I'm Saving Money with Skype

For those readers that have been with me for a little while, you'll notice something new on the right hand side of the blog. There is a little button there that says "Call Me". That feature is a free service I'm using for making phone calls over the internet. For Skype users, which anyone can be a part of, skype to skype calls are free. Just download the software, install it, fill out some information, choose a username and your off to making calls to other people on the internet.

Some may be wondering why I would use such a strange technology, so I'll explain why I decided to use Skype instead of installing a traditional phone line.

Traditional phone lines in my area cost about $21 to $31 a month for service. Not terribly expensive, but there are some limiting factors to it's use. For one, that phone line is only located in my house, I can't take it with me and I'm going to get charged an extra fee for calling someone outside my local calling area. With Skype I can call anywhere I want in the US, Canada and Mexico 24 hours a day for free(to call cell phones and land lines it's actually $2.95/mo). In addition to that I don't need a phone sitting on my desk. All I do is plug in my headphones that has a built in mic, and push in the numbers or click answer and I'm talking while I'm working on the phone. Pretty simple and very good quality.

For those that are numbers based, here is really what my decision boiled down to. PRICE! My traditional phone line cost me $21/mo. That comes out to be 12 X $21 = $252.00. Skype costs me the following for the same period of time: 12 X 2.95 + $30(for a number people can call me on) = $65.40. That's a difference of $186.60 for a years worth of phone service that's portable.

By portable I mean I have the ability to go to a friends house and use their internet connection to take phone calls. I for one spend a lot of time in coffee houses talking to people about Send Out Cards, I can now take phone calls over the internet, using my wireless card. What I didn't show you is how much this is saving me in cell phone usage as well, not to mention the convenience of being able to work on the very same computer I'm using to talk. It's a wonderful tool and I think you should take full advantage of it. Send me a message if you need help or even want a little demonstration.