Yes, I’m one of the few. I still have an “unlimited” data usage plan on my Verizon phone. So does my son Jonah. My son Jeremiah, however, is burdened with the 2GB limit. Per month. How does he survive?

Well, of course, Jeremiah survives like a majority of people with Verizon smartphones. They either use less than their monthly data allotment or they pay more. Simple.

What’s not simple is paying the overage charges. You can avoid that by following a few tips.

First, use the Wi-Fi wherever possible. If you have Wi-Fi in your home, or wherever you frequent, then definitely use it.

Keep the phone’s Wi-Fi radio on all the time and ensure that whatever network is near you is automatically connected. (It normally is anyway, after you set up the password.) That way, as long as you see the Wi-Fi status icon, you’ll be safe not using any cellular data.

Second, be mindful of your data usage when you’re away from a Wi-Fi connection. You can avoid running up the data by using the Internet as little as possible. Here are the things to avoid or postpone:

* Downloading new apps or app updates
* Watching YouTube videos
* Uploading pictures to Picasa
* Uploading YouTube videos (though the phone warns you of this on a 4G network)
* Downloading music, especially on Pandora or Tuned-In or other “music streaming” apps.

That last one is a killer. My son Jeremiah came dangerously close to an overage because of Pandora (I think). Anyway, he immediately started using Wi-Fi and avoiding anything on the Internet wherever he could.

Finally, check your data usage by setting up Verizon’s Data Usage widget. It’s found where all the other widgets are located when you choose to add something to the Home screen. Just add it to the Home screen and it lets you know the total number of MB (megabytes) or GB (gigabytes) that you’re using.

Follow these handy advice tidbits and you’ll be certain to avoid data overages whenever possible.