Hidden fees, overages and unused minutes are a headache to any cell phone user. By paying attention to your plan, company and habits, as well as your wallet, you can make changes that can save hundreds on your annual cell phone bill.

Take a look at your plan.

Being aware of what you've signed on for in your contract can reveal some surprising ways to save money. First and foremost, how many minutes are you using per month? If it's significantly more or less than what your plan allows, research options to reduce or expand your plan accordingly. Paying overage fees each month adds up quickly.

Additionally, ask yourself if you are taking advantage of what your carrier offers you. Offpeak and weekend minutes are often underused by cell phone consumers. Find out when your calls are free from your carrier, and save your longer phone calls for these hours.

A Minneapolis teenager who once paid $180 in overage fees learned that lesson the hard way.

"It's not worth it to spend your weekday, paid minutes on really long calls. I do most of my talking after 9 now, and I haven't gone over since," the teen said.

Once you change your cell phone habits, you can often reduce your contract to a lower plan and fee. Make sure you're aware of the benefits your plan gives you.

Watch the extras.

Text messaging, surfing the Internet and dialing 411 can add many charges to your bill each month. Some companies charge significant fees for any data transmitted to and from your cell phone. This can mean that every time you go online on your phone or a site contacts you, you will be charged.

If you don't have a text-messaging plan or feature on your contract, many companies charge 10 cents or more for each message sent or received. Dialing 411 is always more expensive than simply calling a friend with a computer to find the information for you.

No matter what, extras are expensive. Know what does and does not cost extra money to avoid nasty surprises at the end of the month.

Check in with your company.

Be sure to examine your company's latest offerings and call to find out how to save on your bill monthly. Many times your company will alter rates and fees so that users gets more for their money.

Conversely, you may be getting a better deal on your contract than you think. Either way, being an informed consumer can only work in your favor. Check with the competition for their rates, and make sure you're getting what you pay for.

Finally, be an advocate. Call your company when something on your bill appears strange. Companies make mistakes, and if what's on your bill doesn't reflect usage, something may have gone wrong in the billing. Ensure that you're only paying for your contract and the minutes and data you use.