Anyone else addicted to there cell phone?

[reptile411]

I just cant put mine down. Dont get me wrong I would love to. I spend about $160.00 per month for the bill and always cuss myself up and down for not just getting rid of it but every time I try to I think of an excuse "Oh gosh I need it to check my stocks when I am away, I need it to check my security cameras when I'm away. If I don't have it how are client to get a hold of me" I almost wrote the whole thing off as a business expense last year but I am an honest person and to be completely honest I use it more for fun than business so I didn't do it. Any tips on how to learn how to live again without it?

[disneysteve]

I use my cell phone to make and receive phone calls, and I hardly do that. I use maybe 30 minutes/month. So I can't offer any advice. We have a family plan with 5 people on it and our monthly bill is less than yours is for one person.

[reptile411]

I use mine way to much, I was required to by an extra charger for work because even the extended battery I got for it would not last an 8 hour work day. My bill is for 2 phones on the family plan but my wife's is only about $10 per month. Mine is the one with all the bells and whistles "I just cant live without LOL" so mine is the expensive one.

[sweeps]

Yes I'm addicted to my phone as well. Not really for the voice but for the data. Checking email, news, facebook, stocks, weather, savingadvice It's hard to put the thing down, so I sympathize.

[sweeps]

... Speaking of which, hey Jeffrey and Nate, can we get a SavingAdvice app for Blackberry?

[Ima saver]

No, I don't even have one nor do I want one!

[My English Castle]

Nope, not me. I have one, but hardly ever use it.
It's mostly a safety issue for me --I bring it with me when I teach at night or am driving at night alone.

[reptile411]

I guess if you live in an area where safety is a concern it would be a good idea. I however live in a small community that is very much a "watch out for each other" area. My biggest fear is every now and then when I visit our ranch is hitting a dear however the nice new chrome bars on the front of my SUV should make short work of any dear lol yeh right.

[PrincessPerky]

While I suffer from no addiction to a phone(though I do have one) I figure curing oneself is prolly just like any other addiction.

In the case of a phone you prolly don't want to ditch it entirely, but maybe making it a rule not to check it before a certain hour, or during important meetings.

You also might find it better to not check certain websites more than once a day, or even less.

I have 'lost' my phone in the house more than once, and even had it off in my husbands pocket all day yesterday, did me no harm. Managed to not call two people, with no ill effects. If anyone needed me they could have emailed, or called my husband.

It was no small surprise that no one needed me, though I did plenty of work on the email end of things.

[reptile411]

I do silence mine during meetings and don't pay it to much attention when business needs to be done. I think my problem is having an employer that gives me way to much time. I'm going through one book per week and 2 cell phone batteries a day lol. I almost broke the habit when I use to pay attention to my bill and saw several thousand text messages in one month but now I don't even check it. I have unlimited everything so I don't care how much I use lol. Maybe its not as big of a deal as I make it out to be. I mean its a 3rd of my power bill and a 5th of my house payment and about half my car payment, maybe I should focus on those bills lol. I am amazed ATT has not canceled me as one day I tell myself I know I can do this and call and take all the data and everything off then the next day I call and put it all back on lol, I have done this more times than I can count.

[simpleyme]

I do not care to have a cell phone ;-)

it killed my husbands work that we did not have one they offered to let us have one for only 35 dollars a month on their plan ,we said no thanks

(we are easy to get a hold of,we are all either at work or at home )they have him hooked to a nextell which works even at our house ,we just said no we will not get a cell phone

so last moth guess what they do? they gave Dh a cell phone ;-) no cost to us at all so I guess we have one now,we do not need it

I may have an internet addiction tho, I am always online

[reptile411]

LOL internet addiction? guilty as charged. I can wash the car, mow the lawn and feed the kids later but the internet may not be here tomorow so I better use it now lol. Getting a free phone would be nice. Then I would not have a problem but I would have to explain to my employer that they must get me a data package, its in there best interest lol.

[momof1in150]

My phone is a business tool. I am a Realtor and our business would be nothing without a phone. I am rarely on it for personal reasons as I would rather not talk on the phone after being on it most of the day.

[reptile411]

That being said do you right it off? if so do you have to produce bills with call listings and what not or just say this is what I spent on phone service this year? How is your market BTW? I h ave more money than I need and way to much time on my hand so I was thinking of becoming a Realtor as I am sure the market will improve some day. I spoke to my Realtor about this and from what I have learned it dosnt seem to horably complicated to break into a field like that even if its just referrals.

[GREENBACK]

I have a phone provided by work that I use constantly that I would be delighted to put away at the end of the day but my day has no end I have a personal phone that I carry mostly for travel and the safety factor. I live in a rural area and it's nice to call for help if you breakdown in the middle of nowhere. The alternative can be a very long walk. I don't talk on my personal phone very much but it's a combined plan with my GF's plan and is only $10/mo.. Used to have a trac phone but it didn't have nearly the features of my current phone(text ability, especially).

[momof1in150]

Originally Posted by reptile411

That being said do you right it off? if so do you have to produce bills with call listings and what not or just say this is what I spent on phone service this year? How is your market BTW? I h ave more money than I need and way to much time on my hand so I was thinking of becoming a Realtor as I am sure the market will improve some day. I spoke to my Realtor about this and from what I have learned it dosnt seem to horably complicated to break into a field like that even if its just referrals.

Yes, I write my phone off as well as a bunch of other stuff. The market is picking up because it is March. Understand that it is not easy to break into real estate but if you don't need it for a living then it is a great time to learn. The average salary for a Realtor is $9000 a year. We have almost 500 agents that are part of our board and many of them do not make any sales in a year. There is a lot of start up costs involved to get your license, tests and other items. I write it all off because I am considered self employed because I get a 1099 not a W2

[kork13]

Addicted? prolly not--I don't call people too frequently, text only on occasion, and otherwise use it to occupy myself when I'm bored and my time isn't being used productively anyway (check news, email, banking, and so forth... @sweeps, even SA on occasion... lol)

That said, however, I do always feel a little 'naked' without it... I hate missing calls/texts (on those occasions I actually get them), and I also tend to use it as my clock (I have trouble wearing watches... minor OCD-type quirk).

[srblanco7]

I have a Blackberry. After a few years of instantaneous action every time it vibrated or rang (email or phone call respectively), I turned off the notify for emails. So now it just rings when I get a call. I now check my email when I take a break from "working".

[kork13]

Originally Posted by srblanco7

I have a Blackberry. After a few years of instantaneous action every time it vibrated or rang (email or phone call respectively), I turned off the notify for emails. So now it just rings when I get a call. I now check my email when I take a break from "working".

this is exactly the situation for me, you put it well... I have a smart-phone (blackjack 2), and initially revelled in the idea of getting instant notification of a new email. However, i eventually took notice of the ball/chain that it really was, and got rid of the function. I'm quite happy with the choice.....

[sweeps]

Dilbert's take