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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 Jan 2004
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> bubble2 25,141 Posts
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Iaaaiws
11-29-2011 at 01:46 PM.
11-29-2011 at 01:46 PM.
Band practice doesn't end at the same time every day?

Really? Seriously?

Kids can't walk anywhere anymore?

Or do they just need to be picked up so they don't get beat up for being in band? Scratchchin
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Joined Aug 2006
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> bubble2 12,358 Posts
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jenni.
11-29-2011 at 01:50 PM.
11-29-2011 at 01:50 PM.
Quote from ALVSGIRLY :
Ds loves


Ds loves google maps. Does it have that?
You know, I'm not 100% positive, but I can ask him when he gets home. He can get most things on it though, so I would assume so.
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Joined Aug 2006
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> bubble2 12,358 Posts
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jenni.
11-29-2011 at 01:55 PM.
11-29-2011 at 01:55 PM.
Quote from ALVSGIRLY :
Ds loves


Ds loves google maps. Does it have that?
Quote from jenni. :
You know, I'm not 100% positive, but I can ask him when he gets home. He can get most things on it though, so I would assume so.
Well, he got home right after I posted that. He said he can get it on wi-fi.
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Joined Jan 2008
HER SPOILED HIGHNESS
> bubble2 9,504 Posts
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ALVSGIRLY
11-29-2011 at 01:59 PM.
11-29-2011 at 01:59 PM.
Quote from jenni. :
Well, he got home right after I posted that. He said he can get it on wi-fi.
Thanks, my ds is obsessed with maps!
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Joined Jan 2004
Here's to the future
> bubble2 25,141 Posts
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Iaaaiws
11-29-2011 at 02:00 PM.
11-29-2011 at 02:00 PM.
Quote from ALVSGIRLY :
Thanks, my ds is obsessed with maps!
He probably thinks of a road map every time he sees all those wrinkles on your forehead.
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Joined Jan 2008
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> bubble2 9,504 Posts
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ALVSGIRLY
11-29-2011 at 02:05 PM.
11-29-2011 at 02:05 PM.
Quote from Iaaaiws :
He probably thinks of a road map every time he sees all those wrinkles on your forehead.
Did sunshine hack you?
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The Mistress of All Evil!
> bubble2 22,510 Posts
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Maleficent
11-29-2011 at 07:19 PM.
11-29-2011 at 07:19 PM.
Quote from vec :
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.
I understand that. They make apps for kids.

But there's a huge difference between letting your toddler utilize those apps on your ipad, and giving a toddler an ipad, don't you think?

Quote from Iaaaiws :
He probably thinks of a road map every time he sees all those wrinkles on your forehead.
Lol2
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> bubble2 1,307 Posts
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wanderingwillow
11-29-2011 at 07:33 PM.
11-29-2011 at 07:33 PM.
A cell phone is a necessity, a 'smart' one isn't. Prepaid phones can cost only a few dollars per year.
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vec
11-29-2011 at 07:42 PM.
11-29-2011 at 07:42 PM.
Quote from IVIal :
I understand that. They make apps for kids.

But there's a huge difference between letting your toddler utilize those apps on your ipad, and giving a toddler an ipad, don't you think?
What's the difference who owns the iPad? The kid is going to do the same thing regardless of the owner.

I do own this iPad but I will probably hand it down if/when a new one comes out.
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> bubble2 4,691 Posts
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pictureframes
11-29-2011 at 07:48 PM.
11-29-2011 at 07:48 PM.
prepaid. my niece had one @ thanksgiving. she just buys a $35 card when she runs out. she said it had unlimited data text and phone. dont knwo what its called but she said walmart was having a BF deal on it.

Plus some ppls prioritys are THEIR CELL PHONE. pathetic.
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Iaaaiws
11-29-2011 at 07:53 PM.
11-29-2011 at 07:53 PM.
I don't know why parents can't just contact their kids the way it was done when I was younger. Just open up the front door and holler for them until they finally show up. Dontknow
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BostonGirl
11-29-2011 at 07:57 PM.
11-29-2011 at 07:57 PM.
If they are old enough to work, then they can pay for it. nod

When I was a teen ( like 5 years ago Wink ) I paid for my own cell. And back then it was 99 cents a minute long distance and roaming. FML, that was one hefty bill..Bigeye
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GrandPanda1807
11-29-2011 at 08:03 PM.
11-29-2011 at 08:03 PM.
I know why they can afford it. Heck. Even I can afford it -- poor college student here, but I chose to go with prepaid 1000 mins./year for emergencies only and use google voice the rest of the time. What I want to know is why some parents feel the need to get the kid the latest smartphone with an unlimited everything plan?

More power to you and everything, but I can't understand why some of the same parents complain about paying for rent/mortgage, education and how expensive food is. ConfusedConfusedConfused
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jenni.
11-29-2011 at 08:09 PM.
11-29-2011 at 08:09 PM.
Quote from BostonGirl :
If they are old enough to work, then they can pay for it. nod

When I was a teen ( like 5 years ago Wink ) I paid for my own cell. And back then it was 99 cents a minute long distance and roaming. FML, that was one hefty bill..Bigeye
omggg I remember roaming.....
When we first got my son his phone, we had 250 texts per phone. We decided to put an unlimited family plan (texts, not data) on them. Like I said earlier..he never talks on it. He runs about 6000 texts a month. (A lot are from Facebook though)

I'm really kind of glad we don't have smartphones. We went on vacation with some friends, and they are totally attached to their phones. We went some beautiful places and did some fun things and half of the time they had their faces in their phones. I don't want to get to the point where I rely on my phone that much and I certainly don't want my kid doing it.
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shhaggy
11-30-2011 at 05:42 AM.
11-30-2011 at 05:42 AM.
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
An ipad isn't a toy, it's just a medium. My parents bought me a $2700 PC when I was 5. I played games on it designed for my age. 4 years later I was coding programs in qbasic on it. They didn't get me vacation homes when I was 15, the gift doesn't have to escalate. It'd be the same thing with an ipad.
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Last edited by shhaggy November 30, 2011 at 05:49 AM.
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