As a middle-aged man who considers himself wise and frugal, I'm very embarrassed to admit that I was paying more than $60 per month for a landline from a major, publicly-traded phone company that also happens to be a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). Having recently come to my senses, I am now making phone calls over the Internet via my broadband Internet connection, and I feel a lot smarter.

I use T-Mobile's @ Home VOIP service; I chose to use T-Mobile because I already had a cell phone account with them. I am, however, a fan of the voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) service provided by Phone Power (--> click here <--). With Phone Power, you can get Unlimited Phone Service @ $14.95 per month Other key features include:

• Unlimited free calls in USA and Canada. And, of course, unlimited free local calls
  
  
• You can keep your current phone number (free transfer) or you can request a new one
  
  
• Online orders get free activation
  
  
• Free lease of the phone adapter hardware
  
  
• Free Caller ID, voicemail, call waiting ID, voicemail to email, call log viewer, call forwarding, 3-way conference calling, E911, 611, 811 and 311 service.