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We have $150 semi-smart phones from 2016 and that's more than we need. No phone calls anyway. But Google translate and maps and music to the Blue-tooth are what we use. Oh, and What's App. Our plan is $15 a month.
Smart phones are getting so big---are pockets keeping up? What with the tight-pants trend....
I don't get it either, especially with these different internet only plans that still run on major networks, such as H2O Wireless (runs on the AT&T network), which I have and have been paying $27 a month for over 7 years now. In that time, I've about $2,500 in cell service. Note, my plan covers unlimited talk and text, 6 GB of data at 4G LTE (unlimited after that at a slower speed), as well as some international calling minutes per month. I know people paying three times that amount per month for their service, which is mindboggling to me. Even if money isn't an issue for some people, I am stunned that so many are spending more than they have to for equivalent service.
First — let me say that I love being connected to the web. Over the last 20 years (starting in my teens) I’ve probably averaged 10-12 hours per day surfing the web and communicating on various forums. I “need” a phone as much as anyone lol.
Most of my friends and family spend “a lot of money” (from my lower middle class perspective) on all things cellular. This has been going on and gaining in popularity since the early 2000s. It’s not uncommon to hear of $250/month cellular bills for a family.
And THEN you have to factor in the $25-50/month payment for each cell phone ON TOP of the plan cost.
I say it’s ridiculous.
I’ve never paid more than $15-20/month per line for cell phone service.
I buy previous generation iPhones that are new in the $400-500 range and they are used by someone in the family for many years. For example, up until a few days ago my mom used a iPhone 6s that was bought when they came out over 5 years ago (now a new SE I got for $200).
Anyway, my price break down including the price of phones is less than $30 per person....$120 for 4 people.
I think people get caught up in “monthly pricing” to determine affordability so something like $275/month doesn’t sound so bad.
Nuthin new there. I have never bought a new phone. Have been using prepaid service for 4 or 5 years now.
I have plenty of “poor” friends that don’t even want to hear about ways to save $40 here or $20 there. It alil seems like peanuts until you add it up over 20-30 years. I was always taught to account for every penny going in and out.
I know- and it's AFTER-tax money they'd be saving too. A friend has some sort of business that involves advising people on how to improve their finances and when she points out places to cut back, it's always yes, but... they NEED the latest phone for everyone over age 10 in their family, they HAVE to have the $200/month cable package, etc. I watch recurring monthly expenses like a hawk and immediately cut the ones that aren't worth it.
I can remember as a kid my dad yelling at me because I had a game where I would look at the phone book, choose an area code and randomly dial numbers around the country. You'd be surprised how many people in the 80s were willing to humor a little boy asking random questions about where they lived.
When my dad got the $100+ long distance bill...well it wasn't a good day for either of us. In today's money about $250-300. I didn't play that game again.
I pay about $44 per line and paid $500 for my phone outright. If you think about what smartphones are capable of and what it would have cost to approximate all those functions before about the 00s, or compare what cells cost before about 2007, it's a bargain actually. The $88 per month I pay to Verizon is VERY similar to the ~$30 my dad paid per month to Ma Bell in the 80s for home phone service.
Last edited by redguard57; 12-22-2020 at 04:39 PM..
The $88 per month I pay to Verizon is VERY similar to the ~$30 my dad paid per month to Ma Bell in the 80s for home phone service.
And don't forget Ma Bell's long-distance charges and local "toll calls". When I lived in NNJ (1978-2003) it seemed that free local calls were those made to phones within a radius of maybe 10 miles. Anything else, even in the same area code, was $1 minimum and went up if you stayed on the line longer.
Now I get positively tickled when I go to a foreign country, buy a SIM card for about $25 and my phone is magically turned into a phone with a local number.
I can remember as a kid my dad yelling at me because I had a game where I would look at the phone book, choose an area code and randomly dial numbers around the country. You'd be surprised how many people in the 80s were willing to humor a little boy asking random questions about where they lived.
When my dad got the $100+ long distance bill...well it wasn't a good day for either of us. In today's money about $250-300. I didn't play that game again.
I pay about $44 per line and paid $500 for my phone outright. If you think about what smartphones are capable of and what it would have cost to approximate all those functions before about the 00s, or compare what cells cost before about 2007, it's a bargain actually. The $88 per month I pay to Verizon is VERY similar to the ~$30 my dad paid per month to Ma Bell in the 80s for home phone service.
Sure communication has always cost money — but I’ve always been taught to pay as little as possible for the things you need that cost money. As a kid we had our $40/month home phone and in the late 90s our $20ish AOL. While having that I looked online and found $10/month DSL that was available in our area.
Take your $44 for example — over the course of the last 7-8 years I’ve averaged around $15 and had good enough service. The savings could be huge for the poor or working class who often can get ahead.
I still use my Nokia 2008 vintage candy bar phone I paid $20 for and buy minutes as needed through T-Mobile pay-as-u-go plan. Amazing the battery still recharges.
I still use my Nokia 2008 vintage candy bar phone I paid $20 for and buy minutes as needed through T-Mobile pay-as-u-go plan. Amazing the battery still recharges.
That's extreme!
I'd be concerned that the battery life would be extremely short per charge at this point, which would be a major limiting factor.
And while I try to be frugal with my phones, there is something to be said about the convenience that the more modern smart phones offer.
Yeah $43/line isn’t bad but that all depends on your income. Tons...if not most people pay that.
But I’d say 90% of people can NOT afford it. Saving $100/month could be the difference between having a something like a decent retirement account vs nothing.
It seems like for most people that $100/month they blow seems like chump change but what about $100/month invested over say 25 years?
I have plenty of “poor” friends that don’t even want to hear about ways to save $40 here or $20 there. It all seems like peanuts until you add it up over 20-30 years. I was always taught to account for every penny going in and out.
I think that we need to reflect a little on the context. We are in the middle of a global pandemic with possible new strains and travel lockdowns coming. While we need to stay connected to our families, it is safer to do so virtually, and the money you are saving by not buying plane tickets can and should be funneled into a better, more complete virtual connection with your loved ones and/or the outside world. We need to get through this crisis while staying sane. I'm all for the general principle of frugal living but it needs to be modified to fit the circumstances.
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In today's money about $250-300. I didn't play that game again.
