How much can 3 phone calls save you? How about $598 per year! Check out how my friend Carol saved $49.90 per month with 3 easy phone calls. She sent me the following e-mail this morning and I thought you might enjoy reading it.  Feel free to share other frugal ways you have cut phone, internet, cable and newspaper bills lately. Thanks to Carol for sharing her success!

"I just read an article in a magazine last night that said the average
consumer could save $$ by just reviewing their phone bill, cell bill,
cable bill or insurance rates.....and looking for features they don't
use anymore...or just ask for a lower rate. I was pretty skeptical but
here's my results.....

This morning, I decided to try it...I called Verizon and asked for a
customer retention specialist....and then said "I don't think we are
using all the features we are paying for...ATT's plan seems much
lower....what can you do for me?"....8 minutes later, my monthly bill
was reduced by $15....the rep "discovered" that we were paying for a
$15 data package that Kayla hasn't accessed in 3 months...it appears
that when we bought the phone, it was required but that had changed 3
months ago and we no longer had to have it on the phone....total
savings $15 for 8 minutes of work

Next call was to Time Warner Cable....I asked to speak to a customer
retention specialist because I had received info in the mail from
Clearwire and ATT and their packages for roadrunner and local phone (we
use it for our fax line~not to talk on) were much cheaper and the guy
said "Let me check....how about if I reduced your bill by $20....and I
said, "actually it would be better if it was $25..and he said "do you
use voice mail on your phone and we dont' since it's only for faxes and
he reduced it another $4.90 ...so I saved $24.90 for 3 minutes of
work.. and he thanked me for calling!

Finally, I looked at the newspapers stacked on my kitchen table and
decided to change my newspaper subscription to Sunday only...and that
saved an additoinal $10 a month.....for 30 seconds worth of online
changes....I read all my newspaper online each day so I am not missing
anything...

So I spent 12 minutes including hold time and saved $49.90 a month...or
$598 a year....

Next is my car insurance...I am sure they will be excited to talk to
me....4 cars and 1 teen-ager driver!!

Has anyone else had any success with any other areas?"