If you are in a rural area and really need Internet access but don’t want to have a huge communications bill for your home, you may want to consider different ways to leverage your Satellite Internet Connection (VOIP phone calls, streaming movies, and even streaming TV shows). Of course, you don’t need to live in a rural area to get Satellite Internet but you most likely have additional high speed internet options from your local cable company and phone company. We thought we would focus this particular article on saving on identifying at least 10 ways you can use your satellite internet connection to save money.



Get Rid of Your Home Phone – With the many available ways to talk with another person over the Internet you really don’t need a home phone. Couple that with the popularity of cell phones and you can see why the number of people signing up for land phone lines is in rapid decline. But you can use services like Skype.com to have a long distance or local conversation for free over your satellite internet connection. With Skype you do have limited free credits but can sign up for an unlimited plan for a very low rate. However, if your friends and family get on Skype too you can do Skype-to-Skype for free. Now, depending on your satellite internet service you may need your home phone line for uploads so make sure before canceling your home phone service. If your satellite internet provider requires a home phone then get the most basic and feature-free line your local phone company can offer you (often referred to as a “naked” line).

Stop Renting Movies at the Video Store – Even with several creative renting schemes by most of the large movie rental chains, you can generally sign up for Netflix.com or a similar movie site for less than $10/month and get unlimited movie streaming. It only take a couple of movie rentals per month to pay for this service and you can watch as many movies as you like. You can either use an HDMI cable to connect your computer to your TV or you can even use a game player like a Wii to stream movies from services like Netflix.

Don’t buy or replace your DVR or VCR – With great services like those that Hulu.com offers, you can watch your favorite TV shows whenever you want. Yes, you have a few annoying ads that you have to endure (of course you have that when you watch the shows live on the networks too and those aren’t quite as easy to ignore).
Don’t pay for Cable TV Services – You can watch your favorite TV Shows on the major network sites NBC, CBS, and ABC. As mentioned above you can also use sites like Hulu.com. You can also use sites like FreeTVonline.com to stream live TV from around the World over your internet connection.

Stop Your Newspaper Subscription – You can use either the same services for free from your newspaper (at least most of the articles). You can also get the major news from your local TV station websites and then of course the major news sites like CNN.com, ESPN.com, and more. There is a wealth of information available at much greater speeds online so you won’t have a need for a hard copy/printed newspaper going forward.

Save on Postage with Email Instead of Snail Mail – If you have easy and quick access to the Internet you can just shoot an email much more easily than you can write a letter and affix a postage stamp. Plus, you get the information out much more quickly to friends, family, and anyone else you need to contact.

Setup Online Banking and Save on Checks and Fees – You can also use your satellite internet connection to save on the number of checks you need to buy on your checking account. With a fast connection you can comfortably manage your finances online and just make electronic payments for utilities, mortgage, car payments, and more. It’s a small savings but every little bit can add up and at least you won’t run out of checks as quickly.

Setup Web Conference Calls to Reduce Travel Needs – Your satellite internet connection can also support services like GoToMeeting.com. You can conduct business easily with business partners around the World or close by with web conferencing. This allows you to reduce needs for office space, business trips (whether you are flying or driving), and several other related business expenses. This is especially important if you are running a small business out of your home.

Use Online Dating Sites – As odd as this may sound instead of spending money on blind dates and/or just roaming the singles scene you can actually save money by using services like LavaLife.com or Match.com over your internet connection and then only go on dates with people you really want to meet in person.

Use Coupon and Deal Sites – You can find an amazing number of deals online by either searching google using a search like “promotion code for XXXX” or something similar to that for nearly ANYTHING you are looking to purchase. You can also use sites like SlickDeals.net or CouponMom.com to find bargains. You would be surprised at how much cheaper you can buy things online if you have enough time and access to search thoroughly.

There are many more ways that you can save money with your satellite internet connection. You really are only limited by your own imagination. The important point is that you can use this one service to eliminate or reduce multiple other home services or costs if you choose to put a little effort into it.

It’s also important to note that to really leverage your satellite internet connection you need to get the best download/upload speeds that you can afford (keep in mind that your Internet connection can be used to save quite a bit of money so it is worth spending a little extra to get the higher speeds). You also need to research the fair access policies of each of the satellite companies which will limit what you can do with your satellite internet connection (they limit the amount of bandwidth you can consume within a certain time period). The best advice there is to tell them exactly what you want to do with their service (VOIP, Netflix, etc.).

They will steer you toward the best package for your intended use or they may tell you that their service just won’t work well for you. In any event, satellite internet is a great improvement over dial-up internet especially for those that cannot take advantage of other high speed internet services.

Source: http://www.satellitedish.org/blog/2010/10-ways-to-save-money-with-satellite-internet/