My Mom says I should get one. John has been hounding me too. I guess traveling 300 miles without a cellphone is not the wisest thing to do in this day and age. I've always figured that I'll be okay because everyone else has a cellphone-- but me, nah, I don't need one.
A big part of me not having a cell phone all these years is the cost. They seem so expensive. And think how much money I have saved not having one. The other part of me does not want anything to take away from the time I have with my children in the car. If I have a cell phone, I can easily see myself talking up a storm to everyone else except my children.
Nonetheless, times are changing, kids are getting older, and communication is important.
So for kicks, I explored Verizon's and T-Mobile's site to get prices on individual and family plans. I looked at a few phones too. Talk about choices. I was quickly overwhelmed with information overload~~ what kind of phone, internet access, limited minutes, texting or no texting, 2 year contract or not, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
It seems so much less complicated not having one. Don't even get me started on figuring out how to use one.
Who cares if my children think I am living in the dark ages?
37 inspiring thoughts:
Take a look at Virgin Mobile. They have basic phones, and you simply pay by the minute. It's a great company for your first cell phone because you don't have to sign a contract, so you can feel out how many minutes/texts you will use a month without having to make any commitments or investments in expensive phones.
Do you have Virgin Mobile in your area? I have used it for 7 years as a mostly 'emergencies' phone. It is a prepaid plan that has no contract, and you only need to add $15 to your account every 3 months (this amount counts toward your call/texting balance) It's a nice plan when you only need a phone around for emergencies or need to make a few 1-5 minute calls a week!
I don't give out my phone #. It cuts down on people calling me. I have a Verizon phone. I recommend you talk to them in person before you buy but their phones are cheaper online. You could always get a cheap prepaid phone and keep no minutes on it. (You can call 911 from any phone even if it is not active!)
I fought it for the LONGEST time too. Didn't want the hassle of asnwering the phone when I was away (honestly isn't that why you leave the house sometimes), and fork out the money. The thing that pushed me over the edge? My asthmatic son starting kindergarten, I didn't want to be stuck at home when he was gone just to make sure they could get a hold of me if he needed me.
Now I use it a lot but still could live without it if I had to.
I used Virgin mobile for a full year, and 2 summers before that. The only reason I stopped was because my phone broke, and T-mobile was having a great deal the weekend I needed to get a new phone. My mom uses Virgin mobile and my sister uses Tracfone. Virgin mobile is cheaper, but when my sister got her phone, Tracfone had a deal where you get double the minutes you pay for, for life. So that made it cheaper. You definitely don't need something fancy, just something to use in an emergency. I love T-mobile, they are the cheapest out of Att, Sprint and Verizon. Good luck!
I just have an unlocked phone (you can buy them 2nd hand on ebay at very reasonable prices) and use a pay as you go sim card for whichever country I'm in (as expats we travel a lot and its not worth taking out contracts).
I don't give out the number and only use it for essential calls and its great to have it there for potential emergencies.
I have been with T-Mobile for over 9 years. I do not know if they are the cheapest, but I do know that their customer service - in person, on line, on the phone - has been, for all of these years(!), consistently AMAZING. Above and beyond nice and helpful. We keep our US line open in case we need to travel. They upgrade our phones every few years... we got a great deal on a buy one, get one free smart phone this summer... and since we travel, it is very easy to allow international roaming on the account (not cheap, but T-mobile is everywhere... Brad and I could talk Yemen to Egypt, just pick up and dial.. we didn't use it much, but just having it when needed is worth it!) Also, as soon as I got my new phone, I asked for the code to unlock the handset so I could switch my US and Jordanian sim cards out whenever I wanted... and they were happy to give it to me. New phone, unlocked, just like that, ta-daa!
T-mobile also has a great website where you can adjust the details of your plan as you want... if you need extra minutes or extra texts for a month, just add it on for an extra $5/mo, then remove that option/cost again when you no longer need it.
You might like a smart phone, not for talking (I despise talking on the phone, but do realize the need to be contacted!) but you might enjoy the calendar, contacts, note taking ability, alarm functions, camera, internet, GPS, etc. It's an office in your pocket!
I have cell phone. It is 5 years old I paid 29 Euros for it. It does not have a camera, you can just make phone calls or send SMS. I only use it if I really need to. I spend less than 15 euros for a two months bill. I'm sure you will do even better!
I have a Verizon Blackberry. Love it. . .and love that I have it with me, 'Just in case.' I do use it, much more than our landline, but I try to never use it in the car and absolutely NOT when the kiddo is in the car. Just my own personal rule. . .
