Sticking to a budget can be one of the greatest tools to save you money. One of the best expenses to budget for your wallet’s well-being is to lower your cell phone bill. A great way to do this is to reduce your data usage.
It’s incredibly easy to spend an excess of money on data alone. All it takes is forgetting to grab the wifi password at your friend’s house and your bill skyrockets!
Luckily for you, there are loads of ways you can reduce your data usage to save your wallet that pain. With these hacks, you’ll watch your data bill shrink in no time.
Tips to Reduce Your Data Usage
Set up alerts for your data usage.
Depending on your provider, there are a couple of ways to track your data usage. This is the best way to hold yourself accountable for how much data you use as well as help you plan ahead!
Many providers send you updates on your data usage, so keep an eye out for those texts and calls. Another option is to download your provider’s app to check in on your data levels for the month.
Always be on the hunt for WiFi.
WiFi will be your best friend when it comes to saving money. Using WiFi allows you to use the internet without paying the price on your data bill each month.
No matter where you go, make it your full-time job to hunt for a WiFi signal. Whether it’s your house, a friend’s house, a library, a coffee shop, or somewhere else… always check your connection! This is the easiest and most efficient way to reduce your data usage.
Remember these little hacks… they tend to pile up!
- Make sure you are constantly shutting off your apps after you use them. Many apps that run in the background still use data, so this is an easy habit that goes a long way!
- Avoid updates and downloads while you are out of WiFi’s reach. Even tasks as small as posting one thing on social media can use up your data. For this reason, it’s best to wait until you have WiFi to download, stream, post, and update if you can.
- Turn off autoplay! A lot of people don’t know that simply having autoplay on increases their data usage. Queuing up videos and allowing them to transition seamlessly might be nice, but it adds up in data costs.
- Some of the bigger phone companies like Apple and Android allow data to run alongside WiFi to boost the connection. You can save a ton of data by turning this off in settings. Just look up how to deactivate WiFi Assist for your phone!
- Take your apps offline! Many apps allow you to download videos and content so that you can stream and browse without using data. Maps is probably the best app to take offline to save data.
- Limit what notifications you prioritize. Believe it or not, notifications can eat up your data too. Turn off the ones you don’t need to save you from unnecessary spending.
- There’s always low data mode. In your phone settings, you can control data roaming, tracking, and the type of data that you use. Keep this in mind when you are in the home stretch of the month but are running low on data.
If all else fails, maybe you just need a new data plan. Paying the price of overused data each month is more expensive than sticking to a plan with a little more leniency.
Do what you can do to reduce your data usage, but be realistic about how much you need day-to-day. You’ll see your data bill begin to dwindle in no time.
