As a follow-up to the article “Are you making use of that Smartphone? “, this is a post on how to further save money by making better use of your smartphone.
We all know that feeling, you have just loaded “credit” on your phone, accessible and available for ‘burning’, inexorably leading you into temptation! Never mind what they say about the best way to avoid temptation is to fall into it, one really have to be prudent these days. Just like you are more likely to embark on an unnecessary journey when your car tank is fully filled-up than when quarter-full, there is a higher likelihood that you will make more calls with your phone or be a little careless with internet usage when your phone is freshly and fully topped up.
I will attempt to list a few of the strategies that can be used to save some money using your smartphone.
GET A GRIP ON YOUR AIRTIME USAGE
It is a no-brainer that the greatest money-leak on your phone would be related to airtime usage via calls, sms and internet connection. Making use of installed applications on your phone can go a long way in arousing your consciousness about this money leak. There are applications that terminates your outgoing calls once a conversation reaches a defined number of minutes. I use AutoHangUp on the Symbian platform to achieve this, This app can also terminate incoming calls. If you are a very busy person, (and even if you are not!), you waste an irreplaceable resource (TIME) chattering needlessly. And we know TIME equals MONEY. An app such as that would also be useful for checkmating people who like borrowing airtime, “Can I have a minute on your phone”? A minute can then be a minute, not five!
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PROVIDER OFFERS
Some service providers offer you free airtime when you load credit of up to a certain amount. Make use of your calculator and see if it is not better to get 10% extra for loading N500 – rather than your loading N200.
AVOID UNNECESSARY DATA CONNECTION
This strategy has been over-discussed. There are numerous applications available to restrict and monitor data consumption on that phone of yours. You may also consider low-cost monthly data plans being offered by some of the networks if you are a heavy data user. N1000 could get you at least 100MB of data allocation which is more than sufficient for mobile internet usage in a month.
EMBRACE PROSTITUTION
Yes, you heard me right! Perpetually be on the look-out for the network offering the best deals. Be it voice calls or internet service. I recommend you have all the Subscriber Identification Modules (SIM) cards of all the networks to be able to take advantage of promos – as they happen. There is cut-throat competition among the networks currently. You save yourself a bundle by keeping your ears firmly glued to the ground, and switching from one network to the other to take advantage of better deals as they happen. Do not be faithful. It does not pay!
MAKE USE OF AN APPLICATION TO TRACK YOUR SPENDING
Your phone is perpetually with you. It such a faithful companion that your wife or husband is probably jealous of that relationship. You can keep track of your expenditure-on-the-go, easily. Keeping track is a sure way of knowing how fast you are digging your financial grave!. I currently make use of Handy Expense – again on the Symbian platform to know how near or far I am to financial oblivion.
USE THAT PHONE – MORE, BUT EFFICIENTLY
A lot of journeys can be avoided by making use of a simple call. A lot of calls can be sidelined, making use of a simple sms or email. Many banking transactions can be concluded entirely using your smartphone. Take advantage.
MAKE USE OF ON-THE-WEB SMS SERVICE
If you make use of a lot of sms like I do, it is better you subscribe to any of the numerous services offering dirt-cheap rates for bulk sms. Some of them offer rates as low as under 2 Naira. A lot of them offer a limited number of free sms daily (e.g www.get2sms.com). I use smslive247.com – without any complaints. Do you really need to print that wedding invitation? Can bulk sms achieve the same purpose? How about seasonal greetings?
Those are some of the strategies that can be employed to save yourself some money. You spent good money to procure your smartphone. Get your money’s worth by being more creative, you can easily and progressively save yourself a ton of money, Embrace technology, and use it to get a firm grip on your financial life !