They can get pricy so you do have to be discriminating on what you buy. We have had a cell phone (now we have several on our plan--although Aidan won't get one until he is in Middle School at the earliest) since about 1993 when my car broke down on I95 on the way to North Carolina! It can be scary whe you can't contact your loved ones to tell them where you are and that you are alright.
Good luck and God Bless!
Don't forget using your cell phone while driving is aginest the law in CA unless you are using a Hands free device or a bluetooth device.
I have a tracphone. It was cheap to buy - especially if you don't want the fancy stuff on it. You only pay for the minutes you use and I don't keep mine on - just use it to call if I need something or have a question. It's extremely reasonable!
I use T-Mobile and just buy a chunk of minutes for the year (we use ours for long distance calls and for emergencies). No contract, no fuss.
I never talk on the phone while driving. I know a couple where the husband was killed while driving- he was reaching for his phone and got distracted ( his wife was calling him at the time!) Cellphones are great- but remember all the future drivers in your car are watching you. A good message to send is- no texting or calls while driving. Once you're parked make all the calls you want.
well you don't have to worry about talking taking away from time with the kids in the car because in California it's illegal to talk while driving anyway, unless you invest in a hands-free device that costs quite a bit of money.
most cell phone companies also have pay plans where you can pay as you go, and that is a MAJOR incentive to stay off of it because it's more per minute, but that way you can avoid the flat monthly rates you pay whether you use the phone or not. and some companies also offer plans where you can only call 911... my parents looked into that option when i was younger & cell phones first became popular so that i'd always have a way to get help when i was out on my own.
Tracphone here. You just buy a minute card and a service plan for one year.
I have the cheapest phone that verizon has and it meets all my needs. A cell phone could very well save your life. A couple of teenage girls here did not have a cell phone and stopped to use the pay phone to call their mother. They were taken from there and killed. If only they had a cell phone so they could have just called their mom from the car.
Christine, honestly, you are buying a beautiful mansion that would cost at least one million dollars in my city and you are worried about a $20 a month cell phone bill?
I didn't have one for a long time either, and for the cost issue too. I would drive 600+ miles to my parents' house with just me and the 3 kids and my mom would be a mess by the time I got there because she was so worried the whole time! So she bought me a Net10 phone. I just have to buy extra minutes, but there's no contract. I leave it in my car all the time and it's only for emergencies. I have SO many minutes built up because I use it so little.
Well, you're not alone. I too do NOT have a cell phone. I watch mothers on a walk or at the park talking on the phone versus to the kids. I don't want to do that either and the money we've saved is plenty. There are plenty in the community we live in that would be able to assist if there were a breakdown on the road w/ no cell phone. And yep, it happened to me. I was none the worse for wear. Rule in our home is you can get a cell phone when you get a job. that's what we tell all our kids as teens are itching for one. LOL. Good luck on the decision.
I would vote for you to get a cell phone. As someone else said, you can keep it in the car, and have it for emergency use only, or whatever. I do understand your feeling of not wanting to lose the time with the kids, while in the car - it's also not safe to talk and drive (tho' I do sometimes do that!) But for use for emergencies, I think it's a wise purchase. And can be very reasonably priced.
I would love a $20 a month cell phone bill! I think I would sign up! The cheapest I have found is at least $39.95 and with all the taxes and surcharges I know that adds at least another $15.00.
I do have a cell phone, BUT I don't have all the bells and whistles. The salespeople always think I'm crazy when I tell them I want the cheapest, do-nothing-but-call phone. Last time we renewed I did get a fancier phone because it was on promotion, but I had the salesperson disable the internet and all the fancy stuff. We don't pay for it, so I didn't even want the temptation!
Tracfone has 400 minutes and 365 days of service for $99.99. If it's only for emergencies then 400 minutes would be plenty, hopefully you'll actually need zero! :) Way cheaper than $20 a month! We had these for years!
I agree with the first commenter. Go with Virgin Mobile. For $25 a month and NO CONTRACT you get 300 minutes, unlimited texting, and unlimited web. You can get a phone for $69 (they have "nicer" ones for more, I got mine for $89). DO NOT get a contract with T-mobile or anyone else. I had one for years and it was TERRIBLE. If you need to cancel mid-term they charge you $250 dollars! It's seriously robbery. Best Buy sells all the different plans and contracts. They have ones like Virgin Mobils with other carriers, but I found that Virgin Mobile was the best for the price. And if you buy the monthly phone cards at Best Buy all you have to pay is local sales tax. Good luck!
