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Are Smartphones really worth $1200 per year to use???

7,353 2,746 April 9, 2012 at 08:01 PM in Chat (4)
ON TOP of the phone itself ? I don't think so.

What is it? Social status? My friend has one so I NEED one?

I'll take my dumb phone and laptop any day.

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Last Edited by Maleficent April 9, 2012 at 09:04 PM
A summary from last time:

Quote from Maleficent :
I think you're just so intent on going against the grain (even though it's illogical, cumbersome, less convenient, and provides no actual benefit to you) so you can delude yourself into feeling "unique" and "special."

In fact, you're so hellbent on going against anything with any sort of mass popularity so you can be "different" that you actually make yourself believe that the crap you have is somehow "better."

And the funniest part about that is that it makes you so angry, you have to lash out at anyone that uses the devices that you hate so much. Which in turn makes you look like a complete idiot to everyone else because of your gigantic delusions, and then you become a social pariah.

Well... bravo, buddy. You certainly set yourself apart from the crowd. Thumbup
Quote from SkeezaPleez :
Sounds to me like he has a shitty laptop and a shitty cell phone. laugh out loud
Quote from Maleficent :
And a shitty TV! LMAO


It's 34" and weighs 300lbs! Whee
Quote from vec :
...and is 20th century technology laugh out loud
Quote from SkeezaPleez :
At least he's got unlimited texting.
Quote from Jason_of_Texas :
34in tube tv? GTFOH
Quote from vec :
That's the problem. He isn't using his mind. He is getting all of his information out of some old Popular Mechanics magazines from the 1980's


Crylol

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BayArea
04-10-2012 at 02:06 PM.
04-10-2012 at 02:06 PM.
Quote from Maleficent :
Iagree


We did 6 years ago. So worth it! I don't even miss it.
For a couple of years I didn't have any type of cable/dish for tv. Just basic channels. I got by just fine until a year ago when I got DirectTv. I don't think I can ever go back. There's so much good stuff on DirectTv that I can't give it up. There have been many nights where I would stay home and watch tv instead of going out and spending money that I think it pays for itself.

What most people don't realize is how much they spend on eating out. Thats a cord they need to cut. I'm not just saying dinners, I'm talking about eating out for lunch everyday and Starbucks in the morning. If people did the math, it comes out way more than having a smartphone or paying for cable/DirectTv.
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indngal
04-10-2012 at 02:40 PM.
04-10-2012 at 02:40 PM.
Quote from BayArea :
For a couple of years I didn't have any type of cable/dish for tv. Just basic channels. I got by just fine until a year ago when I got DirectTv. I don't think I can ever go back. There's so much good stuff on DirectTv that I can't give it up. There have been many nights where I would stay home and watch tv instead of going out and spending money that I think it pays for itself.

What most people don't realize is how much they spend on eating out. Thats a cord they need to cut. I'm not just saying dinners, I'm talking about eating out for lunch everyday and Starbucks in the morning. If people did the math, it comes out way more than having a smartphone or paying for cable/DirectTv.

i agree. when i lived at home i barely spent money on eating out..maybe once a week. the last 4 years of undergrad (in a college town with delicious food) and this past year in medical school (where i barely have the time/energy to cook good food) have cost my bank account and health so much. its definitely a cord i need to cut but just haven't been able to stick to it.
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Joined Jan 2004
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Iaaaiws
04-10-2012 at 02:47 PM.
04-10-2012 at 02:47 PM.
Quote from BayArea :
For a couple of years I didn't have any type of cable/dish for tv. Just basic channels. I got by just fine until a year ago when I got DirectTv. I don't think I can ever go back. There's so much good stuff on DirectTv that I can't give it up. There have been many nights where I would stay home and watch tv instead of going out and spending money that I think it pays for itself.

What most people don't realize is how much they spend on eating out. Thats a cord they need to cut. I'm not just saying dinners, I'm talking about eating out for lunch everyday and Starbucks in the morning. If people did the math, it comes out way more than having a smartphone or paying for cable/DirectTv.
Currently I go out to eat maybe once a month unless I am traveling away from home. It was a far different story until I started working at my current job. Before I would often stop for breakfast, go out for lunch and grab something quick, and then sometimes stop on the way home as well. It wasn't a daily thing but it did happen quite often.

