Dear Mary: My husband and I are newly married and new to the world of paying our cell phone bill. Our first bill was higher than I thought it should be. I noticed a lot of fees and charges. Is there really a fee to call 911 from a cell phone? Should I be paying federal taxes and state taxes on the phones? The extra fees totaled more than $30! I have heard phone companies will charge fees that are unnecessary. How do I go about combating them? Thanks for your help. Your advice has helped my husband and me remain debt-free in our first year of marriage. -- Bethany P., Illinois

Dear Bethany: Welcome to the world of mystery fees and taxes. To answer your first question, there is no charge to make a 911 call from a cell phone. However, your carrier may have come up with a fee everyone has to pay to cover their costs to participate in some 911 network in your area. I can't know the specifics behind any of the fees on your bill, but these mystery fees are outrageous.

I suggest that you call customer service with your bill in front of you. Make sure you are very cordial and ask simply, "May I speak with someone who can explain to me what each of these fees is for?" You'll get an explanation for each. If you do not understand, tell them. Then ask, "What can I do to reduce this heavy load of fees you are charging?" If there is nothing, you might consider switching to a prepaid cell phone. All carriers offer them now. With a prepaid plan, you never will worry about those big bills because you will have paid for your call time upfront.

Now that you are thinking in terms of outrageous fees, you might learn a lot from reading a fairly new book, "Gotcha Capitalism: How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day -- and What You Can Do About It," by Bob Sullivan. If you're outraged by the fees on your cell phone bill, wait until you see all the other fees you are or may be paying soon if you are not careful.

Dear Mary: Thank you so much for answering my question ("If my bank is FDIC insured, what happens to my money if 'the worst' happens and they go bust?"). I know it's on a lot of people's minds with the IndyMac bank failure. Thanks for pointing out the name change. That's happened twice with my bank in 12 years, but I never knew why. Now I have that reassurance of "it's happened before, and everything turned out fine." Keep up the great work! I look forward to your e-mails every day, and I just finished your book. -- Nichole J., e-mail

Dear Nichole: Happy to be of service. Bank failures are nothing new, and even the numbers we are seeing now are not setting any records. Still, it's good to be informed. It was great to hear from you again.

Do you have a question for Mary? E-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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