Phone options...

[candycat]

So right now X and I are getting the divorce. We've had a joint family plan cell phone contract with Verizon that is up in December. I'm trying to figure out what the best option will be from now on because we seriously have to do a bare bones budget. I'm thinking of getting a landline for "household calls" (like calling the bank or the plumber or whatever) and getting a pay-as-you-go phone like the Tracphone. Or should I just get one cheaper cell phone plan? I don't need a fancy cell phone, texting MAY be nice but not required. (I don't text now but most of my friends do and they're always saying they'd rather text than phone. ) The other option is to see how Skype works - is it good enough to be my landline phone? Does it work like that? I already use the teleconferencing and text messaging on it for school but I'm not sure if I can get away with using it for a landline. Man, I've *never* had a landline since I moved out of my parents' house in 2001, so I really don't know how this works. And if I do get a landline, do I get it from Comcast or Skype or someone else? What's the cheapest option, generally?

[tinuviel_k]

I just posted on another thread about my prepaid plan. I use T-Moblie and I really like it. It is 10 cents a minute, and I buy 1000 minutes at a time ($100) and it lasts me 3/4-1 year usually. i find it a very economical way to go if you don't use a cell phone all the time. Me: I use it for when my daughter is away from me, for when I travel out of town, and for meeting up with people downtown or at the airport and such. i don't use it to chat with people, so i don't go through a lot of minutes.

As for friends saying "they'd rather text than phone"... yeah, I have friends like that, too. The fact is I just don't like to text! I find it impersonal and it takes me twice as long as the darned call would have done. Also, since I don't have my phone on my body 24/7 like many of my friends I often would miss their texts anyway. I can hear my phone ring from across the house, but I can't hear the text alert beep.
I usually smile nicely and say, "Well, I just don't text, sorry! I usually don't hear it, I can't figure out how to do it quickly, and it is just better for me to call. Feel free to text me but I can't guarantee that I will notice it right away, and I will most likely reply by calling you back anyway. you are really better off calling me in the first place."
Every single one of my friends has adjusted to this and they don't mind.

[Zamber]

I switched my DH's and my cell phones from expensive contract phones (which were $70 each: OUCH!!!!!) to pay-as-you-go Virgin mobile phones. It has been a huge money saver! For me personally, I spend $20-30 per month. I usually buy a 200 minute pack for $20, and occasionally add a $10 card for texts since my work requires it (they have where you can pay for text messages individually, but I prefer to spend $5 per month for 200 messages instead of 20 cents each). For me, that is usually more than enough minutes/texts since I don't chat much (minutes roll forward as long as you add a new minute pack each month). Most of the time I communicate with family in other states by e-mail. As for DH, he loves to talk on the phone a lot, especially with FIL and SDD. So, I usually give him more minutes depending on our budget/needs (For example, when planning our road trip to MI, I bought 1000 minutes for $50 for him to make all the arrangements. Usually I give him 400 for $30). For his friends that have computers, I ask him to use his headset to talk to them for free on yahoo (because they can talk for hours on end, LOL!). I like the flexability of purchasing the minutes I need, and if I break or lose the phone, I can transfer everything to a new phone for really cheap (which my 1st phone was $13, my current camera phone was $30). As for a landline, honestly, I have not had a landline since moving out on my own 9 yrs ago, so I don't really miss it. If we were living in a rural area I would consider it, but here in a populated area help is a short walk away if the cell towers ever went down.

[surrogate]

most mobile companies now have unlimited plans for dirt cheap. Like Virgin mobile has an unlimited data/text & 250 minutes for $20. Straight Talk has a $40 plan with 1000 minutes and text and web and then there are others too.

I also prefer to text over call...i hate talking on the phone. As soon as I can get out of my verizon contract, I am switching to an unltd prepaid plan

[greenmulberry]

DH has a Tracphone, I have a bare bones plan with verizon plus additional texting. Do you have high speed internet? We do and use a Magic Jack for home phone calls, it is 25 bucks a year for service and seems to work good for us.

I like texting on cell phones, especially if you have limited minutes. Most of the time I call people I don't really need/want to talk to them, I just need to tell or ask them something. Say DH heads to the grocery store, and I forgot to tell him somethings I need, I just send him a text "Get lettuce and cheese", that way I can give him the important info, without distracting him while he is driving with a phone call. Or if my friend is having a party, I don't want to tie her up with a phone call while she is getting ready, so I just send her a text that says "Let me know if you need me to bring anything."

We use the magic jack for any long conversations we need to have, such as calls to check in on relatives.

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by greenmulberry

I like texting on cell phones, especially if you have limited minutes. Most of the time I call people I don't really need/want to talk to them, I just need to tell or ask them something. Say DH heads to the grocery store, and I forgot to tell him somethings I need, I just send him a text "Get lettuce and cheese", that way I can give him the important info, without distracting him while he is driving with a phone call. Or if my friend is having a party, I don't want to tie her up with a phone call while she is getting ready, so I just send her a text that says "Let me know if you need me to bring anything."

I would get those text messages days later!