In attempts to save as much money as possible on household expenses, I had decided to use my cellphone exclusively and drop my land line service.  I had used Vonage in the past, but didn’t want that recurring payment either.  In the first two weeks, I ran into a couple of problems with this strategy.

The first issue I encountered was poor signal reception – no bars, low bars, and dropped or missed calls. There were areas within my house that I dared not take my cellphone; these areas I came to call “signal-slayers.” The second problem was that I truly did not feel comfortable that my young children did not have a way to dial 911 should I drop dead in the backyard (or if some other emergency occurred). It was at this point that I determined that I had to have a backup home phone.

These are the requirements that I had for the new backup home phone service:

• The actual phone had to be a standard telephone (not a soft-phone or pc-based phone) that my children could easily operate.
• I did not want to have my computer on 24/7 in order to utilize the phone service.
• The phone service had to offer 911 (or E911 at the very least).
• The service had to be VERY affordable (the cheaper the better).

Based on these requirements, I investigated the following options…

VOIP Services like Vonage

Having used Vonage in the past, I felt the service worked well.  Though this service is cheaper than most standard phone lines, it still included taxes and fees that I found annoying.  I received a discount for paying annually, but I was still paying about $220 per year, and I wanted to pay less than that.  Vonage VOIP was not the right answer for me.

Other VOIP like Skype

Skype is more affordable no doubt, even with the $60 annual fee to have a dedicated phone number.  The problem, for me, was that the service would require my pc to be on at all times in order to make / receive calls (or a WIFI phone can be used, but that seemed too pricey for me).

Basic, Traditional Land-Line Service

I contacted ATT and the cheapest option they would offer me was $12/month + $7 tax ($19/month or $228/year for local service only – no long distance or local toll service included).  This option was clearly too expensive for the very limited service provided (and I hate paying all those bs taxes).

The Solution…

After reviewing my options, none really seemed to fit what I wanted.  I continued my search…  Eventually, I found a VOIP service called “Ooma.”  I had never heard of the service prior to stumbling upon they’re website.  Ooma has a business model that sets it apart from all the other VOIP services I found out there.  With Ooma, you pay only for the equipment; the service is free.

The one-time, upfront expense averages about $240.  This cost was comparable to all the other options that I had reviewed with one distinct difference – I never had to pay another dime for the service.  There are no monthly fees or access charges at all going forward.

I will continue in the near future with a review of the service after using it for a month.  I will also provide some information about Ooma’s features at that time.  Please check back soon!

Ooma Phone System

I know you may feel like chastising me for even using the plastic bags at all. Why don’t I use the the new fabric reusable grocery bags that all the grocery stores are touting? I know they may be better for the environment, but honestly, those bags are plastic-gold to me. Odd yes, but true. I am admittedly in the midst of a deep, passionate love affair with the linear-low density polyethylene film bag. Here are some reasons why:

25 Brilliant Uses for Plastic Grocery Bags
Read this informative article to find out 25 ways you can recycle plastic grocery bags! They make a variety of things, from knee protectors to parachutes!

But, my shear joy for the dual-handle plastic grocery bag is not the true focus of this post… No, I must find a proper home for this revolutionary domestic resource!

I personally went with the “nifty” plastic grocery bag storage solution below and couldn’t be happier with it. No more cluttered grocery bag mess under my sink!

Nifty:

 Form and function… A proper home for my little bundles of joy!

Thrifty:

Not as flashy, but fully functional…

Super Thrifty:

Kinda’ ugly and involves some work, but hey, it does the job…

Make A Plastic Bag Storage Sack

Thanks to Chris Gardner (http://chrismgardner.com) for this budget bag storage option.