Community Chat

[Moonchilde]

On 3/1/2015 NoelSeven said:

On 3/1/2015 inallsincerity said:

On 3/1/2015 NoelSeven said:

On 3/1/2015 bikerbabe said:

On 3/1/2015 Marienkaefer2 said: I don't think the original post is about cell phones as much as it is about budgeting. If someone doesn't have enough money for food, there is more going on than just a cell phone.

^This.

My point is, it can also be a priority for those on a limited budget. Some are free, or almost at no cost.

I agree.I have a good plan with at&t. My husband has an iphone with all the bells and whistles. I am content to use the phone that was free with the plan.

I still have my old flip phone. It works fine, I can text if need be, but no bells and whistles. My daughter keeps trying to talk me into a smartphone, but I really don't see the need. I have a desk computer, there are numerous lap tops in the house, and we all have iPads. Well, DH's choice was a Samsung tablet, but it's always with him.

I was very late to the party with a smartphone. For years I just had a flip phone I only made rare calls with. Then I got an iPad. I work full time, and relax on breaks and at lunch in my "online world" as my therapy for very stressful workdays every day in a job I'm stuck with until I'm no longer able to perform it.

But it was getting to be a pain to carry the iPad to work every day and to keep it dry and safe. I had tried two different Tracfones and just wasn't happy with either of them. They worked, but they didn't do what I really wanted them to do. So I bit the bullet and outright bought an iPhone, which I can afford to do and still pay my other bills. I have a PAYG ATT monthly plan that has no added tax and plenty of data for my needs, as I have wi-fi at work.

My real point is that I could go even cheaper with my monthly fee if I needed to, and I could use my phone as my "computer" for most things if I ever needed to, financially. Smartphones are versatile in that way.

[Marienkaefer2]

On 3/1/2015 moonchilde said:

On 3/1/2015 Marienkaefer2 said: I don't think the original post is about cell phones as much as it is about budgeting. If someone doesn't have enough money for food, there is more going on than just a cell phone.

It's also about priority choices, and dislikes in general.

Well, yes, I think that was implied in my post. I don't think that a cell phone is the culprit of the person's financial woes. If someone is out of food, lots of spending is going on. If the person wants/needs to keep a cell phone of any sort, then eliminating some other things should be done, and not necessarily food! Btw, I DO think that a cell phone of some sort IS a necessity in today's world. For that matter,I feel a computer and access to the internet is, too. So much of our lives, from kids' education, to medical needs, etc., is being conducted electronically, and that will continue to increase into the future. If you had asked me this question 15 years ago, I may not have said this. So you see how fast the world changes.

[Moonchilde]

On 3/1/2015 Marienkaefer2 said:

On 3/1/2015 moonchilde said:

On 3/1/2015 Marienkaefer2 said: I don't think the original post is about cell phones as much as it is about budgeting. If someone doesn't have enough money for food, there is more going on than just a cell phone.

It's also about priority choices, and dislikes in general.

Well, yes, I think that was implied in my post. I don't think that a cell phone is the culprit of the person's financial woes. If someone is out of food, lots of spending is going on. If the person wants/needs to keep a cell phone of any sort, then eliminating some other things should be done, and not necessarily food! Btw, I DO think that a cell phone of some sort IS a necessity in today's world. For that matter,I feel a computer and access to the internet is, too. So much of our lives, from kids' education, to medical needs, etc., is being conducted electronically, and that will continue to increase into the future. If you had asked me this question 15 years ago, I may not have said this. So you see how fast the world changes.

And honestly, there might be a wee bit of exaggerating going on. Unless this is a *very* close friend to the OP who knows for a fact that she literally has no food in the house and has had utilities shut off or bill collectors pounding at the door, I would take with a large grain of salt the "no food" claim at the least. What people tell others and what the actual literal situation is are not always the same. Even if someone hits you up for money to buy food because they don't have any or the money to buy it, doesn't mean that's the truth/the reality.

[hckynut]

It is so far down that I don't even consider it a priority.

