Save $: Home Phone

As a large homeschooling family, there is no need for our children to have cell phones (besides they are just crazy expensive).   However, we do need a home phone for them to make/receive calls, along with the ability to call 911 in case of an emergency..

Some may call this old fashioned, but it is WAY more cost effective! This is part of the #cutthecord movement, which I will post more info on in the future.    

Using the phone line provided by the cable providers can save you money over the cost of a “Land Line”, but they can also “lock you in” to their service, or at least make it very difficult to switch providers and keep your number.

A friend of ours suggested OOMA Phone, we switched-over years ago, it only costs us about $5 a month for basic service and we have never looked back!  

What you’ll need:

• High Speed Internet Connection
• Phone Handset (which you most likely already have)
• OOMA Phone Receiver (This plugs into your Internet Router)
  You can pickup one up for about $80 on Amazon ($60 refurbished) OR:
  Direct from OOMA and you can get a $20 savings by using this link:
  OOMA Phone $20 Offer
• I also recommend a backup power supply; this will keep your phone working during a power outage.  Amazon Basics has one for $40: Amazon Basics 400VA UPS.  Only plug your cable modem, router, phone base and OOMA Receiver into it!  If you plug other items in, it will reduce how long the battery will last!

While this might sound like a lot of up-front costs… If you are paying $40 a month for a land line right now, this equipment will pay for itself in a few short months!