Why I Don't Own a Cell Phoneby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 25 Sep 2007 06:46 AM Our family is unique today in that we don't own a cell phone. Even for frugal people, this seems out of the ordinary. Not all of our reasons for not owning a cell phone are frugal, of course. In my old corporate self, I was attached to my cell phone, and I would really rather be attached to my family and friends. But this is the Frugal Blog, so let's talk about my frugal reasons behind not having a cell phone. I have nothing against anyone who owns a phone, of course, and I may own one in the future. But for now, here are the reasons I don't. 1) Not a necessity Although I admit that having a cell phone would be pretty convenient when we are out, I also have to admit (to myself) that it isn't a necessity in life. It doesn't greatly enhance my lifestyle in any way, and it doesn't add to our income. Since it is a large enough monthly expense, I haven't been able to rationalize having one just yet. 2) The service plan cost The lowest service plan cost currently out there is $40 a month for a very basic plan with limited minutes. while that doesn't seem like a lot, chances are that we would need a more expensive plan, especially if we wanted more than one phone. A more likely cost would be about $80 or more a month. prepaid could cost as low as $7 a month, but then you need to add the minutes. 3) Overage charges If you don't stick to you plan and use more minutes or services, or if you are out of your network, you can really rack up a bill with overage charges. 4) Downloads With a cell phone are all of these extra download costs, such as games, jokes and ringtones. More and more opportunities to easily buy extras are out there every day. 5) Texting costs The other day, my father called me up (he lives in NYC) and wanted me to text something in to a contest for him. He just assumes that I have the latest technology to do all of that stuff. When I pointed out that we don't have a cell phone, and if we did that there is a cost associated with the texting, he replied, "It's only a dollar." Exactly. It may only be a dollar, but those dollars add up over a week, a month, a year, a lifetime. For $1, I can get my toddler a complete name brand outfit at a garage sale or feed my family breakfast. 6) The cost of the phone Sometimes the cost of the phone is a small expense. It can even be free. The cell phone companies generally make money when you use the phone and are willing to give you a good deal to get you in a contract. However, high end phones or phones with extras can add up. Remember the debut of the iPhone? It retailed for almost $500. It has since come down in price, but there are still plenty of pricey phones out there that are hard to resist. Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles 5 Ways to Save on Your Phone Bill Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments indianabc (15) 25 Sep 2007 08:36 AMI went through a very similiar thought process recently about my LAND LINE. After really looking into the matter I could not justify a home phone line. My cell phone is about $40 a month and I am on a plan that allows for free calling times and free calls from friends. In the years of having a cell phone I have never gone over my rate plan. My land line sat there never being used and was about 20 bucks a month. No caller ID, no voice mail, no nothing.  Mary Ann Romans (26886) 25 Sep 2007 09:10 AMLandlines can be really expensive. It sounds like you made the right choice, especially since you are responsible about minutes. For us, we have a landline that costs us $33 a month with unlimited calling anywhere in the country and includes call waiting, caller ID, etc. diplod (5) 05 Feb 2009 07:02 PMI have a landline with 7 extensions. No cell phone. People who only have a cell phone are forced to carry it around the house. Community Tags cell-phone, frugal, mobile, saving money Discuss this article
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