Cell phones are fantastic devices for keeping in touch with the whole family. They make it safer when your kids go out, and it helps them maintain their social lives. Plus, they can keep them off the family computer too. However, getting phones for everyone can be expensive. Paying for both the phones and their airtime can cost you a lot when you might be paying for four or more. But if you see them as a necessity, you need to reduce their cost. You don't have to spend hundreds a month on everyone's phones. Have a look at the suggested ways to save below.

Choose Plans Carefully

There's a lot to consider when you pick cell phone plans for the family. You should all have different needs, so you might not want to have the same plan. One option is to have everyone on a family plan, which could save you money. However, you could also have individual plans, which could be cheaper. You can use a service like WhistleOut.com to find out which choice is better for you. It will depend on what model phones you want and how you plan to use them. You might wish to pay for more data and fewer calls and messages, or perhaps the other way around.

Look for Great Deals

Apart from getting on a family plan, there may be other great deals to be had. You can always try to hunt for discounts on handsets and reduced monthly plans. You can find sites that catalog Telcel deals and offers from other providers. Since you're buying phones and plans for a group of you, it's often much easier to lock down a great price. You might want to visit a phone store to discuss your best options, or you might find it easier to look online. Waiting a little while to see if any great deals come up could benefit you.

Control Your Kids' Phone Usage

You can choose a great value phone plan, but you might still face the problem of the kids racking up extra charges. Luckily, there are ways you can stop them overusing their data or calls. Different phones and telecoms providers offer parental controls so that you can manage how your kids use their devices. You can limit how and when a phone is used and set it to send an alert when limits are almost reached.

Make Them Pay

If your older kids can get a job, do some babysitting or even do some chores for an allowance, get them to pay for their phone. Even if you want them to have it for safety, they also want it for their social life and entertainment. You can give them a prepaid phone that they have to top up themselves. Or you could put them on a monthly plan and expect them to pay all or part of it if they're capable. It reduces your costs and shows them they need to be responsible.

Selling your old phones

Another option is to sell your old phones (or tablets) so you can recoup some cash, to spend on a new one. And there are a few online retailers you can go to, to make this as seamless as possible.

For the US, you could go to Gazelle. Or for anyone in Europe – Plunc.

You can reduce the cost of giving your whole family a cell phone each. Just choose your phones and plans carefully to save yourself some money.