The Skinny: This spring I lead a breakout called: Goal Setting for Financial Success And Prosperity at the Money Wise Women Forum in the Pacific Northwest. In preparation for the events and in doing the events I've had a some aha's of my own that I'll share over a few blog posts.
One of my goals has been to simplify my life so that it feels easy and in the process put more money back into my pocket that I can redistribute it more consciously and wisely - also known as smart spending.
If you're interested in either or both: having your life feel a bit more easy amidst the daily chaos many of us experience as we "work" to integrate work, family, financial goals and most importantly time for ourself then these posts will be of interest to you.
Plus I'm putting my money where my mouth is and walking my talk.
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Today's tip: Learn how I'm saving $646.80 per year and $6,669 in 10 years by using a VOIP phone service, Sunrocket Packet 8
(since writing this post Sun rocket the second largest VOIP provider has gone bankrupt....so I've switched to Packet 8, they been in the phone business and now VOIP business for 20 plus years)
Packet 8 Internet Phone Service. Save $500 per year on your phone bill!
Over the past year I've played with SKYPE and Google Talk which means your using a microphone while using IM (Instant Messaging for the non techie), but these options just didn't feel main stream or private enough for me to really consistently use them. Plus I still had the constant distraction of a phone ringing in the background.
For the past few months I've been contemplating switching from Qwest my phone provider to a hosted voip service. I mean it costs $71.32 per month to have a phone, with some very much needed features such as voicemail, line back up (god knows how many times they've been to my house) and a long distance plan to accommodate my long distant family and home based office.
A few things that have helped me make the switch and why I recommend Sunrocket Packet 8:
- a good friend switched to a hosted VoIP service called Sunrocket last fall and loves it - VoIP saves you lots of money and is a quality service (UPDATE: she's now with Packet 8 too, yep we move in droves)
- I was able to maintain my current phone number.
- VOIP is becoming more standard and their services appear seamless - to me this means I'll still be using a regular phone any where in my house.
- I can pick up my voice mail: by phone, by internet and have it delivered to my email!
- I can forward my VOIP phone to my cell phone when I choose.
- the cost...I mean how can any one say no to $500 and $700 more dollars in your pocket every year? Depending upon your circumstances, think of it as a fabulous weekend get away or a way to trim your budget and pay off debt.
- Although you can pay monthly, I choose to save even more and opted to pay upfront - this means no more phone bills for an entire year!
- I no longer have to read through a monthly phone bill and try to figure out the details or take the time to pay it or reconcile it in quicken - also known as time saved.
- As part of my package and activation with Sunrocket I received 1 year of service with all the bells and whistles, a new 5.8 gigahertz phone, their gizmo which is easy to install for a total of $209 including shipping and taxes.
This means I will be spending $17.42 per month versus $71.32 at Qwest - that's a $53.90 per month savings - per year that's $646.80 I'll be putting back into our family pocket. (Update...I'm still saving as much money with Packet 8, their yearly plan is just $199)
Installation with Sunrocket went pretty smoothly, I did need to call Sunrocket for help in two areas, 1. I misplaced my log on and couldn't get to my voice mail and 2. We have a modem, a wireless router and a bunch of Ethernet cables for a variety of things, plus now the gizmo - all the wires got a little confusing. The help desk was phenomenal and in 15 minutes I was up and running. I'm looking forward to not receiving any phone bills for a long time!
Installation with Packet 8 was even easier...I literally opened the box, plugged in the adapter, called the activation number and bingo it worked like a charm.
Download Monthly_Habit_Projection-VOIP.xls
I dare you to download this form and figure out for yourself what you could be saving by switching to a less expensive phone service such as VOIP, and probably with more features, phone service.
I've also added a few lines that may help you become more conscious and live with more choice:
My habit is:
Now that I know what I'm spending, I commit to:
By this date:
My signature:
My creeping total that I could have spent more consciously: $
Enjoy and here's to spending our money more consciously and living with more choices in your low cost phone provider.
Michele Corey, writing for Knee Deep: A dose on insight from your not always average home based business and Internet mom and WordStreamz: Real Estate Blog Marketing.
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To sign up with a new VoIP provider is a big task. As there are so many VoIPs offering great promos for SunRocket customers, no idea which one could be better? One of my relative told me about Lingo and their strong emergence on the VoIP business scenario. And finally, I chose Lingo and signed up on their $195 plan. I hope they will give me the best.
Posted by: anthony robbins | August 16, 2007 at 10:10 PM
I have signed up with Lingo two months ago. Till now, everything goes finely well. They are also presently offering international calling plans at lower rates for former SunRocket customers. Supported by one of the largest telecom firms like Primus, Lingo is a financially stable VoIP provider which can offer unlimited calling plans for both home and business applications. You will get a local telephone number to call your friends and relative in the UK, even if you are anywhere in US. Moreover, any Lingo subscriber can order International Phone Numbers for 14 countries. Their calling plans to Western European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, and South Korea are unlimited and flexible.
Posted by: Caryl RaeKrannich | August 16, 2007 at 01:10 AM