Maybe you bought a cell phone some time ago that included a contract of two years or more. Now the contract has expired, and you realize that there are aspects that you no longer need.

A few years ago, my wife and I bought Verizon cell phones (at about $179 each) and a two-year family plan contract that included 700 minutes each month — far more than we need. We usually use less than 100 minutes.

Mainly we have them in case of an emergency such as a car accident, or on rare occasions when we are away from home and need to locate someone.

The contract ended a while ago, but we are still paying the same price — $70 monthly — for our two cell phones on a family plan. Our annual total is $740.

We tried to change the terms of our agreement with Verizon only to be told that the family plan was the cheapest one available. Instead, we started to shop around.

Here's what we found if we switched to a Samsung T-Mobile prepaid cell phone plan:

— The monthly fee would be $20 under the family plan, and we would have to invest in new phones at a cost of around $65 each.

— The plan comes with a 10-minute trial run.

— It offers the option of returning the phones within 90 days and receiving a refund.

— The prepaid cost ranges from $25 to $100, depending on how many minutes we bought in advance. Pay for minutes online, through your phone or at T-Mobile stores.

— Several choices are available for purchasing minutes beginning in increments of $25 for 130 minutes, $50 for 400 minutes, etc.

— The plan allows us to add minutes online if we discover that our initial amount was too low.

Total cost using this plan would be $240 annually, plus we are able to choose the prepaid minutes. If we spent $100 for 1,000 minutes that lasted us for an entire year, the total price under the T-Mobile plan would be $340.

Looking at the math, it's easy to make a choice. Why pay $740 annually when we could reduce our monthly cost by going with the prepaid T-Mobile package for about $340 per year?

Right now, we are probably going to give the prepaid plan a trial run — but only for one of us initially. We intend to keep our service through Verizon until we see if the prepaid arrangement works for us.

We'd be tempted to cancel our service and live without cell phones altogether, except that they are so helpful when needed.

This is especially true for one of us who frequently finds herself lost while driving in unfamiliar areas; she has no sense of direction. For her, a cell phone is a necessity because she uses it to call for help.

For online T-Mobile service, visit www.t-mobile.com, call 1-800-937-8997, or mail to T-Mobile customer relations: P.O. Box 37380, Albuquerque, NM 87176-7380.

E-mail Joe Volz at volzjoe2003@yahoo.com or write to 2528 Five Shillings Rd, Frederick, MD 21701. To find out more about Joe Volz and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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