If You Don't Know Jack, You're Might Be Missing Out!

A year ago, I was pondering life after having my daughter. After maternity leave, I had to return to my job but only part time from home. After discussing the linguistics of how my working from home was going to go, I realized that I would need a phone-not my cell phone- for the many business calls that I get each day because we couldn't afford blowing our small budget for minutes. My employer does not provide free phones to those who work from home, so I began to panic thinking that I was cutting my hours and now adding another cost.

During my research, I found Magic Jack. Don't let the name fool you, its not magic. Magic brings magnificent tricks to mind and thats not Magic Jack but it does offer a basic solution. Before I explain more about the Magic Jack, I feel you should have to watch a couple of informative hilarious videos on the topic.

Now that you have been schooled by an 11 year old, you can understand a bit of the potential for savings with the Magic Jack. We have used our for nearly a year now (all be it not daily) and we have found it to be extremely worthwhile if you need a home phone. It works for us perfectly when we need it and does exactly what it was meant to do.

There are cons for the Magic Jack though. You must have a computer and it must be on for you to be able to receive or make calls. The call quality is great for ours and when the computer is not on, messages are forwarded to your email. How amazing is that?? You can check your message from ANYWHERE you have a computer! Yet, its still not "magical" even with this feature. The customer service is also not great.

With all of that being said, I must say that for $40 (includes device and service) for the first year and $20 for every year after that, it is a worthwhile investment for those who have to have a home phone. For me, the best feature was that all calls to the US and CANADA are free! My best friend lives in Canada so I was sold. If you don't need a home phone and can rely on cell phones, this is not for you. A more reliable and cheaper option might be Skype. Yes, it still requires a computer, but its also free. What's better than free?

So now you know Jack. Maybe you will be friends or maybe you will choose to be a bit pickier! :)