Back to the cell

Now that both of our kids are in school full time, we are considering getting rid of internet service at home and spending time at the library with our laptop picking up the wifi signal. This would save us about $75 per month, and we were planning to do this in the near future anyway, so why not try now?

We already picked up a cheap cell phone before our summer roadtrip for emergencies, and we have 500 unused minutes on it. So we would use only the cell phone for all our calling needs, and add minutes as we go. Of course, my husband (the family techie) has figured out most of the phone's features already just by tinkering around with it. As for me, I have figured out how to lock the keypad, because unlocked cell phones have a tendency to either make a call from my purse, or get into the hands of curious children who have just learned how to dial "911" for emergencies.

T-Moblie rebate

Attention all cell phone users! I know a lot of you already use T-Mobile phones and service, so if your contract is up before March 31st, you should check out the $50 rebate you can get if you order a new T-Mobile plan online. The plan must be at least $34.99 per month, but the last time I checked, that's about the lowest they go anyway.

You just visit the T-Mobile phones website and plug in your zip code to see the plans available in your area. It's that simple. Plus, they have great gear to go along with your myFaves phone or virtually any other cell phone out there. If you are in the market to pick up a new cell phone or thinking of changing your current service, why not see what T-Mobile has to offer in your area? Even if T-Mobile won't work for you, the website has all the other plans listed there too, complete with cash back offers depending on the phone and plan you choose.

Speaking of T-Mobile, is Catherine Zeta-Jones still their spokesperson? I haven't seen her on any of their website advertisements. We don't watch TV, so I wouldn't know if she is on the commercials.

Affiliate marketing

Our biggest money-making venture on the internet so far has been affiliate programs. My husband has put together several websites geared to niche markets with products listed from several stores. When the shopper clicks on one of the items, they are taken to the website of the store and if they buy anything there, we get commission. Most affiliate programs pay between 10% and 20%. Another neat feature of the affiliate programs is that some of them have a "cookie" system that logs the users IP address, and even if they don't buy anything the first time they come to the store through your link, if they go back to the store and buy anything within 30 days, you still get the commission.

One market that we hadn't thought of affiliate marketing with is cell phones. The Inphonic affiliate program through LinkShare is just that. You can promote your favorite cell phone on any website, and if anyone clicks on your ad and buys a phone, you get commission. According to their website, "On average, users are replacing their cell phones every one to two years. That translates into tremendous growth for the wireless industry." It doesn't cost anything to put the ad on your website, so you really don't have anything to lose.

Find a free phone

As many people know, we have not used cellular phones in my family for the past six months and plan to keep it this way. We don't get very good reception here in the mountains and woods. But I know of few families who can live now-a-days without at least one cell phone, and most have one phone per member. One of my favorite things to do is save money, or better yet - get something for free.

I found a website through the PPP opportunities that helps customers find the best deals on phones, and even lists all the free cell phones you can get. You can view the phones by brand or by carrier, in case you want to stay with your current provider. They also have a 100% satisfaction guarantee that lets you try the phone, test the reception from your home, and just see how it feels in your hand. If at that point, you are not completely satisfied with your new phone, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund in a pre-paid envelope they include with each new phone.

U-DOO

I came across this really neat ad on PPP for a website that lets you create avatars with custom "ringtones" for your cell phone. You can check it out here. You customize the avatar to look like yourself or whatever you want, and then either record your ringtone, pick a pre-recorded one, or type what you want it to say and it converts text to speech.

You then download the avatar tones to your cell phone, email them to your friends, and publish them on your MySpace page.