Cyber Monday - Cell phone plans - a comparison

Previously, my wife and I were on a prepaid plan with AT&T which we used very sparingly to save as much money as possible. However, as my wife began her job and we purchased a home, and adopted another kitty, our cell phones became increasingly important to call other businesses, schedule appointments and in general coordinate our lives. For the past 6 months or so, I was seriously looking at providers to see who has the best deal. I looked at family plans, individual plans, and other prepaid plans for us. I know that our usage would increase if we had unlimited so I primarily focus on that since so many things are unlimited now anyway. However, I did look at how much we would realistically talk as well, and many of these other lower priced plans came with too few minutes. Also, since I recently upgraded to a smart phone, I looked at data plans for myself and installed an app to track how much data I was using over WiFi. Below are my results:

From my calculations we were spending about $979.68/yr ($81.64/month) on our cell phones plus another $143 on our skype plan, totaling $1122 ($93.53/month) a year between the two of them. If we are able to save anything less than that, we would be saving. So after much searching, GoSmart started their business, and we signed up. I am paying for their $35 plan and my wife is paying for their $30 plan + $10 international calling and texting. Our savings: $130.08 per year (after tax). Also a perk of this new plan is that calling quality is much better than Skype because it no longer depends on internet connection and we have unlimited everything. The internet is fast enough for my phone as I don't stream any video (internet radio is crystal clear) and email/IM is perfectly fine on 2G. Everyone is happier and my wallet is a little bit heavier, which is great. Feel free to check out gosmart plan and check to see if it is right for you.

DISCLAIMER: I am not collecting any incentives by gosmart by endorsing them. We are just really happy we decided to switch plans :)

Amazing Cell Phone Deal from Amazon

Amazon is currently have a gold box deal for a Pantech Crossover phone that runs Android 2.2 (Froyo)  upgradable to 2.3 Gingerbread. Currently there are only 17 hours left for the deal which is 70% off the retail price of $199, so you'll pay only $60. In addition, it comes with $25 refill cared (but no SIM card).

My phone was a prepaid phone as well and this is a significant upgrade if you are in the market.  Here's a little info about the phone from Amazon:

The Android-powered, 3G-enabled Pantech Crossover for AT&T lets you stay connected to friends, family, and coworkers through messaging and social media wherever you roam. It boasts a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, 3.1-inch touchscreen display, 600 MHz processor, 3-megapixel digital camera/camcorder, Wireless-N Wi-Fi connectivity, and the popular AllSport GPS app.

I'll post a review of the phone and show you some before and after pictures once I get it.  And I haven't forgotten about the laser DIY projects, they are coming very soon! I just need to buy a laser pointer :)