Save Money: Phone, Internet, TV

Bundle Up

Combining your cable or satellite TV, Internet service and long-distance telephone into one bundle may cost you far less than you're currently paying for each service seperately. Depending on where you live, you may be able to get this kind of "triple-play" deal for about $99 a month instead of the $130 or so you're probably spending now. Call your cable or satellite company and do the math.

Buy Online

Time to replace that cell phone? Before you walk into the carrier's retail store, visit the web. Online wireless retailers offer the same phones and the same service plans for all the major carriers-but for a lot less because they don't have to cover the overhead of a brick-and-mortar store. The average cost savings on cell phones at LetsTalk.com, an online retailer that represents all the major service providers, is more than 70%. For example: The AT&T Tilt phone is $299.99 at the AT&T store; at LetsTalk.com, it's $99.99.

Use Prepaid Mobile

If you talk for fewer than 200 minutes a month, paying $60 a month for your wireless service plan (the national average) is too much. Switch to a prepaid cell phone plan. Most wireless providers like T-Mobile and Verizon offer plans that let you buy a minimum number of minutes, sometimes as little as $10 worth, and use them as you need them. You're not required to buy more for a year. The best part? No contract, no monthly bills.

Drop The Frills

Why are you paying for premium TV channels you rarely watch? Cut back from that big premium package ($100 or more a month) to basic service (about $45) and it's likely you'll have all the channels you need plus time to read a book. Go no-frills with only broadcast channels from your cable company (around $15) and rack up even more savings. How much? Dropping just one premium service could net you on average $150 or more a year, while going the no-frills route could save you about $1,000 anually.

Subtract The Add-Ons

caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, voice mail-all those add-ons to your home phone sevice are costing you dearly. Do you really need (or even use) them? At even $5 extra a month per add-on, dropping one will add up to $60 a year, or a whole lot more if you drop the others too.

Get Prepaid Long Distance

Buy a prepaid long-distance card (about $20 at Costco for 700 minutes-that's 11 hours of chat at 2.9 cents a minute) and you can cancel the long-distance package on your landline phone that's costing you $40 a month or more. Goodbye, mystery fees, pricey per-minute charges and billing disputes.