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Does everyone have a cell phone??

August 6th, 2009 at 06:41 pm

My dh is just starting a house. Then land has been cleared and a crew is putting up forms for the poured basement walls, so there are about 10 men working there right now. Every single one of them has a cell phone, and they talk on them all the time.
Personally, if I was paying them, I would not allow a cell phone on my job. I don't want to pay someone for talking on the phone all the time.
Plus, how can they all afford it? They do not have good paying jobs. One guy told my dh, that his wife had run up over a $1000 phone bill last month. I don't understand this cell phone craze at all. I also heard on tv, that text messaging while driving is now considered more dangerous than drunk driving.

No, I don't have a cell phone, nor do I want one!

20 Responses to “Does everyone have a cell phone??”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1249580819

    I have one, but I rarely use it. I even forget to charge it! I'm going to switch to a prepaid plan later in the year since it is more cost effective.

  2. monkeymama Says:
    1249582658

    Well, they aren't always that expensive. As a woman in the big city I would not go without my cell phone. "Necessity" in my opinion. It costs VERY little for the basic emergency need.

    I don't have a clue how to text and I mostly use it for emergency, but also to keep in contact with my family. I don't give my cell phone # to anyone outside my family. We also use it in lieu of long distance service on the landline. I'd probably drop the landline, but I don't like to use my phone for day to day stuff. Then the minutes start to add up. I also don't need to be interrupted during the day, nor do I need to be 100% reachable. When we moved here a decade ago, the cells were an excellent deal for long distance though.

    & I hear parents of teens are wise to stay connected to their kids with text. So we may get more wired as our children age.

    What I don't understand is the whole twitter phenomenen - via cell phone. Look at me - I'm in line. I'm sitting in a traffic jam. I'm at Disneyland. I don't like to be plugged in 24/7, and believe me, I like to be online. But being connected all the time is a bit much for me. I was just seeing some show or documentary that mentioned teens aren't getting enough sleep because they twit and text all night, etc.

  3. cassandra Says:
    1249587159

    Personally, I think cell phones are very important to have. You never know when an emergency will happen and you can't be certain that you will have access to a phone. They can be a life saver.

    People who run up $1,000 bills when they can't afford it or text while driving are irresponsible. And they are probably irresponsible with a lot of things. But that doesn't mean that cell phones are bad.

    I too don't understand the twitter craze. Why do I want to know everything my friends are doing? That's a little too connected for me. Smile

  4. daybyday Says:
    1249589398

    My husband has one for work, but I've never had one.

  5. Ima saver Says:
    1249589418

    I do agree that they are good in an emergency and my husband does carry one so that he can order supplies. But when you are supposed to be hammering on a wall, you don't need to be talking on the phone. We had a lady painter that we paid $15 an hour, but we let her go cause she was on the phone all the time. She should have left the cell in her car and used it on her lunch hour.

  6. debtfreeme Says:
    1249589848

    I have a cell phone and no land line. It has almost unlimited minutes, family texting and a second line for my moms cell phone.

    I also pay for the cell phone for my mom because I can afford it better than her. Putting another line on my plan is 9.99 a month. it is important because as she ages and still wants to travel (she is almost 70 and very health) my sisters and I want her to be able to communicate with is any place she is, with out worrying about her or how to pay for it.

    We are also teaching her to text message. It is important because text messages might be the only thing working if the cell towers are damaged in some kind of emergency. text messages are sent like little data packets and are so small and on a different system than cell phones that the packages will still go through. She is having fun learning how to do it.

    I carry my phone with me always. I choose when and if i want to answer it. Just because I have it does not mean I am always available.

    I also have a blackberry cell phone for work stuff. I am probably one of the few people who do not use it for personal things at all. it is for work and i work for the state, it could be audited at any time.

    so, yeah i carry to phones but only answer them when I want (and when I am on duty for work obivously).

  7. Caoineag Says:
    1249593816

    Cell phone only here, very handy for meeting up with people when you are always on the go. But like some of the other people here, I am NOT always available even though I always have my phone. I also do prepaid because its so much cheaper. We own 2 cell phones for a lower price than we could get a landline.

  8. davera Says:
    1249597776

    Personally, I couldn't live without my cell phone. It is a business necessity to be available when traveling, and it saves a whopping amount over hotel long distance. I also have internet service on my wireless phone, so I can send/receive email and check news/info on the web very conveniently while on the go.

    So it is a "must have" item for a mobile lifestyle, but probably not necessary except for emergencies for those who rarely travel or who who have a lifestyle whereby they stick pretty close to home land lines most of the time. Even the once plentiful public pay phone is a disappearing artifact!!

  9. Analise Says:
    1249610345

    I've had a cell phone for almost 15 years and have seen many changes since my first one. My first cell phone was to use in case of emergency when I was an administrator in a middle school. My dh worried about me working late hours supervising dances and sporting events. I used to pay $49 for about 30 minutes. Now it's much cheaper and using a cell phone has evolved from a business necessity to a daily convenience.

    In CA, we also have a basic landline, but in ID we only use our cells. Our family plan is reasonable and I understand why many people are opting for only cellular service.

    But having cell phones is not for everyone, especially because some folks don't need one... their landline serves the purpose. It's a matter of choice and economics. Three of our four children only use cell phones because it's more economically feasible given their needs.

