31 Debt Free Missions: Switch Phone Service - Queen of Free (2024)

Tips like thesehelped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story inSlaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.

Welcome to 31 Debt Free Missions! This year on Queen of Free, during each day in January, we will provide 31 concrete debt free missions or challenges for you to take on to #SlayDebt and take charge of your finances this year. Each mission will take you less than an hour (some will only require 15 minutes). Whereas,31 Ways to Kick Debt in the Teeth(which I’m reworking this year and reposting in January, too) focused on some of the philosophical changes you need to make in order to be successful with money,31 Debt Free Missionsare action steps to put into place after you have your thinking straight. Even better, during the month of January, we’rerevisiting each of these challenges in order to sharpen ourmoney saving and debt slaying skills.

Are you ready? Your mission is as follows:

Hello? It’s Me. I’ve been wondering if all of these years you’d like to meet.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the Adele lyrics. But the truth is that you’re likely paying way too much each month for your phone(s). In order to pay off debt more quickly you may want to reevaluate your current plan and maybe even switch phone service to free up a few dollars and put it toward slaying the debt dragon. Here are some ideas to get the ball rolling.

I know a few of you are still holding onto your landline like it’s a lifeline. You may or may not really need this service. We dropped ours early in our debt slaying journey when our phone line was constantly being eaten by squirrels (I promise we do not live in a holler). After a week or two of not having service, I realized we could go without our landline. I don’t think that we’ll ever have one again, but you could always opt to have yours put back into service after you reach your goal of paying off debt. So even if it’s just for a short period of time, ditch the landline.

But mom . . . everyone has a smart phone. Um, no. Here’s the thing, you can function on an old school flip phone perfectly fine for a season. While we were paying off debt, I had an old phone that a family friend’s 8th grade daughter no longer needed. It was a pink and black bedazzled, slide out to text, with a 3 that didn’t work sort of phone. I can’t say I loved it, but I survived (even while running a blog). Just because it feels like everyone else has a smart phone doesn’t mean it’s true and if we’re bare bones honest most of us don’t need a smart phone. Don’t get me wrong, I like the internets (it’s why I hang out here so often). But keep all things in perspective.

Your cell phone bill can read like a cuneiform Sumerian tablet. No joke, back in 2006 many cell customersgot a tax credit because built into their bills was a charge to help fund theSpanish American War. Where my history peeps at? The Spanish American was fought in 1898, yo. Cah-razy. Anywho, you need to actually read your bill during this debt free assignment. Are you going over on minutes? Data? Text? What are the stipulations?

Now that we’re debt free, I have a teeny tiny data plan on the smart phone I got for free the last time my contract renewed. Like 250 MB small. So I choose to set up an option on my account that my data just shuts off when I hit that threshold and also texts me as I near the limits (at 50%, 75%, and 90%). This small measure came from knowing my terms well and that way I don’t get charged more.

I’m a little sad to see many mobile phone companies beginning to offer plans that require you to monthly pay for your phone. To me, it smacks of a Rent to Own program where you might save a little bit of money in the short term but over the long term you pay out more. It looks attractive because it “drops” your service fees lower but overall it’s borrowing friends and putting the phone on a payment plan. As I’m in the market for a new phone right now, I’m looking to buy one outright (but buy refurbished). I’m not going to get into each specific provider’s plan but if the deal sounds too good to be true, it is.

As with any categorical expense, nothing is sacred when you’re paying off debt. The temporary phone sacrifices you make can free up dollars that you can sling at the debt dragon and meet your goal in a more rapid manner.

Did you see the previous Debt Free Missions? Knock them all out this month!

• 31 Debt Free Missions: Take the Restaurant Challenge
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Run Your Credit Report
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Set Up a Tax Box
• 31 Debt Free Missions: 5 Memberships to Ditch
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Adjust Your Withholdings
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Quit Using Credit Cards
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Go to the Library
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Eliminate Cable
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Pantry Prep
• 31 Debt Free Missions: 3 Phone Calls to Pay Off Debt
• 31 Debt Free Missions: The Bank Field Trip
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Hit Unsubscribe
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Stop Money Leaks
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Maintain Your Car
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Save Money on Prescriptions
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Kill the Fees
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Change Car Insurance
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Reorganize the Game Closet
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Build your Budget
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Appliance Maintenance
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Saving Money on Gasoline
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Start 5 Savings Accounts Today
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Sell Something (NOW)
• 31 Debt Free Missions: Organize Receipts

For more money saving tips when it comes to the phone, check outThe Best Ways to Save Money on Cell Phones.

My book is now available:Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.You can also check outInspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Freeon Kindle.

This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!