Category: CELL PHONES

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON 411 CALLS!!

Wireless companies are quick to charge  for 411 calls  which range from $1.49 for Verizon, up to $1.75 for ATT wireless. These charges tend to add up really quickly. But do not dispair! Here is what you need to do to avoid these fees!

You don’t have to pay these fees. There are believe it or not free 411 services out there to choose from.Check out a summary of three free 411 services available.

  • 1-800-FREE-411
    • + Live Operators, real people.
    • - Must listen to advertisements
    • - Does not connect the call for you.
  • 1-800-GOOG-411(1-800-466-4411)
    • + Provided by Google
    • + Free with no ads to listen to
    • + Connects your call for you
  • 1-800-555-TELL
    • + Provided by Microsoft
    • + Ads, but they are short
    • - Doesn’t connect for you

    I tend to use the goog 411, it is actually programmed onto my phone. Okay, that is the tip for the day. Did we miss anything?

HOW TO FIX YOUR BLACKBERRY 8830 MONEY SAVING TIP!

A while back, I was told my 8830 blackberry’s charger could no longer be used.  If you know anything about the blackberry 8830 world edition, you would realize that this is a great gadget all round. The phone can be used worldwide.

The other day, I noticed my phone’s charger would not work.Sounds like a simple solution right? Wrong. I was simply told by my phone carrier that my phone’s charging port had been corrupted; which in English means, I can’t use a plugged in charger to charge my battery. They suggest, I upgrade to a new phone for $220 dollars or  get one for $99 with a two year subscription. Well I refused to do either. This is what I ended up doing.

I took the advice of a friend to check online for an external battery charger. I purchased the external charger seen below for under 10 dollars via EBAY!

My phone is back up, I did not have to renew my contract. I had considered returning to my old phone but to say the least, that phone was no longer (according to my carrier) part of the network.

It is definitely worth looking into if you  have had this problem; simply sign up on eBay.

Search for external battery charger 8830, check the seller’s reviews, place an order and you too can have your phone back up.

Did I miss anything?

MONEY SAVING TIP #7: HOW I SAVE ON LONG DISTANCE AND DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE

Having a cell phone is expensive enough so here is what I did, I joined skype; I decided not to go with a land line, instead I make use of my “skype phone” as my home phone. It costs under $6 dollars a month and that includes long distance. Another plus is that I can stay connected anywhere I have internet access. Thanks to the recession I am finding nifty ways to save and keep as much of my money as I possibly can. I have listed sites that would save you a ton on long distance calls below.

Long Distance Deals:

Oovoo.com – Free video conferencing and messaging (ad-supported)
Talkster.com – Free long distance (ad-supported)
Unlimited Calls to Landlines via Skype.com – Free worldwide PC-to-PC calls using free Skype software
MagicJack – Unlimited local and domestic long-distance calls for $40/year (waiting to hear back from a friend about this one)

I also decided also to stop calling directory assistance on my cell phone, instead I saved the number for google’s 411 on my cell phone under the name ” directory assistance”. Each time I am in a bind, I simply look through my contact lists and call the 411. I also use 411sms.com’s text messaging capabilities to search for a number and an address.

Here are some resources you might want to try for free:

Free Directory Assistance:
1-800-FREE-411
1-800-GOOG-411 (you can also text a request to 46645)
1-800-YellowPages

Watch out for my next tip in my next post.

HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR UNDER $5000 DOLLARS

I am almost certain that this post is going to be reprinted over and over again. Hey lets be honest there is a recession, however you do not need to spend a whole lot for a beautiful wedding. Here is what I would do to have a dream wedding for under $5000 dollars.

First off make a wedding list of services and products needed to pull off a dream wedding without breaking the bank.
1. Location
2. Bridal gown
3. Grooms suit
4. Bride and Grooms wedding party
5. Event design
6. Food at the wedding
7. Music
8. Photography.
9. Wedding Officiant
10. Transportation

Now that we have our list, we are ready to start scouting for a location. Remember the location price you see in the bridal magazines are negotiable. Most especially now that the whole country is in a recession.

The best tip I can suggest is to consider a different date for the wedding, say a Thursday, Friday or Sunday. You can almost certainly get the venue for a lot less on these days. That of course depends on whether or not you are stuck on a particular location. A venue that costs close to $3000 on Saturday more than likely would cost $1500. Also try to avoid placing your wedding on prime wedding months especially if you live in the East Coast. Prime wedding months are June and September.