    What is amazing to me is that in our travels to developing countries like Guatemala, so many people have cell phones... even people who earn minimum wage. Prepaid phones are used a lot. Running up a $1,000 phone bill is irresponsible like Cassandra said. Someone recently told me they had run up an $800 bill while roamimg in another country... they didn't know it would be so high. People need to do their homework about possible charges rather than just using their phone any time any place.

    I do think texting is becoming more and more popular with a lot of people and I do use it occasionally, especially if I'm in a place where phoning is not appropriate. Driving while texting should be outlawed! It has been the cause of many serious accidents.

    I'm with monkeymama on the Twitter phenom/fad... yawn... who cares what people are doing every moment of their day? I think it's weird to be connected 24/7, but live and let live.

  10. debtfreeme Says:
    1249618528

    I have a dear friend working for the US government in Manila, the average amont of text messages sent in one day is something close to 350 million to 400 million text messages are sent daily by 35 million cell phones!

  11. baselle Says:
    1249623911

    I thought I was the last person on the planet to finally get a cell phone - DH and I each got one for the road trip, along with a prepaid plan for the grand total of 30$/300 minutes/2 months.

    I've called for emergencies or if I missed the bus to get to work. I've found that I call sister a bit more with the cell phone. I've discovered I'm a master at the 50 sec phone call (you're charged a minute as soon you connect, so 50-55 sec is ideal).

    I did discover an actual, decent use for twitter. I don't send messages, but it turns out that the Seattle Police Dept, and all the transportation entities (Seattle, King County, new light rail) all send out tweets. Useful to grab them with your cellphone to find out where the shooting, stabbing, construction area, or accident is... but that's not really useful when you are in the midst of doing work.

    Its funny how somehow with a cellphone its all banal conversations without executive decision making. Its all this scenario: kid misbehaves, parent dials other parent for ... handholding or ? Or when confronted with a choice at the grocery store... dial because I'm frightened that I'll pick wrong? Ha ha. Make a decision or do an action, and we will live with it.

  12. LuxLiving Says:
    1249653443

    Hubster does not carry one.

    I have one, a tracfone ($9), that I put minutes on once a year (usally $30ish) and that is for my emergency use all year. I do not give the number out to anyone other than immediate family and I do not keep it on as a normal practice unless I'm taking a car trip or something. I use very few minutes a month, sometimes none. It doesn't have to be expensive ImaSaver. But, I'm with you, I wouldn't want my workers on the horn all the time when they are supposed to be working for me.

  13. Broken Arrow Says:
    1249655239

    I have one, but my Tracfone is very cheap. Cheaper than a basic landline in fact! However, I realize that not everybody is like this. A lot of people pay a king's ransom for their phones, and more importantly, their monthly plans.

  14. Jerry Says:
    1249658658

    Cell phones are like any other good tool... people can be idiots with them. I prefer that my wife have a charged cell phone with her whenever she is traveling for safety reasons. It leads to a little insurance and peace of mind. Also, we are living overseas right now, and most people have a mobile phone here, and not a land line. It's just how the communication culture has developed in SE Europe, anyway.
    Jerry

  15. whitestripe Says:
    1249711813

    we do not use our landline, it costs more to use than our mobile phones. in australia it is illegal to drive while using your phone unless on hands free. i have had a mobile phone since i was 16, never run up a bill for it and i would not choose to go without one. i put my phone on silent when i am at work, my DF does not as he is the site supervisor and needs it on to take calls about the job he is doing or another job. but if i or anyone else ever calls when he is working, he will say 'tell me quick or can it wait, i am at work'. it is rude to be on your phone while at work, i get annoyed when the juniors pull theirs out and text while they are working. i would make it very clear if it was my business that it would not be tolerated. it is different for different situations; some workplaces allow it, others do not.

  16. sharman Says:
    1250041138

    I have a cell phone, but I plan to get rid of it after my contract ends next July. I pay $31 a month including fees, but I try to never use it. They say cell phones cause brain cancer, and I believe it. Everytime I use mine my head gets hot and I start getting a headache.

    I will get a tracphone to save money, and to use in case of emergencies only. However, in my 46 years, I haven't had a real emergency yet where I needed a cell phone. Not to say it won't happen, but it hasn't yet. For me, it's a convenience but not a necessity. Therefore, it gots to go!

  17. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    1250188814

    One Tracphone bewteen the 2 of us. Use it as our long distance service and when travelling. Cheaper than landline based long distance. Would find it dishonest to chat while someone was paying my wages.

  18. Holly Says:
    1250283464

    We both use Tracfone too! Great to have it on trips. They seem to work anywhere we go. It is reassuring to know we are always in reach of family and that we are able to make emergency calls if we have to. We buy the 1year airtime card and it works out to about $8 per month per phone. Worth it!

  19. AKSaves Says:
    1251778660

    Oh my gosh, if I didn't have my Blackberry I would not survive. I always keep a charger on hand because there have been one or two times it died and I absolutely lost it and was on edge the rest of the night. I've been known to take a knife to the phone to pry off a stuck battery cover (works in a pinch... also tends to void a warranty).

    I use my phone for email, GPS, instant messaging, calendar, texting, Googling, pictures, and Facebook. Occasionally calling (not much though).

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