In the kind of economy that we are living in today, every cent matters to our wallets. Telephone bills have become an outrageously expensive asset to have in your home. With all of the fees and charges being added to the end of your bill, it becomes hard to tolerate a $20 bill turning into $40-$50.

That is why I am a grand believer in the VOIP industry. Anything that puts a few extra bucks in my pocket is nothing, but a plus. Skype has become a household name giving people the ability to talk for free over the internet or paying a low fee for extra benefits.

Some of the benefits that can be received for a small charge:

1. Calling landline or cell phones from your Skype.

2. A dedicated phone number that allows you to receive phone calls from outside numbers.

3. Text messaging to other Skype members and people with cell phones.

4. Get unlimited phone calls to long distance pho

ne numbers for a low monthly fee.

5. Voicemail that can be forwarded to a phone, checked on your Skype Application, or via email.

6. When not around the computer, you will enjoy the call forwarding to landlines or cells.

7. Video conferences via the internet from anywhere around the world.

8. Skype Mobile which allows you to use Skype on the cell phone.

9. Transfer files directly to other Skype accounts easily and quickly.

10. Allow visitors to websites to call you directly via one click button.

Only 2 problems that I could find from their services so far. The calls can sometimes have a delay of 5-10 seconds. Which can make it feel like you are holding a conversation over walkie-talkies. This problem does exist if you have a slow connection or several applications going on at the same time. There is some choppiness at times, but very rarely, this is also due to connection speeds.

Another great benefit that I have found is the Skype Phones. Skype actually has wired, cordless, and cell phones that are used in conjunction with the Skype Application. These are great to use, so that you are not sitting in front of your computer the whole conversation, or tied down to a plugged in headset. I recommend the GE Cordless, that is what I use, the functionality is great, but can be difficult to set up on some systems.