Now I don't have the option of leaving work for lunch and there really isn't much but trees between my home and where I work. I would have to go about 5 miles out of my normal route to get to a fast food place.
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Maleficent
04-10-2012 at 03:30 PM.
04-10-2012 at 03:30 PM.
Quote from BayArea :
For a couple of years I didn't have any type of cable/dish for tv. Just basic channels. I got by just fine until a year ago when I got DirectTv. I don't think I can ever go back. There's so much good stuff on DirectTv that I can't give it up. There have been many nights where I would stay home and watch tv instead of going out and spending money that I think it pays for itself.
Oh we still watch plenty of TV, we just stream/download it all. Free > whatever you have to pay a month for directv. laugh out loud

Quote :
What most people don't realize is how much they spend on eating out. Thats a cord they need to cut. I'm not just saying dinners, I'm talking about eating out for lunch everyday and Starbucks in the morning. If people did the math, it comes out way more than having a smartphone or paying for cable/DirectTv.
Oh definitely. Eating out is ridiculous. We save that for special occasions. I'm not a big fan of paying for entertainment. If there's a movie we want to see in the theater, we'll mostly wait until we can see it in the dollar theater or it comes out on DVD, unless I can sometimes get cheap tickets on SD.

And I agree about starbucks. $4-$5 a day for a drink is so far from worth it to me. Crazy
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BayArea
04-10-2012 at 07:47 PM.
04-10-2012 at 07:47 PM.
Quote from indngal :
i agree. when i lived at home i barely spent money on eating out..maybe once a week. the last 4 years of undergrad (in a college town with delicious food) and this past year in medical school (where i barely have the time/energy to cook good food) have cost my bank account and health so much. its definitely a cord i need to cut but just haven't been able to stick to it.
Yup. I used to eat out daily. I figured, what the heck is $7 for lunch right? At the end of the month, my CC bill would come being hundreds of dollars and I was always an aw because I would say "I didn't buy anything!" Turns out that $7 lunch everyday adds up quick!

I stopped eating out and started bringing my lunch with me everyday and eating at home..it's crazy how much money I have been saving.

Quote from Iaaaiws :
Currently I go out to eat maybe once a month unless I am traveling away from home. It was a far different story until I started working at my current job. Before I would often stop for breakfast, go out for lunch and grab something quick, and then sometimes stop on the way home as well. It wasn't a daily thing but it did happen quite often.

Now I don't have the option of leaving work for lunch and there really isn't much but trees between my home and where I work. I would have to go about 5 miles out of my normal route to get to a fast food place.
Bolded part is exactly what I would do. I didn't feel it because it was only like $10 each time..but it really adds up when you're spending $20 a day on food, 30 days a month compared to what you can do with groceries and cooking at home.
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Last edited by BayArea April 10, 2012 at 07:48 PM.
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BayArea
04-10-2012 at 07:51 PM.
04-10-2012 at 07:51 PM.
Quote from Maleficent :
Oh we still watch plenty of TV, we just stream/download it all. Free > whatever you have to pay a month for directv. laugh out loud



Oh definitely. Eating out is ridiculous. We save that for special occasions. I'm not a big fan of paying for entertainment. If there's a movie we want to see in the theater, we'll mostly wait until we can see it in the dollar theater or it comes out on DVD, unless I can sometimes get cheap tickets on SD.

And I agree about starbucks. $4-$5 a day for a drink is so far from worth it to me. Crazy
I have netflix. I'm tech savvy enough to know where/how to stream movies/shows. The problem for me is the convenience. Being able to turn on my tv and watch my shows from laying in bed after a long day of work is the best. I don't want to sit at my computer to watch something nor do I want to be constrained by the limitations of netflix/hulu.

I don't go to the movies either. What people don't realize is that even the $2 drinks at Starbucks easily add up to $60 a month. That's basically a whole other bill!EEK! That doesn't even include the premium drinks or any pastry/food items they might grab while their there laugh out loud
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Maleficent
04-10-2012 at 09:12 PM.
04-10-2012 at 09:12 PM.
Quote from BayArea :
I have netflix. I'm tech savvy enough to know where/how to stream movies/shows. The problem for me is the convenience. Being able to turn on my tv and watch my shows from laying in bed after a long day of work is the best. I don't want to sit at my computer to watch something nor do I want to be constrained by the limitations of netflix/hulu.

I don't go to the movies either. What people don't realize is that even the $2 drinks at Starbucks easily add up to $60 a month. That's basically a whole other bill!EEK! That doesn't even include the premium drinks or any pastry/food items they might grab while their there laugh out loud
Again, it just all boils down to what/how you value your money, time and the product you're receiving.

