Friday, February 22, 2013

Get Smart?

I need to hitch a ride on the Dinosaur Train. (Yes, that's a thing. Watch PBS much? Clearly, we do.) Here's the sitch: I've got a regular ol' cell phone. The hubs has an iPhone5, but because his contract is through his job, we can't link up for a good, old-fashioned friends-and-family-fest. We only have a certain coverage in our area, and Verizon seems to be the only choice.

Here's the offending monstrosity. (Yup, my plan's up in March.)


It's a flip phone riddled with dings and scrapes. I've been proud of the fact that I don't have a data plan, but have started to wonder whether I'm missing out on the world of smartphones. Am I making my life more challenging by NOT having one, or would it just be one more worldly distraction I don't need? We want to simplify our lives, so I hate adding any monthly costs (as it is, I hate the almost $60 a month...which I'm sure is peanuts) but with how little the phone does for me, is it really a value?

I've also heard about a prepaid option, but I'm pretty ignorant about it and think that the smartphone available through such a plan are limited.

So, I guess what I'm putting out there is -- what do YOU think? What do you use? What works for you? And, if you're willing to share, how much do you pay monthly? Everyone has a completely different lifestyle and experience here, so any thoughts are very much welcome; criticism, not s'much. ;-) Thank you, in advance!

1 comment:

  1. I'm with you on the Dinosaur Train, Meg. I've still got a flip phone through Tracfone. It's probably 5+ years old. I feel a bit embarrassed pulling it out in public because it is sooooo ancient, but I temper that embarrassment with the idea that I am spending a measly $80 a YEAR on cell phone service! Ok, admittedly I am not a huge cell phone user--I use it for emergencies, once in a while when out at a store and I've forgotten exactly what I needed (lol), and a few text messages here or there. When I need to make a call I use my home VOIP phone service (which by the way costs me a GRAND TOTAL of $3.73 a month for unlimited use/long distance). If I want to use a computer, I have a computer at home and at work that I can use at any time (for FREE). If I want a smart phone-like experience, I use my iPod on the wifi at home or out and about. I know I am not using the hottest new electronics, but I can deal with it knowing how much money I am saving every month!

    By the way, if you do decide to get a smart phone, Tracfone does have a smart phone that gets triple minutes for life. Not a bad deal at all, especially if you buy the phone on Ebay not from Tracfone's website. I don't know anyone personally who has one, so I can't comment on the usefulness of it.

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