My husband and I have cell phones. We have a family plan with one of the major carriers. We’ve been with them for a while now and don’t really have any complaints. Our 2-year contract is about to end in March but we’ve been receiving phone calls since the beginning of December asking us to upgrade our phones and renew/upgrade our plan.
In my old life, I would have upgraded my phone AND my plan without hesitation in December the first time they called me – relieved I didn’t have to wait any longer. Thankfully I’ve learned to think about purchases before indulgently diving in. So we’ve been holding off, using our ancient 2-year-old phones, waiting to see a deal or something that would work for us. Here’s the problem – we’re at a strange crossroads with our cell phone plan right now: stay where we are or upgrade?
We’ve been with the same company for a while now so we have a plan that no longer exists. That plan is $10 cheaper than the lowest family plan they currently offer. It’s the perfect amount of minutes for us and has worked out great all this time. However, it seems like everyone has a smart phone with internet, mobile email, etc. and I would really like to join all of them (whomever they are). So, we looked at the numbers and built a plan, closest to what we have now and adding on the required data packages. The total monthly cost before taxes would be $139.97/month. Umm, WHAT?!
Now, I know some of you are reading this and paying that very same amount every month without blinking an eye. I am trying very hard not to be jealous of you – but you aren’t me. I don’t have a lot of money. I actually have very little. Our lifestyle is modest and paying that much money to have mobile phones just seems silly in comparison with our other expenses. The smart thing for us to do right now is to stick with our current plan, which they will grandfather in for us.
What I want to do is get a phone that does a million things and the plan that goes with it. I have been sucked right into thinking I need to have the best version of everything and it isn’t true. It’s great to have the newest, coolest thing but it isn’t a requirement for being happy. In fact, a lot more happiness can be gained from learning to be content rather than satisfying all of your wants.
I don’t mean for this post to come down on anyone that has a cool phone with a plan that allows everything – most of you probably do and I’m sure I will one day too, just not today. Today I’m choosing to wait and chill out with what I already have.
Why I do what I do ~ On Valentine’s Day, I had Chloe in the car and she had a piece of chocolate someone had given her. She asked me if she could eat it. I told her not until after lunch. She pleaded. I said not yet. She said, “Mom, it’s Valentine’s Day. You’re ruining it.” Oh my goodness …
photo credit: Kelly SchottHave you liked Domestic Cents on Facebook yet?
If you enjoyed this post you may want to subscribe to free updates by RSS feed or Email.
{ 3 trackbacks }
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Your plan sounds exactly like ours. The difference is that we wanted to downgrade to a family plan with even fewer minutes and to phones that don’t do much other than send and receive calls. The phones were easy to find but there is no plan with fewer minutes that’s any less expensive, so we’re sticking with the plan we have.
We have a computer at home and a decent camera, too. We have no need to duplicate those by having them on our phones.
Annie Jones´s last blog ..???Happy Valentine’s Day???
I’ve was thinking the exact same thing for a while. It would be cool to have internet and all that other neat stuff on my cellphone. However, I’ve made the decision that it’s crazy (for me) to spend that kind of money on a cell phone.
I think our money is better spent on other things for our family, and I’m happy with that decision. I’ve decided it’s okay to stick with what I’ve got (a simple monthly calling plan – that’s all). So see, you’re not alone.
Amanda @ Mommy’s Idea Book´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday (2/15 – 2/21)
Check out the deals at Walmart. My hubby changed from his blackberry with a required $30 data plan to a less elaborate phone and a $15 data plan by signing up at Walmart. It doesn’t necessarily do everything that a Blackberry or iPhone will do but it does enough.
You are wise. And you know, as a stayhome Mom, you have the internet at your fingertips anyway… so why do we need it in our pockets, too?
I agree.
Netta´s last blog ..Sit Down?
Good point
I’m right there with ya! Last year my husband got me an iPhone for Mother’s Day, it’s nice but I really don’t need it. He needs a good phone for work, he owns his own business. I ended up getting him an iPhone and now my daughter has a phone. Our total monthly cost is over $170!! It’s too much and I want to get rid of the phones!
lisa´s last blog ..White Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts
We haven’t had a “real” cell phone plan for quite a few years. It was just so expensive. However, we got a Trac Phone (spelling?). We don’t use it to chat on – just to have on hand for emergencies while we are out and about. It also comes in handy for brief conversations if they are necessary while we are out. We got 800 minutes last June and I think we’ve barely used 200 of those minutes!
Tammy´s last blog ..~Chocolate Bread~
We thought about it and decided to go with it for a variety of reason. My Christmas was an iPhone (with planning for the plan included). We don’t have a landline phone, just cell phones. So there’s one bill we don’t have to pay. Plus we used to have plans at 2 different carriers after my husband got his iPhone (he needed it for his business to test apps on). Our monthly is actually lower now with me added on to his plan. I needed a new phone anyway as my 3 year old phone was literally falling apart. I have to admit I didn’t NEED an iPhone, but I partly asked for it rather than a more basic phone because I was getting envious of his. I think my favorite part is being able to use it like a GPS when I’m going somewhere unfamiliar. My least favorite part: my son is obsessed with it. I also am only downloading free apps for it.
nopinkhere´s last blog ..Laundry
Sounds like you guys found a good solution too! Every family is different. I’ve heard of more and more people ditching the land line.
We don’t have a landline. We had one in Egypt but it was bugged and I got used to just using my mobile.
