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How do large families afford to give every kid a smart phone?

120 286 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.
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Joined Dec 2007
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> bubble2 7,411 Posts
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chevvy
11-29-2011 at 11:21 AM.
11-29-2011 at 11:21 AM.
Quote from IVIal :
Well sorry Chewy - we no longer use our feet to power cars, we don't have some really old wild boar underneath the sink as our garbage disposal, and we use heavy machinery now instead of dinosaurs.

Get used to it! Harhar
When did you move out of Bedrock? laugh out loud
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Joined Jun 2004
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> bubble2 31,118 Posts
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vec
11-29-2011 at 11:25 AM.
11-29-2011 at 11:25 AM.
Quote from chewspam :
It's amazing kids every found their way home before the invention of cell phones. Think of all the planning that went in to it!

Mom: "What time is band practice over?"

Son: "6:00"

Mom: "I'll pick you up at the front of the school at 6:03. If you're late....you're grounded."

Son: "Yes, ma'am. Sadwalk"
I grew up prior to cell phones as well but if I have a way to contact my kids immediately then I am going to take advantage of it.

In our day, our parents would be calling house after house trying to find us. This alleviates all that hassle.

Also, it's a different world out there now. God forbid something happened and the kids needed to contact someone, anyone, they have the means to do it now.
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ALVSGIRLY
11-29-2011 at 11:32 AM.
11-29-2011 at 11:32 AM.
Quote from IVIal :
OMG, what?! Why on earth would a 5-year-old need an ipod/iphone/ipad?


My 5-year-old doesn't even know what any of those are!
Ds loves ours. He plays games, listens to music, and looks at maps.
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Joined Jan 2007
The Mistress of All Evil!
> bubble2 22,510 Posts
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Maleficent
11-29-2011 at 11:42 AM.
11-29-2011 at 11:42 AM.
Quote from chewspam :
When did you move out of Bedrock? laugh out loud
I was talking about you. Harhar

Quote from vec :
I grew up prior to cell phones as well but if I have a way to contact my kids immediately then I am going to take advantage of it.
Iagree

Quote :
In our day, our parents would be calling house after house trying to find us. This alleviates all that hassle.
Yep, us too.

I once got left after French club for four hours. I don't want to that to my kid. laugh out loud

Quote :
Also, it's a different world out there now. God forbid something happened and the kids needed to contact someone, anyone, they have the means to do it now.
nod

Quote from ALVSGIRLY :
Ds loves ours. He plays games, listens to music, and looks at maps.
That doesn't answer why he needs one though... Dontknow
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shhaggy
11-29-2011 at 11:43 AM.
11-29-2011 at 11:43 AM.
Quote from teenbean :
The families must be rich or spending money beyond their means. I have a hard time justifying getting a smart phone for myself and I'm 34 years old.
That's a broad and misguided statement. You don't have the be "rich" to be able to afford a smartphone. Beyond a regular cell phone, it's usually an additional 20-30 dollars a month. The OP said she's paying 185 and if she switched carriers she could get it for 250, that's only 65 dollars a month for a whole family. Now, that's not nothing, but depending on what you choose to spend money on, you can easily choose to prioritize cell phones over other things.

Some people prioritize their food shopping based on what's on sale, others get exactly what they want when they want it. That could easily be money spent.

Some people only shop sales and buy clothes only when it's an extreme deal. Others buy what they need when they need it. That could easily be money spent.

Some people get the cheapest internet, cable and phone service they can find, even if that means shitty low rung DSL. Others will get a whatever combo their local carrier has and even add a few premium channels on. That can easily be money spent.

Some people buy a new car every 5 years and finance it, forcing them to pay hundreds of dollars in a car note plus full coverage insurance. Some people buy used cars and take the risk to go with liability. That can easily be money spent.

Just because you choose your cell phone to be a luxury that you afford doesn't mean you're "rich". Hell, what if you and your family go out once a month? Dinner and a movie? A ball game? Whatever. You don't think you can find a way to budget an extra $100 even, for cell phones? Of course you can, it's not a matter of money for most people, it's a matter of priority. Does it mean more to you than the alternative? I know people who don't have cable and drive a 9 year old car, but they have a smart phone with unlimited data plan. I know someone that has the fastest internet and the biggest DirecTV package (even the football) and drives a late model Lexus, and he only has a regular flip phone. Why? Because he prioritizes his car and his tv and doesn't care about his phone. Just because you don't value your phone the way others do, doesn't mean others are WRONG for spending on it or stretching their budget and being financially irresponsible.
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jenni.
11-29-2011 at 11:46 AM.
11-29-2011 at 11:46 AM.
My oldest has a cell phone, but not a smart phone. It just has texting and that's it. He doesn't even talk on it. laugh out loud It's what he got for his 13th birthday, and he's 15 now. He does a lot of activities for church, walks to his friends' houses, stays after school sometimes, things like that, so it's nice to be able to get him if needed. Plus at the time we got it, we had no phone in the house, so if he was home and we weren't, we could get him. BUT....I don't have a smartphone, so he's not getting a smartphone. laugh out loud
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ALVSGIRLY
11-29-2011 at 11:50 AM.
11-29-2011 at 11:50 AM.
Quote from IVIal :