[brii]

I can't imagine not being to text. If one of us is at the store and someone needs something, it's so easy to text. A phone call is not necessary for that. My daughter is shopping for prom dresses today. She's been sending me pictures back and forth so I can see what she's looking at. It's just so much better to be in touch than not

[NoelSeven]

On 3/1/2015 Marienkaefer2 said:

On 3/1/2015 moonchilde said:

On 3/1/2015 Marienkaefer2 said: I don't think the original post is about cell phones as much as it is about budgeting. If someone doesn't have enough money for food, there is more going on than just a cell phone.

It's also about priority choices, and dislikes in general.

Well, yes, I think that was implied in my post. I don't think that a cell phone is the culprit of the person's financial woes. If someone is out of food, lots of spending is going on. If the person wants/needs to keep a cell phone of any sort, then eliminating some other things should be done, and not necessarily food! Btw, I DO think that a cell phone of some sort IS a necessity in today's world. For that matter,I feel a computer and access to the internet is, too. So much of our lives, from kids' education, to medical needs, etc., is being conducted electronically, and that will continue to increase into the future. If you had asked me this question 15 years ago, I may not have said this. So you see how fast the world changes.

MK, you make a really good point about the role of a computer in our lives.

People don't go out and pound the pavement looking for a job anymore, it's a waste of time and energy. They look online. People pay bills online. All of our medial records are online and we communicate with our MDs online, including sending photos of a trouble area. We order our medicine online and it's mailed to us. We never have to leave the house for much of our medical needs.

Job applications and resumes are done online. It's amazing.

[NoelSeven]

On 3/1/2015 moonchilde said:

On 3/1/2015 NoelSeven said:

On 3/1/2015 inallsincerity said:

On 3/1/2015 NoelSeven said:

On 3/1/2015 bikerbabe said:

On 3/1/2015 Marienkaefer2 said: I don't think the original post is about cell phones as much as it is about budgeting. If someone doesn't have enough money for food, there is more going on than just a cell phone.

^This.

My point is, it can also be a priority for those on a limited budget. Some are free, or almost at no cost.

I agree.I have a good plan with at&t. My husband has an iphone with all the bells and whistles. I am content to use the phone that was free with the plan.

I still have my old flip phone. It works fine, I can text if need be, but no bells and whistles. My daughter keeps trying to talk me into a smartphone, but I really don't see the need. I have a desk computer, there are numerous lap tops in the house, and we all have iPads. Well, DH's choice was a Samsung tablet, but it's always with him.

I was very late to the party with a smartphone. For years I just had a flip phone I only made rare calls with. Then I got an iPad. I work full time, and relax on breaks and at lunch in my "online world" as my therapy for very stressful workdays every day in a job I'm stuck with until I'm no longer able to perform it.

But it was getting to be a pain to carry the iPad to work every day and to keep it dry and safe. I had tried two different Tracfones and just wasn't happy with either of them. They worked, but they didn't do what I really wanted them to do. So I bit the bullet and outright bought an iPhone, which I can afford to do and still pay my other bills. I have a PAYG ATT monthly plan that has no added tax and plenty of data for my needs, as I have wi-fi at work.

My real point is that I could go even cheaper with my monthly fee if I needed to, and I could use my phone as my "computer" for most things if I ever needed to, financially. Smartphones are versatile in that way.

Good point! My daughter does that, also. Her iPhone is her traveling computer. She also uses it often to face time with me. When she sees things she knows I might like to have, or just to see, she contacts me with her iPhone to my iPad and I see and hear her and her travels.

[colliemom4]

On 3/1/2015 brii said: It's a necessity for me. I am certainly not addicted

Same here.

[brii]

When my mom was in the hospital or the ICU, we would just send out a group text with a update about her condition. I couldn't imagine having to make a phone call or call every time something changed. It was something I could do in the quiet of her room without disturbing her or anybody else.

[Tyak]

I have an old $20 flip top track phone from Walmart that I carry around in my purse in case of an emergency. Once in a while I'll use it on a long distance call just to use up some of the minutes. I did without a cell phone for the first 60 plus years of life, don't really have a need for one now. Pretty much all it does is make my purse a couple ounces heavier.