When cell phones first came out they were basically used just for emergencies. This was partly because they were so expensive to use and they were not easy to use either. My mother got her first cell phone with the purchase of a new car. The thing came in a brief case. It was portable so you could switch cars but you had to pull out the antenna and stick it on the window outside. It had to be plugged into the cigarette lighter for power. On top of the hassle that went along with connecting it the reception was awful.

As time has evolved the phones have gotten cheaper, much easier to use, and the reception is of the quality on land-line phones, at least in my case. Cell phones are no longer just for emergencies, they are now being used more and more often as people’s primary telephone numbers. Many people are opting not to have home phone numbers anymore. This is a very sensible choice given how good the connection is and how much more competitive the plans are getting. Also helping this transformation away from home phones is the emergence of cable internet. People no longer require a home phone in order to “dial-up” to the internet.

You take a site like TMI Wireless (http://www.tmicell.com/?aid=5361). This site brings all the companies together to allow you to do a comparison shopping without doing the leg work. My wife and I spend roughly $150 a month between our home phone and our cell phones. Let’s take a look at what that would get us if we moved strictly to a cell phone:

Verizon (my current carrier) offers the following:

• 2100 Shared Minutes
• Unlimited Night & Weekends
• Free Long Distance
• Nationwide Coverage
• This is a family plan
• Price: $109.99/mo.

This is 35 hours of talking. It does not sound like much but that does not include free nights and weekends. From when my wife gets home at 3pm until 9pm, when most free nights begin, is 6 hours times 5 days in a work week, that is 30 hours. So, if she talked every minute of every day from when she got home we still wouldn’t use all those minutes. The rest of the time is covered by free nights and weekends or we are working so we wouldn’t be on the phone anyway.

Cingular has the same exact plan:

• 2100 Shared Minutes
• Unlimited Night & Weekends
• Free Long Distance
• Nationwide Coverage
• This is a family plan
• Price: $109.99/mo.

The one difference is they have roll over minutes so if you don’t use all your minutes that month they carry so you run less of a risk of ever going over as time goes on.

T-Mobile has a very similar plan:

• 2000 Shared Minutes
• Unlimited Night & Weekends
• Free Long Distance
• Nationwide Coverage
• This is a family plan
• Price: $99.99/mo.

I personally would never use this company again. I had them before and I could never have used all my minutes because I got no reception anywhere. I was basically throwing money down the tubes. I even paid the early termination fee because it was cheaper than living out the contract.

Finally there is Nextel. You can get 2 individual plans, the National Power 1000 Plan.

• 1000 minutes
• free nights and weekends
• unlimited direct connect minutes
• Free Long Distance
• Nationwide coverage
• $55.99 each line.

Nextel is a bit more but it offers the direct connect. In my case, I would be talking with my wife and friends and would not need to use any of my 1000 minutes.

I am sure there are many other sites out there like http://www.tmicell.com/?aid=5361 but the plans are most likely the same since they are coming from the companies directly. Where you might find some variations is in the selection and price of the phones and accessories. If you have not considered losing the home phone prior to this article I would suggest visiting TMI, or the site of your choice, and doing the research. It could be a money saver for you.