Cell Phones

[disneysteve]

We have never EVER come close to the 700 minutes we share

There are 5 of us sharing 850 minutes and we have never come close especially since mobile to mobile calls don't count, calls after 9pm don't count and calls on the weekends (when we use our phones the most) don't count. On our last statement, we had over 3,600 roll over minutes. We add about 350 minutes per month.

 

[princesspwrhr]

we had over 3,600 roll over minutes.

Oh how I miss rollover minutes. When we lived in GA we had BellSouth turned Cingular (now AT&T) and had a very small plan with rollover. Never used all our minutes, but I liked the idea that if I needed to I could. When we moved to VA, Cingular was only in DC, not down here in Hampton Roads. About 4 months after we moved and switched to Verizon they came here, but their service area was spotty. Then AT&T bought them out and it's still spotty, so we've never had reason to switch back.

 

[Fire14]

I pay around 238.00 for 3 smart phones 700 shared minutes/ unlimited texting and 90.00 worth of data plans. and a mifi with employee discount.

 

[Princess Dolly]

Around $150 for two iPhones (700 shared minutes, free mobile-to-mobile calling, unlimited texts and 2 GB each of data). That is with an employee discount.

 

[DawnM]

Oh, good to know. Looks like it is only for certain phones, and I use WAY MORE than 300 min. per month! But if someone can get this and it works for them, great!

I average 2,500 minutes per month! I have a big mouth I know! I don't have a home phone though.

I am very happy with Straight Talk so far. $45/mo for unlimited. I never use their 2gb data "limit." Yes, they say unlimited data but they seem to cancel people for going over 2gb.

Dawn

We had the $35 plan on two LG Optimus Vs (300 minutes, unlimited text and data) but just switched to the $25 plan today. http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1217218/

Before I got my android phone I had a $30 PayLo plan with 1500 minutes, 1500 texts and 30MB data.

I've been very happy with Virgin Mobile and can't ever see going back to a contract.

 

[DawnM]

I use my iphone all day long too, but I use minutes as well!

My last four or five months with Sprint, I talked an average of 2,500 minutes. I was on the 1500 min. plan but the min only counted if you called a landline, and I would say maybe only 400 of those minutes was to a landline phone.

Dawn

To be honest, this is me too. My iPhone is used constantly throughout the day- but not often as a phone. Usually for texting, email, camera and games. I love my GPS app. Both my daughter and husband are the same with theirs. We have never EVER come close to the 700 minutes we share, never came close to the 500 before that. We don't have a home phone, the cell phones are our only point of contact and even then we barely hit 200-250 minutes a month.

We do use a bit of data- my daughter and I use an app everyday to track our runs and see improvement and compare. The GPS when used sucks data up. My daughter streams Pandora any chance she gets- even in the car to the store, and I like having that option too. Add in random email and FB checks and, well, I've never looked at it but I'm probably really glad we're unlimited.

 

[westjones]

Well I am starting to think that maybe my $144 for my two basic and one iPhone is a typical cost. It just seems crazy to me that we are paying so much for cell phones! I don't know...I guess it was a bill my parents never in their lives ever had to pay. And when you add that to the cable/internet at home as well as the home phone line.....there goes $300 every month

I guess I am having one of those 'good ole days' things and wondering if this is necessary. But now days I feel I need the phone to stay connected to my kids. But somehow my parents and I survived without.

Oh well.......we have 13 months left before we can make any changes (other than upgrades, but I told everyone no more contracts...we are all just letting ours run out). I guess we will decide then what to do.

Thanks everyone! This has been very helpful.

 

[disneysteve]

I guess it was a bill my parents never in their lives ever had to pay. And when you add that to the cable/internet at home as well as the home phone line.....there goes $300 every month

Of course there are things we pay for that our parents didn't. And vice-versa. We also have loads of things that our parents never dreamed of.

Whether or not basic cell phones are NEEDS or WANTS today is debatable but certainly smart phones are clearly WANTS. Nobody needs an iPhone.

As for cable TV, that is clearly a WANT. And in most places, you can get basic service for $10-15/month. If you are paying more than that, it is by choice and you really can't complain about it.

As for the home phone, many, many people have eliminated that service. We still have a landline but I know lots of people who don't, so I guess that qualifies as a WANT at this point. I know we could live just fine without it.

 

[westjones]

Oh I know.....I just go through these budge reevaluation stages every so often and right now I am one of those moods.

