If you’re a heavy wireless phone user and you need all the latest bells and whistles, this idea isn’t for you. But if you want excellent phone service for hundreds of dollars less per year than you’re currently paying, consider prepaid wireless. The major carriers all have prepaid plans, so you get a good network — just with different payment plans.

My personal favorite for a “best deal”: Instead of paying $50 or much more monthly for wireless service, go with T-mobile’s Pay As You Go service. You buy a phone and a prepaid card; just add minutes when you need them. Moderate users won’t run out of minutes and will save money, big-time. Use a T-mobile phone setup for prepaid, or use any “unlocked GSM” phone with this starter kit.

My cellphone expense? About $4 per month. I got a Motorola v195 and starter kit, added $100 worth of airtime to get Gold status right away (so my unused minutes don’t expire), and now I just renew annually for $48 or so. To find out more, search on T-mobile prepaid. There are many other plans, and one of them may suit you better; but if you’re a light to moderate cellphone user you can probably save money with prepaid.