How many minutes you'll call per month? Landline? Mobiles?
There are cheap offers with 1000 free minutes under 10€/month in Austria.
Contracts usually go for 1 year, but you'll leave after 5 months.
I prefer a different way: I use a Klax (T-Mobile AT) Prepaid SIM with tariff My Faves activated.
This option is 1€/month basic fee and you can call 5 numbers of your choice (need to be registered on the website t-mobile.at and can be changed after some time) for 1ct/min.
This is possible for landline numbers and also for mobiles.
With this plan I call a VoIP access number, i.e. rynga.com or dialnow.com.
In Germany I use a EDEKA D2 Prepaid SIM with flatrate option (10€/month, Landline and Vodafone) to call the VoIP access. E-Plus has blocked the access numbers!!!
For data I use a second phone and a data SIM, T-Mobile or A1, in Germany blau.
Do not use a Yesss! data Prepaid SIM for data on your phone, they have increments of 6MB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With this option you can call Austria landline for 1-2 ct/min from your mobile, USA the same.
What do you mean with "text a lot?" Emails? SMS?
For Germany you'll find more info here:
www.prepaid-wiki.de