That doesn't answer why he needs one though... Dontknow
He doesn't need one. He doesn't need any toys either. He bugs us about using the iphones and the ipad. We figured instead of buying a bunch of junk toys that he'll play with for 2 weeks and then forget about, that we'd get him something that he loves and that we know he'll use.
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Maleficent
11-29-2011 at 11:59 AM.
11-29-2011 at 11:59 AM.
Quote from ALVSGIRLY :
He doesn't need one. He doesn't need any toys either. He bugs us about using the iphones and the ipad. We figured instead of buying a bunch of junk toys that he'll play with for 2 weeks and then forget about, that we'd get him something that he loves and that we know he'll use.
So if you give him expensive electronics at 5, what do you get him for gifts 10 years from now? Cars? Vacation homes?

And there's a huge difference between a toy made for a 5-year-old an an ipad. laugh out loud
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ALVSGIRLY
11-29-2011 at 12:02 PM.
11-29-2011 at 12:02 PM.
Quote from IVIal :
So if you give him expensive electronics at 5, what do you get him for gifts 10 years from now? Cars? Vacation homes?

And there's a huge difference between a toy made for a 5-year-old an an ipad. laugh out loud
We're going to get him an ipod instead. He'll probably get something electronical if he wants it. Who knows what they'll have out then laugh out loud.
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Maleficent
11-29-2011 at 12:03 PM.
11-29-2011 at 12:03 PM.
Quote from ALVSGIRLY :
We're going to get him an ipod instead. He'll probably get something electronical if he wants it. Who knows what they'll have out then laugh out loud.
Wow. LMAO
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ALVSGIRLY
11-29-2011 at 12:08 PM.
11-29-2011 at 12:08 PM.
Quote from IVIal :
Wow. LMAO
I'd rather him have that because I know he'll use it rather than lots of toys. He's getting some toys, but not as many as he did last year.
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Landers
11-29-2011 at 12:12 PM.
11-29-2011 at 12:12 PM.
Quote from chewspam :
^this.


I can't think of one reason why anyone under 18 (depending on the kid) would need a smart phone.
My little brother just bought one. Paid for it out of his own pocket and pays his full portion of the bill to my parents each month. He also works for three companies. One as a programmer, another as a web developer, and then works as a cook. Busy for a 17 year old and he definitely uses the smart phone to keep track of it all. One of the exceptions to the rule.

Quote from SStuber101 :
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.
Your 17 year old needs their butt kicked if they think that's unreasonable... They want a smart phone, they can pay for it IMO.
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Last edited by Landers November 29, 2011 at 12:14 PM.
Joined Aug 2006
proud 2b southern
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jenni.
11-29-2011 at 12:38 PM.
11-29-2011 at 12:38 PM.
Quote from ALVSGIRLY :
We're going to get him an ipod instead. He'll probably get something electronical if he wants it. Who knows what they'll have out then laugh out loud.
My oldest has an ipod touch that he bought and it does pretty much everything my ipad does just on a smaller scale. And it was much cheaper.
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Joined Jun 2004
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vec
11-29-2011 at 12:42 PM.
11-29-2011 at 12:42 PM.
Quote from IVIal :
So if you give him expensive electronics at 5, what do you get him for gifts 10 years from now? Cars? Vacation homes?

And there's a huge difference between a toy made for a 5-year-old an an ipad. laugh out loud
My 18 month old plays with the iPad. He has an Elmo ABC's app and the SoundTouch app that makes the sounds when he presses on the pictures for animals, cars, instruments, etc.
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ALVSGIRLY
11-29-2011 at 01:40 PM.
11-29-2011 at 01:40 PM.
Quote from jenni. :
My oldest has an ipod touch that he bought and it does pretty much everything my ipad does just on a smaller scale. And it was much cheaper.
Ds loves

Quote from jenni. :
My oldest has an ipod touch that he bought and it does pretty much everything my ipad does just on a smaller scale. And it was much cheaper.
Ds loves google maps. Does it have that?
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Last edited by ALVSGIRLY November 29, 2011 at 01:40 PM.
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