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How to save hundreds on your familys cell phone bill
Save on Cell Phone bill
May you wake up with gratitude and unlimited cell phone minutes. - photo by Shutterstock.com

Over the last two decades, cell phones have gone from an expensive (and bulky!) luxury to an absolute necessity — the latter definition, of course, coming from your kids. But the way society is moving, it’s becoming more and more difficult to deny that fact. Parents want their kids to have a way to call home in case of an emergency. Kids want to be able to be in contact with their friends.
The Pew Research Center reported findings in 2013 that 78 percent of teens have a cell phone, almost half of which are smartphones. It won’t be long before the parents of the other 22 percent won’t feel like they have a choice anymore. So now that you’re stuck with it, here are some tips on how to keep those family phone plans from carving a huge chunk out of your budget.

Research companies and plans
Most people tend to gravitate toward the big name companies like Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. And in the past few years, all of these companies have been battling heavily to keep your family together (on their plan.) But nowadays there are several new companies out there that offer just as good a solution to your problem at a fraction of the cost.

Republic Wireless is one that offers individual-only plans as low as $5/month without locking its customers into a long-term contract. It’s great for those who like to have unlimited everything. You can find a more detailed review of Republic here. Ting Wireless charges you only for what you used during the month, a more attractive option for people who are more controlled with their phone usage. StraightTalk, which partners with Wal-Mart, gives customers a pre-paid option, again with no contract. There are several other alternatives, but one thing is for certain: The telecommunication industry is expanding at just the right time to give you and your family more options to save money.

Decide how much is enough
If it were up to your kids, they would have unlimited access to everything on the most expensive phone available. But most likely, it isn’t your kids who are paying for the plan. Since you are the one who is, you decide how much is enough when it comes to minutes, texts and data. You can also decide if your kids need a smartphone at all, or if a regular phone is good enough.

Have them help out
Another way to cut down your cost of your family plan is to have all family members help cover the costs — including your teenagers. While that idea certainly won’t be a popular one, it can teach them to become financially self-reliant. It will also help them to learn to value money, since it’s so easy to take it for granted when mom and dad are covering the costs.

Consider dropping the landline
If every member of the family has easy access cell phone, the landline becomes a redundancy. In this scenario, dropping the landline can save you each month. That being said, don’t spend more to get everyone a cell phone than it would cost to cut the landline.

Conclusion
Let’s face it. Technology is taking over our society, and our kids will never know a time without high-speed cell network Internet and smartphones. If you’re a parent who is struggling with how expensive cell phone plans cost for an entire family, know that there are certain things you can do to help that. As you research what’s out there, decide what you’re willing to pay for and what you’re not, and have your kids help out, you’ll find that you can save literally hundreds of dollars every year.

Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.