Cell phone or iPod touch 5?

[DisneyFun51464]

My DD are 11 & 12. I am a single mom and work full time. My girls are alone after school but we have a home phone so it's not like they can't contact me.

They have been asking like crazy for a cell phone. Part of me feels they are too young but part of me feels it would be easier for when they are at a friends, their dad's or activities.

So which would you choose? The iPod touch is $295 and the iPhone 5c is as low as .01 BUT at least $30 a month each for service.

Thanks!!

 

[scrapquitler]

My DD are 11 & 12. I am a single mom and work full time. My girls are alone after school but we have a home phone so it's not like they can't contact me.

They have been asking like crazy for a cell phone. Part of me feels they are too young but part of me feels it would be easier for when they are at a friends, their dad's or activities.

So which would you choose? The iPod touch is $295 and the iPhone 5c is as low as .01 BUT at least $30 a month each for service.

Thanks!!

One thing you have to think about if you give them an iTouch and they plan to use a texting app to contact you....while they are at Dads, a friends, or at activites, are they going to have access to wifi? If they don't have wifi they won't be able to use the texting app.

And remember, just because there IS wifi, doesn't necessarily mean that they would be able to USE the wifi. For example: at a friend's house, the friend's parents probably have a password on the wifi, and your child might not (most likely) be given the password to use someone else's wifi. If they are at a local park, dance studio, park & rec center or whatever, they may or may not be able to use the wifi.

You could instead get them a pay as you go cellphone that uses only text/phone and pay only for actual minutes/texts used, and they will be able to use that anywhere. A cell phone doesn't mean it HAS to be a smart phone.

 

[descovy]

My girls are 11 & 13. We do iPhones. I am frugal in other ways, but do splurge on this.

We have AT&T and although I do have a partial FAN. Discount, our bill runs $131/mo for 3 iPhones.

It's a computer in their pocket. They use it for school work while on the run. Texts without worry of being in a wifi spot. I do work p/t and am sometimes not home before/after school. I use the "find my phone" app to see where they are in real time. Super handy for when they are coming back from an event and you don't know when to expect them.... Just find my phone to see how far away.

It's one thing. Just one thing to keep track of. Not a phone and an iPod and a camera...

It's their currency... Threat of taking it away shapes up PDQ.

The one downfall... I don't know what to get them for Christmas! The iphone pretty much does it all!

 

[DawnM]

What is a FAN discount?

My girls are 11 & 13. We do iPhones. I am frugal in other ways, but do splurge on this.

We have AT&T and although I do have a partial FAN. Discount, our bill runs $131/mo for 3 iPhones.

It's a computer in their pocket. They use it for school work while on the run. Texts without worry of being in a wifi spot. I do work p/t and am sometimes not home before/after school. I use the "find my phone" app to see where they are in real time. Super handy for when they are coming back from an event and you don't know when to expect them.... Just find my phone to see how far away.

It's one thing. Just one thing to keep track of. Not a phone and an iPod and a camera...

It's their currency... Threat of taking it away shapes up PDQ.

The one downfall... I don't know what to get them for Christmas! The iphone pretty much does it all!

 

[descovy]

What is a FAN discount?

Forgive me, I forget what words F A N stand for, but basically it is a discount that AT&T, Verizon, etc...give to students of certain colleges, employees of certain businesses, etc... They vary from 15-50% off certain services. Usually it's buried in a little "discounts pamphlet" you get from HR that most people never read.

For example, I work at Target and get 21% off 1 line & data plans if over $30 and waived activation/upgrade fees.

Different companies have different FAN discounts... Some cover more, some less. My dad even owned his own business and was eligible for a FAN discount.

 

[rock_doctor]

Do they have to have an Apple produce? If you can get away from that you will save a fortune. The Samsung phones are very good (better then Apple imho) and HTC phones are nearly bullet proof. If you must have an iPhone then look at Virgin Mobile (Sprint). They have the iPhone and the service is only ~$60 a month for the best service. At some point Boost Mobile (Sprint) is supposed to get the iPhone also but not at this moment. So many better phones then the iPhone... I would not bother with the iPod, the phone can be used as the media player plus can call you any time you want. If you get the Samsung or HTC they both take a memory card that will let you up it to 64gig internal memory. People in general now a days are scary...and imho everybody should have a phone.

 

[crazelion]

I have thought about getting Andriod phones on tracfone.

 

[DisneyFun51464]

I had a droid before my iPhone and HATED it. I know some hate iPhones. I keep leaning towards the phone cause I know they will use it. Just need to work that extra into my monthly budget.

Thanks!

 

[descovy]

Do you have a monthly cell phone plan? Play with it and see how much it would cost to add them to the plan. It is likely to be cheaper to have 3 on a subsidized family plan than 3 on a prepaid plan where you buy the phones outright.

Another benefit to a family plan is you can later use their upgrade eligibility to upgrade your own phone. My dd's phone is a year later than mine (2 year contract) so between her and me I could have a new phone every year if I wanted to (and give her my old)

Btw... Best Buy has booklets that list all the carriers and their pricing. So you could pick one up at the store and crunch the numbers for yourself.

 

[DisneyFun51464]

Thanks everyone!

 

[monorailsilver]

My 12 yo got a phone for 6th grade graduation (7th grade is Middle School here).

Her ipod was old & had no camera so it was either buy her a new ipod with a camera & get her a just texting phone or bite the bullet & get her a phone.

We chose the phone (OK I did & made my reasons to my dh so he couldn't say no!!!).

She got the iphone4 (free) & she is very happy with it although she is begging for 'fun' cases but sorry otter box or no phone!

What I love is that I can find her with the iphone finder app. She plays soccer so a few times I was able to see the away game field & find where she is. Or I can 'see' her at the football game.

We take it away at bed time otherwise she'd be on it all night. I go thru her texts randomly & look thru her instagram & I am amazed at the kids that post "don't text me because my mom has my phone & she will know I am up." Obviously these kids are on their ipods or whatever on instagram when the parents think they are sleeping.