When we got to Australia we went for a plan with minutes, free calls to each other, and cool phones – cool to us because they are thin and lightweight. Now I wish we would have saved the money and continued using our old phones. When these plans expire in November we’ll switch to pay as you go because we don’t use all of our minutes and we would rather control how much we spend each month rather than being stuck with a set number. We love free video Skype for long distance calls.
It’s interesting because in our set of local friends there are a LOT of status symbols – gigantic TVs and ubiquitous iPhones to name but two, yet I just don’t have any desire for either. Maybe living in a developing country for a time has changed me more than I realised.
Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..sitting up
Oh, I should say that my lack of a landline makes some friends and businesses grumpy because it costs more for them to call my mobile phone. In my opinion that’s the only downside to not having one.
Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..sitting up
What did people do before cell phones? Oh that’s right conversed with live bodies. I have a family plan for my cell phones (3) my daughter ruined hers, she took mine, so I was without it for 6 months – didn’t miss it at all.
Veronica – I definitely rely too heavily on my cell phone. I’m not sure at what point it became my normal but now I can’t imagine sending my husband to the grocery store without one
There is a company called Straight Talk that offers a smart phone. You pay a flat rate of $45 a month for unlimited texts and minutes. That’s anytime minutes, by the way. And they use the same towers as Verizon. Not sure what you and your hubby are paying now..but you could just buy the smart phone at walmart for this company and get the unlimited minutes deal. They also have a $30 plan for 1000 minutes and 1000 texts..which pretty much covers what I used.
I have never heard of this but I’m definitely going to check it out! Thanks ParisGirl111
I would love to join the ranks of the smartphone users, but like you,we cannot handle such a large monthly payment! Besides, we piggyback on my parents’ family plan so we pay next to nothing a month for our cell phone. My phone is probably about five years old. It was my sister-in-law’s that she was kind enough to pass along to me when my phone went through the wash. I got a new phone a few months later (the freebie phone that you get when you renew your plan), but promptly lost it so now I’m back to my sister-in-law’s old phone. I’d love a newer one, but not enough to actually pay for it.
Alison@This Wasn’t In The Plan´s last blog ..Cheap Date
We have just one simple cell phone and use “pay and talk”. We paid cash for it and it came with the first $50 in minutes. We set up a $10/month automatic top-up but always have tons of minutes which just roll over indefinately (as long as you keep topping-up, I think). I am at home and have a land-line (no features) and laptop so don’t use the cell unless one of us are out and about or travelling. Honestly, I appreciate the phone but cannot for the life of me understand why most people choose to pay so much $ each month for something that seems quite unnecessary. It’s just a phone!
I have a smart phone but I only use it for calling and emails, which I could just as easily do with my computer. Good choice
Andrea´s last blog ..And now I declare this "Soup Week"
Oh my gosh, I feel the exact same way! I feel like everyone around me has a smartphone, and sometimes I feel like such a dork talking on my plain ‘ole regular cellphone. I would really, really like to have one, too, but I just can’t justify the cost. So I am just going to try to be happy with the simple phone I have, knowing that if I had a smartphone I would probably be on it way too much!!
Courtney´s last blog ..Sick
We went in with my mother, who lives next door, on her family plan. It’s basic usage- phone calls, free minutes within our family, and after 8 p.m. No texting. I have never texted anybody in my life, neither have my daughters- they have the basic phone plan and my mom sends us each a bill each month based on our minutes. I never pay anything. The teens pay about 20.00 each (they have jobs).
As a survivor of the Pleistocene, I’m endlessly astonished that people will pay $140 (and upwards!) for a phone. I recognize that cells are more than just phones…but still. Is this really a MUST-have? Even if you forego the landline (meaning you have no way to call out in an emergency or get incoming calls if you lose your tiny little cell phone), the cost is still freaking outrageous for what, when you come down to it, is a phone.
Funny about Money´s last blog ..Bingo! Loan modification scored
My husband and I have had the same phones (same models as each other, even, so we can share power cords) for well over 4 years. They’re fatter and clunkier than their newer counterparts, and they have some scratches and dings, but they work perfectly well. Plus, we have an ooooooold plan for three phones (his mom’s included) for under $100 a month that works for the amount of minutes we use.
Recently I needed a new clip for Mr. Saved Quarter’s phone to attach to his belt and the Verizon sales person was astonished at the old phone, saying it would be cheaper to upgrade than to buy a clip! How wasteful to replace a perfectly functioning product because of an accessory. I went home and found the clips on Ebay for significantly less than the cost at Verizon – not to mention the monthly cost of upgrading our service for switching phones.
Wow! They’ll try to talk you into anything. Good for you for sticking with what works!
Hi, Here’s where we are…. My husband and I each have CHEAP “pay as you go” phones from Virgin. We aren’t big phone talkers and use our computers for surfing and email etc.!! The iphones are really really cool….but we have our computers and don’t need to have access to all the aps 24/7. WE chose to keep our cell phone costs really low and it fits our lifestyle fine. It’s all about where YOU want to spend and HOW MUCH VALUE YOU GET FROM YOUR SPENDING! btw, great blog…1st visit!
Barbara Friedberg´s last blog ..Help, I can’t save, I’m too far into debt! (Part 1)
My daughter and I both have Virgin Mobile prepaid service. We love it! $25/month includes unlimited text, web, and 300 talk minutes (plenty for us). Don’t know if that’s an option for you but for 2 people at $50, I’d say that’s a big savings over $140! (My husband has free cell phone through work).
Good to know, Laura! We’re actually doing Straight Talk right now, which is another pre-paid service. It’s $30/month for each of us and we’ve been pretty happy with it!