It is usually the cell phone itself that comes very cheap in price, you can usually walk out of the store with a cell (given proper ID) only paying $30 or $40....then the monthly fee is usually $40 a month for about 300 monthly minutes (all evening & week-end minutes are free..evenings start after 9 monday-friday) usually $60 a month for more like 700 minutes...some enjoy text messaging added on for $10 or $20 a month more..

another option is going into Wal-mart and buying a pre-paid phone & only using the minutes you pay for as you go..

also you may want to buy Verizon if you have friends and family that also use it, or T Mobile if you have friends & family that use it, since calls to THAT CARRIER are free!!

You may want a family plan if you have a family or a boyfriend/girlfriend it is sometimes cheaper to go in on it together & get free calls to and from each other..

Good luck- the convenience of a cell, to have anytime you need info anywhere you can be reached, is unbeatable- you may not have to even pay for a home phone anymore, put your money into cell instead!