Thursday, February 5, 2009

Analyzing My Wireless Internet Options

I think my expenses are pretty low but it is always good to take another look at them. I did a little more research in to internet costs and this is what I found:

-Wireless Internet in my area costs $250 for the antenna and $59 per month. Quite expensive. They say it is the fastest speed available. I should hope so for that price.

-The neighbor who said she got free wireless internet from the school moved away many years ago so I don't think that is an option any more.

-The neighbor next to my rental house gets free wireless internet from the school next door but where my RV is located is not near a school.

-Free internet is available at the airport, the many libraries around town and the casinos. All of those are more than 15 miles away. If I was really desperate I would go to the library once a week. It's a 25 minute drive though. Not really practical for every day use.

-Many coffee shops and cafes have free wireless but you are supposed to be a patron. That would get very expensive.

-Verizon offers wireless internet. $50 for their modem card thingy but it is usually free with a contract. $40 a month for 50MB. 25 cents a MB after that. $60 a month for 5GB. Many taxes and fees apply. Those would probably add another $10 per month like they do to my phone bill.

I've come to the conclusion that my $38 Qwest internet service is the cheapest option for what I need.

5 comments:

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

I have a contract on my internet until August. I'll need to look into my options like you did.

How did your lentil soup turn out?

Daizy said...

The lentil soup turned in to lentil sludge. I wanted to make sure it was well done. Then I added too much pepper but it was still edible. If I add more lentils, chicken and/or rice, it should be better. I'm not sure I want it 2 days in a row though. It's going in to the freezer to age.

Anonymous said...

i have that old "dial-up" internet through good ole at&t. we gave serious consideration to dhl but do not have it available where i live. then we considered hughes satelite...but the further we went with the deal the more money they wanted...so, we just mosey on along with what we have. i don't have any reason to "get in a rush" these days anyway. i am already layed off from my itty bitty job. thank goodness we have two retirement pensions guaranteed by the federal and state governments. we planned and lived below our means for years in order to be able to live comfortably. my itty bitty part time job went into savings for vacations and other non essential wants and desires. i think the tricks to surviving this economic downturn is to not only be frugal with spending but to also have the mindset of preparing for the "just in case" situations.
stocking up on beans and lentils is one of them and you really can't mess up on cooking them unless you don't cook em long enough. if you overcook them you can always mash em up and have burritos.

Daizy said...

Anonymous you are an inspiration. It is good to hear stories of frugal living paying off in the end. I am glad that you are still able to live comfortable despite the current economy.

Contributing Author said...

Yes, great example of frugal living paying off! I can only hope to be so lucky! My contract also ran up from my last internet service provider so I switched to a better deal with services "bundled".