also posted in VOIP thread, just in case...

is it cheaper to get skype credit, use an adapter to hook up my landline to my router and make all my calls through skype than it is to have a subscription with virgin media and to have 24/7 free calls at £7.95 per month?

Well for VM phone, you have to pay £11 line rental + £7.95 for 24/7 inclusive calls (not free as you are paying £7.95 for them).

Work out whether it would be cheaper without the phone line.

I wouldn't recommend Skype, I'd use one of the many other proper VoIP services, many of which issue local area-code numbers for no charge, don't charge for voicemail and you can get a SIP ATA such as a Linksys PAP2 ATA and connect it to your router and therefore not need the PC on to make and receive calls like you do with Skype. If you don't have a router, then some Linksys SPA range ATAs have a basic router in them, so you connect it to your modem and then your PC to the ATA, again PC doesn't need to be on to make and receive calls. You can program the ATA so it behaves exactly like a normal landline, they also have a REN of 5 for each line, so you can connect up extensions around the house like a normal line if you wished.