A Mom's Guide to Finding a Good Cell Phone Plan

Finding a good cell phone service provider is an important part of being a mom and watching expenses. What is the best way to go about finding a cell phone plan that best suits your needs? Let's take a look.

To Stay or Not to Stay?
If you are already with a carrier, find out if you are still under contract, or if you have already fulfilled your obligation. If the answer is yes, find out how much it will cost to get out of the contract — usually there is a one-time fee associated with breaking a contract. If you are willing to pay it this, you'll have the freedom to consider other cell phone plans and carriers — this could save you money each month. If not, find out what other plans your current carrier can offer you. Maybe you can switch to a family plan or decrease your allotment of minutes.

Decide on a Phone
If you are willing to consider switching carriers, the first thing to understand is that not all carriers support all types of cell phones. For instance, if you know you want an iPhone, AT&T will be the service provider. Figure out which phone best suits your needs. This means you will have to narrow down what is most important to you: Is price the main consideration? Or are the features more important? A built-in camera, email and Internet availability, or Wi-Fi? Or does coverage or reception top your priority list?

Once you determine which cell phone is appropriate to your needs and wants, figure out which carriers support that phone. In most cases, you'll have many options. Look at the provider's available plans, taking into consideration how much you use the cell phone. In addition to major carriers, consider the smaller companies as well; they may be able to offer a better cell phone plan.