cell phones...can u live without them?

[howmuch]

I'm paying about 60 a month on cell phones for me and my wife. I was thinking about cutting out my cell phone and just have one in the family but my wife thinks that's totally impractical. Didn't our parents get along fine without cell phones?

[jzunic]

It depends on what you use it for.

We hardly use a cell phone, so we bought one of the pay-per-use ones and pay about $10/month to maintain it - we use it maybe once a day on our way home from work. But we never use it to make local or long distance calls - we pay about $50 a month for unlimited local/long distance, including Canada, since most of our family and friends are in Canada. So that works about to about $60 for phone services.

However, if you use your cell for your local and long distance calls, and hardly use your land line, it may be worth it to keep the cells and cut down the land line service. I know more and more people are doing that, since they use rarely their land line.

I like having a cell for emergencies, and also to touch base with my DH, since we only have one car and sometimes need to find out where the other is, etc. But I don't use it for personal calls, and try to minimize my time on it since I'm paying by the minute. But this plan works well for us.

HTH!

[Ima saver]

I have lived my entire life without and will continue to do so. DH finally got one about 4 years ago. This way he can order material when on the job site without having to drive back to town. He can't figure out how to program it and I have a hard time too. I sometimes wish it was the good old days cause I don't understand many of the new things that are out now.

[Lori63]

I just got one at Christmas-a TracFone I put minutes on-no monthly charge.
It's a peace of mind kinda thing- my kids are always everywhere different at the same time and it has come in handy.
We've used a whopping 33 minutes in 2 months.

[Amy752]

I haven't had one for years. Hubby has one, but really only uses it to call me when he's on his way home from work so I can start dinner. We do plan to get one for me soon though - but only for emergency purposes. I'd hate to get stranded somewhere if the car breaks down!

[Lostsoul33]

I used to have one when I was working on the road. Now that I'm a stay at home mom, there's no need for one and I got rid of it.

[jodi]

DH and I both have one. He travels 30 miles to and from school four days per week, so his is mostly for security. I use mine for a business (real estate - I need to be available to my clients). I hardly know any agents who don't have one, so I think I would be at a disadvantage if I were to get rid of it. After my recent troubles with my carrier though...I would love to toss my phone in a lake.

[cercis]

DH and I each have one (plus he has one for work). We have no landline.

I like it because I don't have to be tied to the house waiting for important calls. I can take the kids to the park and just answer the call there. And anymore, all repairmen call about 30 minutes before they will arrive, so if you're waiting for the cable guy (or whatever) you can run out the store or whatever and not worry about missing him.

I also like it because I remember as a kid being sick at school and no one being able to get ahold of my parents, so I had to sit in the office waiting (we didn't have a nurse or infirmary, no bed or anything). This happened multiple times as a kid and I vowed it would never happen to my kids.

Like I said, though, we don't have a landline. So, our costs are probably pretty average.

[markio26]

i need my cellphone.. i use it soooooooooooooo much. mine is
a vz camera phone, with text messaging and all the extras... it
saves me alot of time. i think we pay for 3 phones $105. a month.

[contrary1]

I suppose I could live without mine...........but, I'm going to choose to keep it. Actually just added in a Migo phone to our package here. We're going to use it for our autistic kiddo when he travels. He has advanced to taking either the Amtrak or Greyhound, (no stops) and it would be great for him to have a way to contact us. We're going to try it out next week end, if it works, it will be great.......
I also pay for my moms cell, on our plan. With the 2 phones it is 80 something a month. Not sure what the Migo will add to the plan.....but it will be covered by the SSI payment anyway.
All of us use the phones for emergency type things.........not just for chatting and we've got the plain old version of phones. Doesn't take pictures, play games or do the dishes, just dial & ring.

[Ima saver]

The minutes carry over on my dh's cell, and he is up to over 6000 carryover minutes. We don't get very good reception around here and I can hardly ever get him, so i feel like it is a waste of money.

[cash4life]

i have service with VZ currently -70/month for 2 phones.

don't get the 2 year plan they make you sign. I wanted out of it in a year. Well not really out of it, just switch to a different plan. my nights start at 9pm, when everyone is asleep (when i signed up the salesperson told me i could change my plan at any time i wanted... yeah right!) So because my plan was "under contract" i wasn't able to switch even to a different plan. Ah well it'll be up in may, then bye bye forever vZ!!!

i am a teacher, so if you are one as well, look at your teachers insurance. I am planning to renew cellphone service through them, with a month2month plan.

ANYONE but VZ!! don't let them get you!

sprnt looks decent, cing maybe. I prefer the pay as you go. NO contracts for me please.

[MrSwapper]

I didn't think a cell phone would be that important to me, but since we decided we didn't need a landline, and just use our cell phones, I guess I can't live w/out it now... Of course there are certain things you can't do w/out a landline, so it's not for everyone...

[Ima saver]

Funny even tho my dh has all those unused minutes, he still uses a land line to call his father long distance.

[robex]

We have a cell phone and I HATE it...don't even buy minutes for it anymore. I don't like being able to be reached wherever I am. It was usually my best friend calling and I'd be chatting to her while I was shopping. It really bugged me when it would ring and I was in the car.
We might start up with one again in a few years when the kids are a bit older. I'd like to be able to get hold of them whenever I want!

[shelbylovesmelby]

I myself have a prepaid phone. So I only have to put $20 on it every 90 days wich was better than having a contract & being a sahm I really don't need all the minutes or such an expensive bill.

But dh now has a contract on his phone, because he wanted the latest & greatest phone. He doesn't use all his minutes ever so I used them instead of our land line while I'm online to make my phone calls. *L*

[PrincessPerky]

Can I? of course I can, once upon a time people managed without landlines, I think I am at least as capable as my great grandma, umm ok well at elast when it comes to a phone.

However, I have one cell phone, no land line, and I would rather not give it up. I use it here in NC and in PA (family lives there) WE use it in the car (I talk, DH drives) anywhere. And the wonderfu, thing about prosperous America, when DH was in a minor accident he could just borrow any one of the other drivers phones!

[GrimJack]

I had a cell-phone (car phone actually) in the late 80s cus I worked for a cell company but I seldom needed it. I was an MIS super in the mid-90s so I had one so I could talk my hirelings through problems and not have to go in. Now I just have no use for a cell phone. I have land line at home w/DSL -- the only reason I would have a cell phone now is because all the cell companies MUST allow 911 calls for anyone at anytime. If I could find a car recharger for my mid-90s brick, I would keep it in the car for emergencies.

I do drag my laptop around (I made the mistake of trading price for weight - this sucker weighs a ton - next time I will pay extra for one of those light weight skinny jobs) so I could use Skype in a pinch.

GrimJack

ps I would let people use my carphone and the first thing out of their mouths was "you will never guess where I am calling from".

pps We used to get kicked out of bars for calling the bartender on our cell and ordering another round or, especially, when we ordered food delivered. This was back before everyone had c-phones.

[Bluezy]

A cell phone is a must have in case CJ's teacher's or care giver needs to contact me at work. It is also mandatory when traveling with a little one to have a method of contact to AAA, etc, for safety.

I swear by my Virgin Mobile phone service. It was the best investment in a phone I have ever made.

[Firefly]

I don't think it is a necessity. I think people have just gotten so used to being able to keep in touch that way that they don't want to give them up.