I was hoping there would be cheaper cell phone services out there, but it sounds like we are paying what everyone else is paying.

A lot of what we have are wants instead of needs.

I guess with two kids in college for the first time this year (I have twins) I am looking closer at our budget because we have all of these new college expenses.

So thanks everyone! It helps to see what others are paying and puts our bill into perspective.

 

[Pigeon]

Oh I know.....I just go through these budge reevaluation stages every so often and right now I am one of those moods.

I was hoping there would be cheaper cell phone services out there, but it sounds like we are paying what everyone else is paying.

A lot of what we have are wants instead of needs.

I guess with two kids in college for the first time this year (I have twins) I am looking closer at our budget because we have all of these new college expenses.

So thanks everyone! It helps to see what others are paying and puts our bill into perspective.

There are many cheaper alternatives that have been spelled out here. If you just want to be in touch with your kids, a simple tracfone can be used for a couple hundred dollars a year.

As people have pointed out, you can have 3 Virgin Mobile unlimited accounts for about $100/month.

And if your kids are in college, maybe it's time to consider being a little less in touch? I work at a university, and I'm astounded at the number of kids who have to be in touch with mommy on a daily basis.

 

[westjones]

And if your kids are in college, maybe it's time to consider being a little less in touch? I work at a university, and I'm astounded at the number of kids who have to be in touch with mommy on a daily basis.

Actually I need to stay 'more' in touch with them because they live at home, and we are only a mile from campus so I drop them off and pick them up at various times during the day. They have a commuter parking pass, but you have to park very far away for those. So I just tend to run my errands around the times they need me to run them over or pick them up.

Also they are staying out later, and I need them to let me know if I should lock the door if they are spending the night at a friends.

So communications is still very important.

 

[DawnM]

We don't pay anywhere near that.

Phones combined: $75/mo.
TV is Netflix and Hulu and an old fashioned Antenna: $16/mo.
Home phone is Ooma (internet based): $3/mo.
Time Warner Cable Internet Service: $44

Total cost: $138

Well I am starting to think that maybe my $144 for my two basic and one iPhone is a typical cost. It just seems crazy to me that we are paying so much for cell phones! I don't know...I guess it was a bill my parents never in their lives ever had to pay. And when you add that to the cable/internet at home as well as the home phone line.....there goes $300 every month

I guess I am having one of those 'good ole days' things and wondering if this is necessary. But now days I feel I need the phone to stay connected to my kids. But somehow my parents and I survived without.

Oh well.......we have 13 months left before we can make any changes (other than upgrades, but I told everyone no more contracts...we are all just letting ours run out). I guess we will decide then what to do.

Thanks everyone! This has been very helpful.

 

[westjones]

We don't pay anywhere near that.

Phones combined: $75/mo.
TV is Netflix and Hulu and an old fashioned Antenna: $16/mo.
Home phone is Ooma (internet based): $3/mo.
Time Warner Cable Internet Service: $44

Total cost: $138

That is awesome!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Actually I need to stay 'more' in touch with them because they live at home, and we are only a mile from campus so I drop them off and pick them up at various times during the day. They have a commuter parking pass, but you have to park very far away for those. So I just tend to run my errands around the times they need me to run them over or pick them up.

Also they are staying out later, and I need them to let me know if I should lock the door if they are spending the night at a friends.

So communications is [sic] still very important.

Mom, seriously? You are still car pooling for college age kids because walking from the commuter parking lot to class is too far for them? I am still trying to figure this one out.

As for locking the door, don't they have house keys?

Time to let the kids grow up!

 

[disneysteve]

we are only a mile from campus so I drop them off and pick them up at various times during the day.

I need them to let me know if I should lock the door if they are spending the night at a friends.

Mom, seriously? You are still car pooling for college age kids because walking from the commuter parking lot to class is too far for them? I am still trying to figure this one out.

As for locking the door, don't they have house keys?

Time to let the kids grow up!

I lived about a mile from my high school and my jr. high. I either walked or biked to school most days.

You don't lock your doors if the kids are out?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I lived about a mile from my high school and my jr. high. I either walked or biked to school most days.

You don't lock your doors if the kids are out?

Same here, only my HS was almost 2 miles from our house. We walked each way, no busses then.

 

[westjones]

Mom, seriously? You are still car pooling for college age kids because walking from the commuter parking lot to class is too far for them? I am still trying to figure this one out.

