Spend Too Much on Phone and Cable? Go Digital

Do you have a home phone and cable television? If so, you’re probably spending about $50 to $100 a month on these two services, but you could be spending a lot less. 

These days, if you have high-speed Internet service, you can enjoy most of the benefits of phone and cable service online. And the good news is, these services are either free or quite inexpensive. Here’s how you do it:

Replace Phone Service with Skype
Skype is software that allows users to make phone calls using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). You can also set up video conferences, conference calls and instant messaging. Calls to other Skype users, no matter where they are in the world are free. Calls to landlines and cell phone numbers can be made for a fee.

These fees are charged either pay-as-you-go (with rates starting at $0.021 per minute) or as monthly subscriptions. The subscription for unlimited calls to lines in the United States and Canada is only $2.95 a month. You can also buy an online number ($18 for three months or $60 for 12 months) that allows people to call your Skype line from their landline or mobile phones. Monthly subscriptions also include voicemail service and a discount on an online number. Currently, Skype has clear control of this segment of the telecommunications market, but Google (Stock Quote: GOOG) just announced that it will re-launch Google Voice to give Skype a run for its money.

Watch Television Shows for Free Online
All of the major television networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX) put at least some of their primetime shows (and some daytime shows) free on their web sites after they have aired. These episodes still generate revenue for the networks because they have short online commercials. If you are willing to wait a day after the initial broadcast, you can enjoy some of these shows on your computer. Some cable networks like Discovery TV, Lifetime, MTV, SciFi Channel, Oxygen and The History Channel also offer free programming online.