[infocus]

My teenage son and I could live without ours, but this is one thing I feel is important. We have a family plan with two phones, no roaming or long distance anywhere in the US, free nights and weekends, and free incoming. Since we are both away from home a lot, and away from each other a lot, this enables us to keep in touch and also make calls wherever we are whenever we need to. I feel it is important to be able to call for help in case of emergency, especially as a single woman. I have a long commute to and from work each day. And I want my son to be able to reach me immediately if he needs me, regardless of where I am. I can go to the store or whatever without worrying about missing a call. I have noticed that pay phones are just not very available anymore.

However, it is $85 a month for all of this, and that kills me. I cancelled the home phone, but that was only $25. As soon as our contract is up in August, I am shopping for something cheaper. However, if you use your phone a lot and want the free incoming minutes, etc. you need to get one of the more expensive plans...