Cut the Cost of Cell Phone Bills -- Savings Experiment

Have you ever opened your cell phone bill and had the urge to, well, call for help? Between extra features, fees and overages, your monthly bill can skyrocket, but luckily, many of those charges are avoidable.

Saving on mobile costs is easy to do once you know what to be mindful of. First, ditch your insurance plan. That extra $5 to $8 per month adds up, and in the event something happens to your phone, you'll still have to pay a deductible for a replacement. Also, "replacement" doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a new device. You'll often get a refurbished (aka used) phone.

Another way to reduce the potential for overage charges is to refrain from using your cell phone when dialing toll-free numbers. Calling toll-free numbers uses up your monthly minutes, and can put you at risk for going over your limit. Unless you have an unlimited national plan or are calling that toll-free number during nights and weekends, use a land line instead.

The same goes for 411. The directory service will use up valuable minutes, and there's a fee of up to $1.99, depending on your carrier. So, when it comes to keeping your cell phone bill low, try to avoid certain numbers.

Unless you have unlimited plans, be mindful of the number of texts you send and how much you're surfing the Internet on your smartphone, too. Once you go over your text limit, you can be charged for both incoming and outgoing messages. Meanwhile, watching videos can eat up your data plan before you know it.

Ready to start saving on your cell bill? With a few slight modifications to your usage, you'll be well on your way.