cell phones...can u live without them?

[safari]

I got my first cell phone in March of this year. I've managed just fine without one, but I thought it would be nice to have one in case of emergency, if my car breaks, etc. I got a free T-Mobile To-Go prepaid phone for $88 with 1,100 anytime minutes, which don't expire for a year. I rarely use it to make calls, and I still have 984 minutes left after 4 months, so I am using about 30 minutes each month, and it's been working great for me. I can refill the phone with as little as $10, which will extend all unused minutes for another year to make sure they won't expire.

[Aleta]

That is a great deal if like you said, it included the phone. As long as I pay my yearly contract which comes with minutes, my minutes roll over to the next year. I think it is the best solution because I'm not tied up to a contract. I own my phone. My phone number is mine as long as I keep the contract. It has come out relatively reasonable for me a month. I think that I calculated that it has cost me around $7. to $8. a month since I bought it. If I would have a contract, it would have cost me more.

[My English Castle]

We share one prepaid phone. I'm not a big phone person, but I like to have it when I teach, especially at night. If one of us is driving a long ways, they usually take it. More often than not, it works just fine because we have a land line. If we're not together, usually at least one of us is either at home or at the office and thus near to a phone..

[jedi]

I guess it depends. It would be handy for emergencies. Choosing the right plan might help keep your cellphone expenses low.

[davlat]

Depend on the situation.... mostly it is good to have one for emergency.. think prepaid...
I use Alltel, $35 activation + $20 deposit + $20 basic phone =$75 + tax
$0.15/min... but $0.59 / min when roaming
Use at least 1 min per month to avoid "No use" fee $4 per month
But the minutes expire after certain time...
The cheapest possible is $8.33 / month.... only if you take $100 for 356 days then again you are trapped like contract term..
..
If not, use Tracfone.... Initially with promotion with $20 you will get basic phone with 20min which expire after 60 days + 2 60min cards (each last 60 days from ur activation date).... so longest possible 180 days...
You can get codes for free from here ... Free Promotional Bonus Codes-for-Tracfone
After that... approx... $20 for 90 days (or more)...($7.3 per month with 20 min each month at most)

If you have line phone.. use call forward when at home....

[Adambnn]

It is not a question about whether you can. I think it is about whether you wish.
Everyone can live without a cell phone. Em...actually, I mean, human being can live without cell phones.(at least our ancestors could)

So I think what we should consider is whether we get a better life with(or without) cell phones.
For example, if to have a cell phone +10 contribution to your quality of life and the cost of using a cell phone(eg. $44/month) do -5 damage to your quality of life. In the end, you get +5 contribution, so you have a better life than the life without a cell phone.

[Ima saver]

That happens at the library a lot even tho there is a sign on the door that says turn the cell phone off. I hate it at restaurants. Who wants to talk to someone when you are supposed to be enjoying a quiet meal??
I have lived all my life without one and I shall continue to do so.

[Aleta]

I agree with you Ima about people talking on them in restaurants or in any public place where you can audibly hear the whole conversation. The one I like is when the person is in the grocery store and rams into your cart or runs over your foot because they are preoccupied or even fighting on a cell phone. There really should be laws where people just can't talk anywhere they want. It is disturbing to be eating dinner and have to hear someone's conversation and THEY TALK SO LOUD.

I have actually seen cashiers waiting for someone to get off their cell phone to ask them a quesion. If it were me, I'd ask once, then I'd cancel out the order. NEXt in line!

[cicy33]

I agree, it depends on each situation. Of course anyone can do without a cell phone. Anyone can also do without eating out. It becomes a choice. For us it is a very helpful tool. I have a dtr about to deliver and love that I don't have to be at home tied to a land line. I will find out the minute she goes into labor, not hours after the baby is born. my husband owns his own business and sometimes getting that phone call or having someone leave a message can mean the difference between a job or no job. if you don't believe me on that, think back to the last time you called around to get a bid on a job. Did you just leave messages or did you hang up and try someone else to see if they would answer? I do! I hate machines. Even if you left a message possibly you got a good bid before the other guy got back to you and you used the guy who answered. I love being able to be reached if my husband needs me to stop on my way home versus turing around at $3.00 a gallon for fuel and going back to town. We do not have a land line, though are considering putting one back in for faxing purposes only. I think that cell phones are possibly one the best inventions of our time. This does not mean that people use them responsibly but then cell phones are not the only areas. I have noticed recently that NO ONE uses their turn signals anymore! major pet peeve of mine.

