Joined Sep 2007
L3: Novice
Forum Thread
How do large families afford to give every kid a smart phone?
November 29, 2011 at
06:58 AM
in
Discussion Type
(3)
I am pricing plans and I can't believe how expensive it is to have multiple smart phones. We have 5 lines on our plan and pay $185/mo with AT&T - if we upgrade to all smart phones the plan will be almost $300/mo and that is not even unlimited data! I even get a corporate discount. We are almost out of contract on all lines so we can migrate to another carrier but it still looks like $250/month. I just cannot justify that kind of cell phone bill. Is it just me? Am I just cheap?
I have three teenagers nagging me about upgrading to smart phones and it is getting old.
My 17 yr old is working so I told her she can come off our family plan and get her own phone. She thinks that is unreasonable.
Ok, guess I just had to vent and whine.
I have three teenagers nagging me about upgrading to smart phones and it is getting old.
My 17 yr old is working so I told her she can come off our family plan and get her own phone. She thinks that is unreasonable.
Ok, guess I just had to vent and whine.
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There're ways to afford it, but for the best service and the unlimited plans, of course it gets expensive. You just have shop based on what you need. If you need a lot of minutes and texts but only a little data, you can go with Page Plus for $30. If you want unlimited data and texts but only a few minutes, you can go with T-Mobile for $30. If you need unlimited anything but don't care about service quality, you can go with Virgin for like $25.
I see nothing wrong with parents making their kids pay for extra services if they want it. When I was younger my parents paid for my cell phone because they wanted to be able to reach me (and there were times when I hated having a cell phone for this reason). When I wanted a text plan, I agreed to first pay the overages that it cost (at the time I think 5 cents a text) and then later the $10 package that I wanted added on.
But I wasn't using 18 as an arbitrary age. They can pay for one under their own name when they turn 18 if that's something they want to do.
Most feature phones are capable of sexting, which is all kids do with their phones anyway.
This is why my kids are home schooled and don't have a cell phone. Well.....since 3 of them are under the age of 3....that counts, too. But the oldest doesn't and won't for many years to come.
She didn't hesitate for me...
But I wasn't using 18 as an arbitrary age. They can pay for one under their own name when they turn 18 if that's something they want to do.
This is why my kids are home schooled and don't have a cell phone. Well.....since 3 of them are under the age of 3....that counts, too. But the oldest doesn't and won't for many years to come.
I have three teenagers nagging me about upgrading to smart phones and it is getting old.
My 17 yr old is working so I told her she can come off our family plan and get her own phone. She thinks that is unreasonable.
Ok, guess I just had to vent and whine.
I can't say I haven't done the same thing with my oldest on other stuff.
There have been a number of times he asked for something at a store and said he would pay me back, but I never remembered or cared to take him up on it.
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I'm in the holiday spirit.
Besides.....I'll only ignore you as long as you are on that dreaded subject we do not speak of.
you are on it you pinko commie hippie!
When my daughter wanted a cell phone I told her to get a job and pay for it. After a couple of years she finally realized that she would have to pay for a cell phone if she wanted one.
She recently "upgraded" to an iPhone. I doubt she can afford it long term, but she tends to learn things the hard way.
Besides.....I'll only ignore you as long as you are on that dreaded subject we do not speak of.
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Tell your teenagers to get a job and pay for their own cell bills. Or to pound sand because all they get is what you are currently giving them. Did you not pay for your own long distance\phone\cell phone charges back when you were a kid?