Cutting Monthly Bills? Turn to the Web

This article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye:

"During the boom years, technology advances were generally viewed in terms of how they allowed us to do new things.

Check out this new gadget - it lets you play a video game while skiing! It lets you update your Facebook page while scubadiving! It lets you Twitter while visiting the john! Awesome!

But there's another side to technology that maybe hasn't got enough play, but is likely to as the economy gets worse.

New technology also lets you do all the same things you always did, only cheaper.

And it's not just a matter of comparison Web sites like billshrink.com that help you cut costs.

TV Web sites like Hulu.com will let many people save money by canceling some of their cable TV package. High-speed wireless Internet, from 3G to new WiMax, should let them save on home Internet connections. (Xohm, the new WiMax service, is priced well below cable- though at this point it has only been launched in Baltimore and rollout to other cities is taking time.)

Voice over Internet lets you dump your landline, and maybe even cut back on your cellphone. Google Talk lets you make video phone calls to family, friends or colleagues around the world for free."

I'm all about cutting my monthly bills so more money can be applied to other categories in my budget. When I get a faster computer sometime this year, I would like to use Skype or Google Talk (in lieu of landline) as well as cut my cable service and use sites like Hulu.com, but for the moment, I'll stick with my landline and cable service.