I'd bet you have better things to do with your money than forking it over to your cell-phone provider. Here are three simple ways to slash your cell costs:

Examine your talk-time. Look at your bills for the past six months and average the billable and free minutes used. Look for a plan that fits your usage. A 700-minute-a-month plan might sound good, but a cheaper 450-minute plan with free night and weekend minutes, as well as unlimited in-network time, could save you plenty. For example, AT&T offers a 450-minute Nationwide plan with 5,000 free night and weekend minutes, and unlimited in-network minutes for $40 a month. If travel or a family crisis causes a spike in usage, switch to a plan with more minutes until things return to normal. Carriers no longer require a contract extension for such changes.

Go local. That national plan with a "home" area that covers the entire lower 48 is appealing. But more localized plans cost a lot less, provided you're sure you won't be calling areas with roaming charges. For example, Metro PCS gives you unlimited local calling for as little as $30 a month prepaid. But it's available in only 11 areas. Also check out offerings from Alltel and Boost.

Bundle text messaging and Internet access. If you're a heavy texter, don't go a la carte with that feature. Instead, consider a monthly bundle. T-Mobile, for example, was offering 400 messages for $5 at press time. Don't forget Internet access: Alltel, Sprint, and T-Mobile offer unlimited access for $6 a month.

—Donna Tapellini