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If every month you dread opening up your phone or cell phone bill, it's time to take charge and cut those monthly expenses. Keep reading to learn 7 tips on how you can drastically reduce your phone bills and save money.

1. Audit your bills every month.

Go through your long distance and cellular bills every month, checking for errors and looking for call patterns. First, report and contest any mistakes so you don't wind up paying for services you didn't use.

Next, look through your bill and see where you could be saving money. For example, if the majority of your calls are made to the same two or three numbers, look into a phone plan that lets you call priority or favored numbers for less.

2. Call corporate numbers collect.

If a company doesn't offer a 1-800 number, try calling them collect. Identify yourself as a customer or a potential client and they'll often accept. If it doesn't work, simply call back direct and no harm done.

3. Pit the long distance carriers against one another.

If a long distance carrier sends you an offer that's better than what you're getting with your current phone company, call them up and tell them about it. Ask your current long distance carrier what they can do to match or beat their competitor's offer. Some have corporate flexibility to do so.

4. Stop calling directory assistance.

Instead of paying up to a dollar for expensive directory assistance charges, either use the phone book or the Internet to look up numbers. If you're on the street with your cell phone, look for a pay phone where you can use directory assistance for free.

5. Time your calls.

Whether you're using a cell phone or making a long distance call, keep your eye on the clock. Before you make the call, set a time limit for yourself and get off when your time is up.

6. Send a text message instead.

If you have a quick message to deliver, but don't want to spend your cell minutes on a long, but unnecessary message with someone, send a quick text message instead. With the right plan, text messages cost a lot less than calls.

7. Avoid getting locked in to contracts.

You'll save with a monthly plan, but try to avoid locking yourself into a two-year commitment with a particular phone company. That contract means you have less freedom to switch providers if they're not delivering good customer service and a quality product.

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# posted by kenny-yap38176 @ 8:00 PM