We also resisted cell phones. Our first was when my daughter started driving independently. Then my husband and I both started jobs where we needed to be available no matter where we were. We used T-mobile prepaid for about 8 years. Our average expense was $25 per month. In the last 3 years for several reasons we began using the phones more so we started doing a cost comparison. T-mobile has a no contract plan that gives us basic service for $50 per month (2 phones) plus the taxes etc is it just over $60 but less than $65 per month. It works great for us, no texting just plain simple phones.
I do suggest looking at the coverage area maps for each service you might be interested in. T-mobile is great in populated areas but other areas are pretty sparse. We do fine but our son is now with Net 10 because T-mobile has poor coverage where he lives.
Pre-paid are a great way to start with low and easily controlled monthly costs.
I think it'll be great if your older kids could get cell phones.
The could communicate with all their friends and if it's an unlimited texting, they'll be so thrilled ! :)
Check out the new plans at Walmart. They teamed up with T-mobile and are offering unlimited talk and text for $45 buck a month!
Yep- we have go phones- cheap $10 Go Phones that come with $25 of minutes. You can get plans for those too.....they just aren't the rage. Works for us. If you drop it- no biggy. If it falls in the river on a canoe trip- he he he- you don't feel guilty for losing $200 worth of phone or more.
And the plans are really inexpensive! So you don't pay out the nose :) We live in the dark ages too. We only have a phone because our nearest "town" is a 45 minute drive...and we have littles in the car :)
a simple, pay-as-you-go might be the best option.....add a couple hundred minutes and put it in the glove box with a car charger. it'll be there in case of emergency, and yet won't take over your life.
I actually silence mine except at work (hospital uses direct to mobile paging). I'm neither POTUS nor a transplant surgeon, so no one really needs to get me superSTAT.
:-)
I don't have a cell phone, either. And I don't plan on getting one anytime in the near future! :0)
Your family is lovely...so many beautiful children! And I love the pics of your new house. I know moving is overwhelming, but so exciting, too!
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Blessings!
Brandi
If you just want one for emergencies, definitely look at a pre-paid plan. I have one through t-mobile and it saves me hundreds of dollars a year. I am not a cell-phone talker though...I just use it to call my hubby while I'm at the store or let him know where I am or other "emergencies".
Sounds like a pay as you go phone would be perfect for you. Although I life in a city I regularly drive 2 two to twelve hours out of state to visit family and friends often at night, some times through unpopulated rural areas other times through unsafe urban areas in all kinds of weather. I have used it in the middle of the night on a deserted highway to call a tow-truck more than once. I also have elderly family members who use it to get in touch with me when they have emergencies. We all survived before cell phones but there is a reason that they quickly become indispensable to people. Will you use it more than you absolutely have to? Maybe, but that's up to you, if you set boundaries for yourself I'm sure you will be fine. As for "hands free" car options, they do not have to be expensive- I bought an earpiece at walmart for $19.99 to use on a 12 hour solo drive becuase honestly I just wanted the "company" :-)
I know I HAVE to have one. I hate talking on phones but for me it is part of being a good mom. I have to be available to the people I am responsible for.
There are just too many times I need to find out where the kids are, and who needs to be picked up, school calls for sick children, people in the hospital, and I also have aging relatives.
I also get them for the older kids. My phone plan is bare bones for me as I can make sure I stay in the guidelines.
For my kids I pay extra for unlimited calls and texting. If you go over time you can get hit with a huge bill.
I guess it is what is important to you. I have a low income but got to have the phones.
I work and we live in the big bad city. The children can not walk home from anywhere if you forget to pick them up or there is a change in plans.
If my elderly mom has a health crisis I have to be able to pick up and go.
We have to be able to get in touch with each other. I am probably the oldest texting person ever.
I am getting into the picture messages to. The teenager has a fender bender, someone is hurt, - send me a picture.
To anonymous, re: her new home vs cell phone.
Maybe it is because she worries about those little $20/month savings that she can afford such a home. Most of us spend way more than needed for things that seem petty enough to pay ($5 coffees, $20 cell phones, etc) but really if you add all that up and pay it toward debt you'd be debt free relatively quickly.
Christine- sorry to see you're leaving Smiles and Trials...I wish you the best in your new (beautiful) home, and that you'll find another outlet to keep in touch with us.
Talking on a cell phone in the car while driving is dangerous anyway. Just make it a rule not to do that so everyone stays safe. That way, no time is being stolen from your children here!
I agree. I have the most basic mobile here & it doesn't work in our house or half the places I go (& it's meant to be a country phone -good one telstra).
Hope you find one that suits you - I guess it is a good idea & once my plan finishes I'm going to go shopping for one that suits me better (as long as it is as cheap).
Renata:)
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