Yes, you can. Look into "prepaid plans." You have to purchase the phone, though, with these plans. Sometimes you can find phones fairly cheap...$30 - $50. TracFone is one type. Cellular offers prepaid plans, as do most of the big names.
Some prepaid plans have a small local calling area and others allow you to call to and from anywhere in the US. Some prepaid plans allow you to buy minutes from anywhere phone cards are sold, but some require you to buy your minutes from them.
I have both my teenagers on prepaid "local" plans. They don't have any reason to need something "bigger."
JusPeachy 
