Tough times are forcing people everywhere to re-evaluate how and where they spend their money.  Many have stopped eating out, going to movies, and doing other "extras" that are now viewed as luxuries.  Another area where people are starting to do their best to cut costs is with cell phones.  Monitoring usage more closely, dropping features from plans, and so on are ways that you can make sure you're not spending more money than you need to on your cell phone.  If you need a new cell phone, one way you can save some coin is by purchasing a used cell phone.

For example, let's say you need a new phone and have your eyes on a Blackberry 8830.  If you're a customer with Verizon, you can buy the phone new for $519.00, assuming you are not eligible for a contract-renewal discount.  On the other hand, you can purchase a used Verizon Blackberry 8830 for $185.95.  For those of you that aren't math experts, that works out to a savings of $333.05.  Not bad, eh?  In fact, based on my monthly bills of late, the savings from the used phone could pay my cell phone bill for the next 6 months.

Of course, it makes sense to worry a bit about buying a used phone.  However, if you find a good vendor that offers a warranty and sells phones that have been refurbished, you can rest assured that you've found a phone that's as good as new, just at 35% of the price.