Affordable Cell Phones
Earlier today, Arbie left a great comment on the Low-Tech Times’ Cable/Satellite vs Free TV article. Here’s an excerpt from the comment:
When someone making $12/hour (or less) has a $120/month cable bill and $180 cell phone bill, I think they need to recheck their priorities.
Somehow we all survived without it all 20 years ago. I’m not saying a basic cell phone and internet is not a must now, but 350 premium channels, Tivo, fancy ringtones, internet phones, etc. can nickel and dime a basic income person to bankruptcy.
The comment is especially interesting because Arbie is a low-tech guy like myself who acknowledges that owning a cell phone may make sense in today’s world. While I do have some friends that still do not own cell phones (hi Stacey and Sean), many people find that cell phones make sense to have for emergencies or other special circumstances.
The problem is that most people do not use their cell phones occasionally, they use them habitually. This unnecessary use of cell phones can create huge cell phone bills, such as the $180/month bill that some of Arbie’s acquaintances receive.
For those of you who choose to own cell phones, the solution is to opt for a pay-as-you-go plan, such as this one offered by AT&T (formerly Cingular). You can pay as little as $100 per year for service. The key is to keep your phone in your glove box turned off, except when you need it.
February 15th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Something else Arbie had mentioned in his post, for the guy who has to have it all, there are cheaper ways to get custom ringtones and pictures for their cell phones: Make them yourself. There are plenty of ways to save money owning a cellphone and still make it customized for you. I never understood owning a CD/Tape/Vinyl/Digital Album and having to pay 4.99 for a ringtone for one song.
My fiancee and I have 2 cellphones on the same plan (AT&T), and we may only use 500 minutes between the two of us and our bill rounds out to 60 a month. And that includes a text message plan for both of us. Because some people would much rather text me than talk to me.
February 15th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Thanks a lot, Mage. I personally have never tried it, but this website appears to do what you’re talking about regarding making your own ringtones: http://makeownringtone.com/
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Actually, I use phonezoo.com. No spam thus far and it caters to my phone easily enough.