Article: DOLLARS & SENSE; Dial up 10 tips for lowering your cell phone bill; Many consumers find keeping their bill on budget more difficult as cell phone companies add plans and features. Here's how to keep it in line.(SOURCE)(DOLLARS & SENSE)

Byline: JOHN EWOLDT; STAFF WRITER

It's a common scene in households with teenagers. A 16-year-old in his first romantic relationship suddenly blows the limits of his family's cell phone contract. A plan with a text-message limit of 2,500 reaches 5,138 in one month. And a bill that was typically under $80 a month now shocks an unsuspecting parent to the tune of nearly $400. The pages and pages of the bill could be a bound volume.

If it makes you feel any better, this happened to AT&T executive Mike Bennett, director of consumer and government affairs. Even though it was a couple of years ago, Bennett said that the number 5,138 will stick with him for a ...

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