As for locking the door, don't they have house keys?

Time to let the kids grow up!

Well yes....I don't mind. And this way they can come home and eat lunch instead of paying $8-10 a day to eat on campus. And no they don't have house keys. We have a key pad on the garage door they can use to get in, but at night we lock the door to the house so they can always get in the garage but they wouldn't get in the house, and we don't really want people coming and going in our house at night. They still have a curfew on school/work nights.

If they want their own place, they can move out, but that would mean they would have to work a lot more hours and not spend money on 'fun' stuff like they do now. So it is their choice.

But running over to campus doesn't bother me at all. And walking from commuter parking takes about 15-20 minutes each way. They could never come home and eat lunch in and get back to class in just an hour if they had to drive themselves.

It works for us. Whatever works for you family.....well that is great! No reason to put down others for what they have worked out.

I know families who live less than a mile from college who took out thousands in loans for their kids to live on campus. We decided to try to help our kids be debt free from college and came up with something that is working for us. Not everyone does college the same way. But our way is a lot less expensive than the thousands of dollars in loans to live on campus and eat on campus.

Now I just need to figure out if I can reduce our cell phone bill some. I just cut our bill for our cable and home phone by $76 a month. Hopefully I will figure out something for the cell phone.

Thanks for all the cell phone information.

 

[MrsPete]

Overall, smart phone use is up dramatically not because of making phone calls but because of everything else they can do. I hardly ever make a phone call but I use my iPhone every single day, multiple times per day. I send and receive e-mail, go online, send texts, use the calculator, take photos and video, check facebook, play games, use the maps/GPS, get coupons, all kinds of things. The fact that it happens to also be a telephone is almost irrelevant to me.

As the population gets more and more accustomed (and dependent) on having endless knowledge at their fingertips 24/7, the trend toward smart phones will only escalate.

See, none of that sounds even remotely attractive to me. We as a society have become "too connected". Everywhere we see people staring at their phones rather than paying attention to their surroundings and talking to the people nearby.

I have a computer here at home. I have a computer at work. But when I'm not sitting in this chair, thinking about computer stuff, I don't see it as particularly healthy to pay attention constantly to technology.

I see the results in my students at school. Compared to the kids I taught 20 years ago when I was a new teacher, my current students have fewer social graces, are less well-read and less creative, have a lesser work ethic and are slow to resort to problem-solving. Certainly I can see numerous other societal shifts that've led to these changes, but their constant attachment to technology is a big part of the issue. Before anyone argues that they're more tech-savvy, I'll point out that no, they aren't. They're pros at surfing the web, but that's it. The average student is good at using programs, not understanding the technology behind the point-and-click.

Oh I know.....I just go through these budge reevaluation stages every so often and right now I am one of those moods.

It's good to every-so-often look at where you're spending your money . . . and determine whether new, better options are available to you.

 

[disneysteve]

See, none of that sounds even remotely attractive to me. We as a society have become "too connected". Everywhere we see people staring at their phones rather than paying attention to their surroundings and talking to the people nearby.

I have a computer here at home. I have a computer at work. But when I'm not sitting in this chair, thinking about computer stuff, I don't see it as particularly healthy to pay attention constantly to technology.

I agree with you to a point that we are sometimes "too connected." For example, it drives me nuts when I'm in the car and every other car I pass has a driver who is using his/her phone. Put down the damn phone and watch the road. I read the other day that estimates are that 1 in 4 accidents today is related to cell phone usage. It's pretty scary.

On the other hand, it is pretty tough to argue about the enormous benefits and convenience and yes, even cost savings, of smart phones. For years, the tech world imagined a time of "convergence" when one device would replace multiple other devices. That time has finally arrived. My iPhone has taken the place of many other items that I used to have to buy, carry, update, replace, etc. And I don't only use my iPhone when I'm away from my computer. I often use it instead of my computer. In fact, I know numerous people for whom their iPhone is their only computer.

I was a somewhat long time hold out before getting my iPhone. I didn't think it would be worth spending $30/month (which can be just $15/month now). I researched and read and asked others and debated until I finally determined that there would be adequate ways in which I'd use it to make it worth paying for. Once I had it, I discovered a dozen more ways and I'm finding more regularly. Perhaps it isn't right for everyone. Heck, I still know people who don't own computers. But I think it is such an incredibly useful device that opens up a world of possibilities that goes way beyond just staring at a screen and ignoring those around you.