The other day I called my local phone company to inquire about phone plans. The only reason we have a landline is so our home security system can be monitored, so I wanted the cheapest plan available.

The first person I talked to said the cheapest plan was unlimited local calling and unlimited long distance for $25/month. I kept asking her if there were cheaper plans, and she kept saying no. So I asked to be transferred to their cancellation line, which I was. I'm willing to pay the $31 dollar fee from my security company, as well as a nominal fee for the phone line. but I don't want to pay $31 + $25 + all the taxes/surcharges/fees associated with phone lines just to have my house monitored.

So when the csr asked why I was cancelling, I told her it was because they didn't have a package that fit my needs. And what do you know, it turns out they do have a cheap package. $9/month + $.03/minute for outgoing calls. Perfect for me, since I'll only be making calls from that line if a fire or burglery occurs, and in either case I'm willing to pay the $.03 per minute for the call. :-)

Just goes to show, the advertised packages aren't always the only packages available to you.mortgage calculator