[Dave Rowtree]

I suspect pay as you go is a better deal for me and a lot of people; you are basically sold finance every time you go into a shop. I'd prefer having one on me where I can be reached in emergencies. I don't think I'll renew my contract when its up next year.

[tabbycat31]

I could but I choose not to. I've lived without a landline for the last 6 years, and the amount of privacy it's given me is priceless (I don't think you should have to PAY FOR PRIVACY--ie unlisted # with the landline companies, and it's also hard when you have a non common last name). I don't get calls from people I don't give my # out to, period.

I don't think I will EVER go back to a landline......... that would be like taking a giant step backwards for me.

[Aleta]

cicy33: Please don't misunderstand what many of us on this board are trying to say. I'm not against cell phones. They can be a life line and like you say, business is great because of them. Many of us complain that people can't take their calls outside. There is no reason why people can't do that. Understandably, there are times when we all have emergencies.

[Adambnn]

Originally Posted by Aleta

cicy33: Please don't misunderstand what many of us on this board are trying to say. I'm not against cell phones. They can be a life line and like you say, business is great because of them. Many of us complain that people can't take their calls outside. There is no reason why people can't do that. Understandably, there are times when we all have emergencies.

Agree, they are actually complaining about the people who use the cell phone in bad manners. I feel sick about these topics now, because in the end we change nothing...

[Aleta]

I think that we as consumers can change things. A few months back, we were in a restaurant and had to listen to one of the conversations and the conversation was all about some one's sickness and operation. I asked the manager to talk to the rude patrons or to move us to another table. He said that he didn't have a table at that time, but offered us a discount in the future or one free meal.

I think that it would be great if a business would post a sign that would ask people to not use their cellphones around other patrons and to please go outside.

Believe me, that restaurant owner had a loss because of that rude patron. It would have been so much easier to have informed the patron that others were complaining. Sometimes, you may lose one customer, but you will gain the respect of so many more by inforcing some good manners rules.

[shopgirl]

It is such a pet peeve of mine when people have poor cell phone manners. I have picked up family and friends to go places...they will be on the phone when I pick them up, get in the car and just keep talking instead of telling the other person "her, my friend just got here...I'll call you back tonight." I also have a part time job at a gym. I work at the front desk where we run all cafe and pro-shop transactions. People won't even put their phone down while completing their transaction! I think it's just rude :-(

I don't know how I would live without my cell (I don't have a land line), but I know how to put it away when necessary.

[alw_ays]

I will never have a cell. I would use my husband's only if I need to talk to his family (they have sharing or whatever) and I usually just need a general question or something. 30 seconds max. If their phone rings and rings before the voicemail gets it (thanks, ring backs...) then I'm spending way too much time. Then I have to wait for voicemail, then leave one. Dude it was just a question?! I'll send an EMAIL next time. That way my kids can still talk to me while I'm asking this one, very trivial question, and they can get back to me later anyway.

I have a home based business. I don't drive. Spending time on the phone is spending time away from my family, especially when I go out with them, even to the grocery store.

Have you noticed grocery store clerks are jerks? They don't have human interaction any more! Everyone is on a cell phone.

[ginene]

I lost mine in last August and its now been a year. But when I did have it, it was prepaid because I harldly ever used it and refuse to pay monthly. I put out less on my prepaid.

[cicy33]

believe me I take no offense. I love cell phones but agree that some people are inconsiderate with them. I just also think that it is only one of many areas that people are inconsiderate. Cell phones are great for me (daughter is in labor by the way!!! ) But for someone else they might be a pain. That is what makes the world go round, differences.

[Aleta]

A lot of us aren't talking about emergencies as cicy33 above spole about. I do consider the birth of a baby big news. As most of us have said, cell phones are great. I'm talking about people having just normal conversations in direct earshot of other people. Even so, depending upon the situation, you can go outside if it's going to be a lengthy conversation. Sometimes it is hard to hear the other person on the other line because of the noise in the restaurant.

[fairy74]

No, I cannot live without it, I use a prepaid for emergencies only. I drive 120 miles a day for work and have a six week old son. I think it's dangerous not to have one.