Permit me to suggest finding a friend or a family member who has a beautiful home and who would consider letting you use the home’s lawn for your wedding. You can even offer an amount say “$500” to use the home.

Next off trim the wedding list; if you have not spoken to a “friend in 29 years” now is not the time to get back in touch, save that for after the wedding. Preferably keep the list to fewer than 50 people, if you succeed in doing this you will end up staying within your wedding budget.

So now let’s assume your ‘friend’ who bought the mansion with a beautiful lake years back has agreed to let you use his location. Perfect! Now order your wedding chairs for guests, and a canopy for you and your spouse to say your vows. Finding rental chairs for 50 should not cost over $300 dollars. A resin chair costs on average $3 to rent so shop around. Purchase the aisle runner for $39 dollars from your local low cost store, for example Wal-Mart. The wedding canopy can be rented for $100 dollars and ten table will cost $100 to rent.

Find an affordable officiant on sites like wedding wire; if you are unable to find one to do it for $100 then have a family member officiate the ceremony; how you ask? Would you believe you can get a certificate online to officiate weddings; if this does not work then you can always go over the city hall for $45 dollars to make it official.

Have your bridesmaid and Grooms men order their own wedding attire; set the theme and the colors, the only costs you and your spouse should worry about is the wedding gown and the grooms suit. Well the groom can rent a tux for $99 and under. Now brides, did you know you too can get a stunning gown for $99; simply pick one up from David’s bridal or for $325 find one on jcrew or order one from china via eBay (custom made); if you are going to order custom made via eBay, be sure to have a back up dress. You can also find your dream dress by going to sample bridal sales or craigslist.

In terms of event design, your table linen can be gotten from fabric or craft stores; you can also save on your center piece by creating it with silk faux flowers also from the craft store; Get the vase from your local dollar store; you will be amazed what you can find.

In terms of photography, find a photographer who is a second shooter or someone who is in college studying photography; Music can be provided via prerecorded ipod music on your computer; have a guest or family member turn it on and play the music depending on the ceremony.

Food can be catered for $1000; now here is the fun part, for a wedding cake, go with a faux cake for three of the layers and have one layer as a real cake where you and your spouse will cut. You can find such cakes at fun cakes rental; or simply get a grocery store cake.

Lest we forget, in terms of transportation once again find a friend with a fancy car; they will be happy to oblige. Besides your wedding and reception are in the same location; so you only need it to get to the location.

There you go now you have your dream wedding for under $5000! Did we miss anything?

We have included our 30 page definitive guide on planning your wedding
for under $5000; a must for a budget friendly wedding originally $19.99 now under $10!
PLAN A DREAM WEDDING UNDER $5000 FOR ONLY $9.99 Add to Cart
Update:

If you  have an iphone here is a cool idea, simply have someone take a picture of the ceremony and then instantly send the pictures to other members of your family who could not make it down using the best iphone application out there called ITIM send and receive photos and text app.

Here is a link to the application:ITIM SEND AND RECEIVE PHOTOS AND TEXT MESSAGES ON YOUR IPHONE

MONEY SAVING TIP #4: HOW TO LOWER YOUR CELL PHONE BILL AND MAKE CHEAP HOME PHONE CALLS

A Cell phone is certainly a technological gadget that most,  if not all of us cannot do without.  However, cell phone bills really can add up. In an economy where everyone is trying to keep costs down, I came up with a winning  formula on how to reduce my cell phone bill.

I decided that once my plan ends that I would shop around for a new plan. The cell phone companies are eager for your business so why not let them place bids?

Here is what I did , I called up my cell phone’s competitor (AT and T) to ask about the plans currently being offered; then I called my cell phone carrier and requested a lower plan with included bonus minutes. I was sure to mention the fact that I was considering switching carriers.  Cell phone companies do not  want  you to switch so they usually end up negotiating with you. I got a new lower rate and a whole lot more minutes.

The next item I needed was a home phone  or a virtual phone; I did this by going with skype, the company is eBay owned. I paid the monthly $2.95 a month to get a real phone number, then I purchased a  headset, plugged it onto my computer and as long as I had internet access, I could make and recieve calls by connecting via the sky. This beats paying other VOIP providers  who charge 24.95 a month. Even better, the service came with voicemail.

What is your success cell phone story?