Spend Money on People You Love, Not Your Phone Bill There are ways you can boost savings to take on increased spending around the holidays – like reducing your cell phone bill.

By Grant Sabatier

Sponsored by Total Wireless

This holiday season the average American plans to spend $998 on gifts, travel, and food¹. This number has climbed steadily over the past several years and is an estimated 10 to 15 percent of most family's annual budget.

But, while it's easy to look at the numbers, I always like to think about what they represent. While $998 is a lot of money, it's money being spent, as my mom likes to say, "on making memories," and on the ones you love.

There are few things as fulfilling as seeing the faces of your family and friends when you surprise them with a great gift or land the perfect joke over a nice meal. Especially during these times, spending money on the people and things you love is a smart investment, even if it means needing to find savings elsewhere.

The average American spends more money on their cell phone bill than holiday gifts!

There are some areas where Americans can boost their savings so they can take on that increased spending around the holidays with confidence. One area is your cell phone bill. The reality is that most American families spend almost $2,000² a year on their cell phone bill. That's more than triple the amount of money spent on holiday gifts, travels, and other expenses.

I have a quick question for you: What's worth more? Spending time and money on people you love or on your phone? While many of us check our phones literally hundreds of times a day, I'm guessing you would pick your family over your phone (or at least I hope so!).

In that case, I encourage you to look for some easy savings by comparing your current cell phone plan to others available in the market. For many years I assumed that the best deal I could get was the plan that I had with one of the big carriers and had for many years.

Whenever I compared my cell phone bill to other major carriers, I could only find a savings of $10 to $15 per month, which simply wasn't worth the hassle for me and my wife to switch our cell phones. But I had never checked any of the no-contract wireless service providers, companies like Total Wireless.

I had some negative preconceptions when it came to no-contract wireless service providers, but it turns out I've had just as much confidence in my service as when I was with a big carrier, but at a fraction of the cost. Earlier this year Total Wireless reached out to me and offered to ship me a phone to test out the service. I agreed, and after testing the phone and service for a few days, it was immediately clear that I was paying way too much for my cell phone bill. As it turns out, Total Wireless offers plans with unlimited^>> talk, text, and data, starting at just $25 per month with no contract, all on the Verizon network.

The service was great – even when I was out hiking and traveling across state lines, both in cities and in the country. The phone was also great. I personally use a Samsung Galaxy A20 with a huge screen, but Total Wireless offers many of the latest smartphones, starting at less than $5 a month on the no fees phone payment plan, so you can find great devices for you and your family for the holidays without breaking the bank.

The savings really add up.

You can save $1,200 a year when you switch your family's wireless service to 4-line plan with Total Wireless.

That's enough savings to cover all of your spending this holiday, with money left over! As I like to say, spend money on the things you care most about, and cut back relentlessly where you can.

Another tip – if you don't happen to have a family of four, get together with three of your friends to split a 4-line plan so you can all enjoy the savings and the freedom of no contracts.

So, as you start planning for this holiday season and looking for a place in your expenses to save some money – take a look at your cell phone bill and consider trying out Total Wireless.

For more information on how to save on your wireless bill while still getting the best reliability in wireless, head to TotalWireless.com, or follow the brand at @totalwireless.

Conclusion

Even though I was compensated to write my review of Total Wireless, after experiencing the service and seeing the savings stack up, I stuck with the phone and the service. I'm not paid to say that.

It's now been over six months, and I'm glad I switched and stopped overpaying on my cell phone bill. Now I have more money to confidently spend on the people and things I love this holiday season.

¹https://nrf.com/insights/holiday-and-seasonal-trends/winter-holidays

²https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-8/mobile/are-most-americans-cutting-the-cord-on-landlines.htm#:~:text=Data%20from%20the%20U.S.%20Bureau,2%20percent%20of%20total%20spending

A month equals 30 days.

Actual availability, coverage and speed may vary

*Please always refer to the latest terms and conditions of service at TotalWireless.com

>>High speed data allotment varies by plan. See plan details for more information.

When compared to monthly cost of comparable 4-line postpaid plans of leading carriers. Excludes taxes, fees, Auto Pay discounts, and limited time pricing. Source: Competitor Websites, April 2020

This is a lease to own transaction. Not available in MN, NJ, WI, and WY. Customer will not own the device until all payments are made. Wireless service with Total Wireless is required and is additional. SmartPay is an independent company that is leasing you the phone. Total Wireless is not a party to any transaction you make with SmartPay. See terms for full details.