Consumers are all feeling the pinch of increasing prices. From the gas station to the grocery market, prices are skyrocketing. Yet the phone bill is one place where savvy folks can still save. For most people, phone related expenses are a not insubstantial line-item in the family budget. Even though telecom prices have fallen considerably in recent years, this is still a cost that can be cut through careful planning. The following three tips will help you accomplish this goal.

Tip 1: Change to a shared-use plan on your cell phone bill

According to the Kiplinger Letter, the typical cell phone bill in the United States runs approximately $55 a month. You might wonder how the average could be $55 with so many ads for cellular companies promoting $29 or $39 plans. Part of the reason is that a few power callers spend $79, $89 or more per month. Part of the reason is taxes and miscellaneous charges such as 411. But a crucial reason is the fact that cell phone companies hit you on "overage". Let’s say you’ve got 1,000 peak minutes in your plan and this month you hit 1,099. At twenty five or forty cents per minute on overage, your phone bill suddenly rockets up $20. Seem familiar? The next month you get to 900 minutes but there is no corresponding drop in your bill. Some companies claim to solve this problem for you by allowing you to rollover your. And the rollover does increase your peak minutes quota for the next month. Yet even then, you still get hit with overage if you exceed your increased peak minutes quota.

Shared use plans are the ideal solution for this dilemma. Also called "family-plans", these plans allow you to aggregate the minutes of two or more users into a bucket. Since variability is usually a function of individual usage patterns, these quotients tend to cancel each other out. Think of it this way: if you and your spouse both had individual plans for 1,000 minutes and one month you get to 1,100 minutes and your spouse reaches 900 minutes, you’re in for overage charges to the extent of 100 minutes. If you have a shared-use plan, your total comes in at 2,000 minutes and no overage!

Tip 2: Stop using your regular long distance landline provider to dial international calls

Most long distance providers offer very good rates for domestic long distance. If you are a reasonably frequent user on a good plan you are most likely paying less than five cents per minute. The problem is that international rates are still comparably high. For instance, fifty cents a minute to India is typical, even if you pay the four or five dollars a month many companies charge for the privilege of getting lower rates.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of superior options. Sometimes called "PINLESS" dialing plans, these offerings allow you to call most anywhere in the world at rates 40% to 70% less from your landline or cell without needing to dial a pin code. If you type "cheap international calling" into a search engine you’ll see a lot of options. The basic way these services work is that callers register one or more phone numbers and provide a credit card number. They offer you a toll-free number and when you dial this number from a registered phone, you can call any country without needing a PIN code. Using the above example, one could cut the charge from 50 cents to 15 cents per minute.

Tip 3: Find a free conference call service

For many families, phone bills escalate due to the need to have multiple conversations between family members on the same topics. It is not efficient but this is the way most people cope. In the last few years, there have been dozens of companies that have launched free teleconferencing services. All of them work on the same basic principle: they give you a PIN and a toll number to call. If all participants dial the same number and enter the same PIN, they are put into a group call. Apart from regular toll charges, there are no charges assessed by these companies. If you have a large extended family, one 30 minute call could most certainly replace five to ten one-to-one discussions for planning a trip or family event.

Unfortunately, it is usually somewhat of a hassle to actually arrange these calls in the first place; consumers often are reluctant to familiarize themselves with the mechanics of setting up a conference call. Rondee is an example of a free conference calling service which is trying to address this challenge. It offers consumers a way to schedule the conference on the web, have the invitations emailed out and show all the responses displayed on the website. As with many corporate grade conference call companies, Rondee allows calls to be recorded.

With consumer prices rising, there’s not a lot most people can do to fight back. But phone expense is an area where being smart can mean saving a lot. Applying these three tips will save the typical user 30% to 50% on a monthly basis, or several hundred dollars yearly.

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Mindy Carpenter presents and writes often about technology related matters. She consults to a variety of firms that use communication technologies involving conferencing. Her clients include free conference calling companies such as Rondee.