are well under your limits each month, then it is wise to save money with a smaller plan.

Unlimited is not the best and most cost-effective plan if you aren’t using that much data, texting or minutes month-to-month and can be a great opportunity to reduce your monthly expense.

Do You Need Insurance?

Some users want to make sure their expensive phone is covered in case of an accident, but is that really the prudent thing to do? $10-15 a month adds up quickly, but often still requires a deductible if the phone is damaged. If you pay $10 a month for a year and have a $150 deductible, you end up spending $250 for a new phone at the end of the year if your phone is damaged. After that year is up, the price continues to grow and make the plan less worth it – your phone becomes less valuable over time as newer versions are released.

It might be best to get insurance for the first few months and then drop it for the rest of the time until an upgrade. It is also wise to get a sturdy case to keep your phone from damage.

Texting?

There apps available, like Textfree, TextMe and HeyWire, that allow you to text on your phone for free. Eliminate your text messaging from your plan and gain unlimited texting from the free apps to reduce your bill.

Friends and Family

Combining phones is a great way to slash costs. Get on a close friends plan or stay on your parents plan and pay them for your bill each month. Some companies, like Sprint, are even making this easy by allowing customers to sign up together, but stay responsible for their own separate bills each month.