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A friend has Magic Jack for her job & loves it. Her hubby works construction all over the country and she goes along. She works from home, so as long as she has internet access, she can work. She does live interpreting, FWIW, so the line has to be crisp & clear or she'd miss parts of the conversations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeSpirited1
My brother has it & it seems to work well.
Vonage is another option, too. Either option just plugs into your computer for free long distance
MagicJack is the better value, with an annual charge of like $20, whereas Vonage is $9.95 monthly.
RVlover, we do the water heater thing too! Forgot to mention that. Another $20 saved! Mango23, make your own snacks from scratch and put them in a basket or special location. Still kinda like going to the store for snack but a lot cheaper. Kristin4, did you notice that Walmart has changed the look of their own brands? The boxes are now white. I'm sure it saves them money on the production cost (less ink) but it's also easier for us consumers to spot the store brands. Fauve, Netflix sounds like a good deal. If I had more time to watch movies, I'd probably switch from redbox to Netflix. Harry Chickpea, I can't do without a cell phone, need it for business. But like you, we were tired of paying for all the little extras that come with cell phone plans. Stock66, you're lucky to live within walking distance from work. We made that change as well and turned our 3rd bedroom into a home office. Nothing beats going to work in your jammies and saving a lot of time and gas money on top! MJohnson4381, to use MagicJack you will need an internet connection and I dont' know how you could have that without some kind of phone service. Gandalara, our electric company offers us a monitary incentive to have special meters installed that will disable A/C and hot water heater during peak hours. This is not so much to save us money but to help the power company and Florida from experiencing blackouts. The A/C won't stop working during those peak hours but if you were to turn it off during the time, you're not able to turn it back on until after the peak times. FreeSpirited1, if either Vontage or MagicJack would only add free International Calls as well... 3Oaks, I find that my connections aren't always that crisp and clear with MagicJack. It's good enough for me but I'm wondering if your friend has any problems so far. I imagine MagicJack is only as good as the internet connection used. We have problems with our DSL every time a thunderstorm comes along...
Thank you all for commenting! I learned a lot! This is great!
Last edited by Andrea Mills; 07-23-2009 at 05:39 AM..
Reason: forgot a reply
Gandalara, our electric company offers us a monitary incentive to have special meters installed that will disable A/C and hot water heater during peak hours. This is not so much to save us money but to help the power company and Florida from experiencing blackouts. The A/C won't stop working during those peak hours but if you were to turn it off during the time, you're not able to turn it back on until after the peak times.
Yes, they have that here too; but they can actually *turn it off* and it stops working for a minimum of 2 hours, maximum of oops I can't remember how long.
3Oaks, I find that my connections aren't always that crisp and clear with MagicJack. It's good enough for me but I'm wondering if your friend has any problems so far. I imagine MagicJack is only as good as the internet connection used. We have problems with our DSL every time a thunderstorm comes along...
Thank you all for commenting! I learned a lot! This is great!
She gets internet thru cable TV. She also pays for the 'faster' internet rather than 'regular'
I get my internet through cable, too. I definitely think I want to get one of those MagicJacks and just have a pay-as-you-go cell phone for incoming calls. I don't use my regular cell phone much at all, so I think I'll just get rid of it. I guess I've been wasting $50 a month on something I barely use.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gandalara
Check to see if your electric company has a "TOU rate". SC Edison in California has Time Of Use ... On weekends, on holidays and between 6 PM to 10 AM electricity costs .07815 per kWh. Cheap! Monday through Friday (unless it's a holiday) between 10 AM and 6 PM , electricity costs .26127 per kWh. Eeek! This is perfect for a single person or a couple who work during the day. It takes a special meter, that costs 12 cents a day.
Thanks! I will definitely look into that. This is embarrassing, but I live by myself in an apartment (I think it's somewhere between 700 and 800 square feet) and my electric bill was $180 last month. I couldn't believe it. And it's been over $100 for the last several months, so that $180 probably isn't a one-time fluke. I have no idea what happened. I don't think I'm wasteful. It might be because I was turning the A/C down to 72 when I went to bed at night. I've stopped doing that, though.
Check to see if your electric company has a "TOU rate". SC Edison in California has Time Of Use ... On weekends, on holidays and between 6 PM to 10 AM electricity costs .07815 per kWh. Cheap! Monday through Friday (unless it's a holiday) between 10 AM and 6 PM , electricity costs .26127 per kWh. Eeek! This is perfect for a single person or a couple who work during the day. It takes a special meter, that costs 12 cents a day.
I have used TOU for years now. Sometimes it's a pain - I'll come home from work before 6 PM on a very hot day and watch the clock, LOL. I never turn the unit completely off. I leave it at 85 while I'm gone, since daytime temps here can stay at 110 for days on end. But it gets cranked down after 6 PM
As for taking 2 bulbs out, it may help a little, but not much. Unplug your 'trickle' appliances (the ones that are instant-on) can help a little too. Even if your TV and DVD/VCR is turned off, there's a very small amount of power being pulled. Heck, I even unplug my coffeepot. And make sure your refrigerator coils are clean.
Maybe your power company does the free home energy efficiency surveys, where they actually come to your house/apartment and tell you where you can do better?
Whoa...they do have a TOU rate. It's $0.11494 during peak hours and $0.02269 during off-peak hours. That could add up pretty quick.
I split meals at restaurants, and order water with lemon. I carpool, as I don't drive. Thrift shops and yard sales provide me with clothing. I buy food in bulk, and at dent can stores. I buy from farmer markets if found. No smoking or booze. Hot water heater off, unless I need it. Wash clothes by hand. No dryer other than the desert sun. Rarely ever watch tv, and then it's old tv shows like Topper, and old sci fi. No cable, or high speed. No satellite. No cell fone. No starbucks. I roast my own green coffee beans. I shop with a friend, and we split items. I buy stuff in bulk at health food stores, avoid convenience stores, and never shop Wal Mart. No water bill, as I have an underground tank, and have it filled for a few bux every few months. Electric bill under 35 a month, as I use a swamp cooler and tiny a/c. Wood stove, and space heaters in winter. No kids, no pets. I sell junk on ebay.
No TV
No Mortgage/rent (not everyone can do this, I know).
No Car payments
No renting DVDs or Videos
No Movies out
No purchasing CDs
Minimal family plan on cell phone ($49 per month which includes my mom's cell phone).
No new clothes (all clothes except undies purchased at thrift shop)
Large Veggie Garden
No recreational spending/shopping.
I've had $80 in my pocket for two weeks and have been TRYING to spend it, but I can't find a darn thing I want to spend it on!
We live well on about $18k a year. We could live on much less if we didn't eat out so much and spend a lot on top quality groceries and grass-fed, no antibiotic, no hormone meat.
[b] 3Oaks, I find that my connections aren't always that crisp and clear with MagicJack. It's good enough for me but I'm wondering if your friend has any problems so far. I imagine MagicJack is only as good as the internet connection used. We have problems with our DSL every time a thunderstorm comes along...
Thank you all for commenting! I learned a lot! This is great!
You might mention that MagicJack does not work with the poor slobs in the audience (like ME) that is stuck with dial up internet.
20yrsinBranson
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