I wouldn't wanna watch anything at a computer, either. DH downloads and/or streams everything so we can watch it all on the TV. He'll do whole seasons of shows at a time. We always have something to watch. It's plenty simple, and we don't have to pay $50+ a month for any service, where they make us pay for gobs and gobs of channels we'll never even watch. If they would charge like a buck or two a channel and let you pick just the ones you wanted, we'd totally do that. I just don't want to be forced to have all that other crap added to my TV. I couldn't give a flying fark about all the dumb spanish channels or the shopping channels, etc. I'd MUCH rather download stuff and watch it on TV than flip through all the garbage.

And maybe some people don't mind paying 60 bucks a month for coffee. Maybe they use that instead of cable. laugh out loud

I don't think there's a single product/service mentioned in this thread that's necessary for survival. So really, it all just comes down to personal preference.
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handyguy
04-11-2012 at 09:54 AM.
04-11-2012 at 09:54 AM.
I wish there was an app that would let deaf people talk with hearing people they see in person.
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boltman2007
04-11-2012 at 10:02 AM.
04-11-2012 at 10:02 AM.
Quote from Maleficent :
Again, it just all boils down to what/how you value your money, time and the product you're receiving.

I wouldn't wanna watch anything at a computer, either. DH downloads and/or streams everything so we can watch it all on the TV. He'll do whole seasons of shows at a time. We always have something to watch. It's plenty simple, and we don't have to pay $50+ a month for any service, where they make us pay for gobs and gobs of channels we'll never even watch. If they would charge like a buck or two a channel and let you pick just the ones you wanted, we'd totally do that. I just don't want to be forced to have all that other crap added to my TV. I couldn't give a flying fark about all the dumb spanish channels or the shopping channels, etc. I'd MUCH rather download stuff and watch it on TV than flip through all the garbage.

And maybe some people don't mind paying 60 bucks a month for coffee. Maybe they use that instead of cable. laugh out loud

I don't think there's a single product/service mentioned in this thread that's necessary for survival. So really, it all just comes down to personal preference.

Only problem I see with streaming an stick with cable....

1. Not many good shows or series out there.
2. Live sports
3. NFL Network
4. Quality

Its almost like you have to decide what you might want to watch ahead of time... that's too hard. I like just channel flipping not an time investment in becoming a personal broadcast station. Plus you feel obligated to watch what you download or else it was a waste of time and/ or drive space.
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Last edited by boltman2007 April 11, 2012 at 10:05 AM.
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Iaaaiws
04-11-2012 at 11:17 AM.
04-11-2012 at 11:17 AM.
So has anybody actually answered the original question? I see a ton of responses that indicate that nobody actually has to pay $1200/year to use their smart phone, but the question was whether smart phones are worth $1200/year to use.

So, if the actual price for a data plan for your phone was $1200/year would it be worth it to you?
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Maleficent
04-11-2012 at 11:20 AM.
04-11-2012 at 11:20 AM.
Quote from boltman2007 :
Only problem I see with streaming an stick with cable....

1. Not many good shows or series out there.
2. Live sports
3. NFL Network
4. Quality

Its almost like you have to decide what you might want to watch ahead of time... that's too hard. I like just channel flipping not an time investment in becoming a personal broadcast station. Plus you feel obligated to watch what you download or else it was a waste of time and/ or drive space.
I don't give a rat's ass about sports. And I only download the shows I like, so I want to watch them already. There's no "feelings of obligation." laugh out loud Plus we still get all the regular channels you don't have to pay for. They have tons of good shows. More than you can ever have time to watch.

Paying for TV is a huge freakin' waste of money.
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Joined Jan 2005
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stimpy
04-11-2012 at 12:11 PM.
04-11-2012 at 12:11 PM.
Quote from ALVSGIRLY :
I pay a little over $1200 a year for mine. We don't have a landline. DH has a line on the plan, but he doesn't even have a phone for it. He just uses his work cell, but wants to keep it because it has his baseball number in it (Crazy).
Do you actually pay 1200/yr just for the smartphone part (aka data fees)

for example, if I had a flip phone my rate would be the same ... but because I have an android I pay an extra $30/mo data fee. So my "smartphone cost" is 30x12=360/yr (NOT my monthly phone bill x12)

... it is worth the extra to get all of my emails on the go ... esp work. I was going to drop it and go back to a reg. phone and my wife (electronically challenged person) actually said "it's kind of nice to have at least one person be able to look something up when we need it". laugh out loud
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stimpy
04-11-2012 at 12:13 PM.
04-11-2012 at 12:13 PM.
Quote from Maleficent :
Paying for TV is a huge freakin' waste of money.
Oh pa-shaw! You prolly say the same thing about sex! Evil



how u doin? Big Grin
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Joined Jan 2007
The Mistress of All Evil!
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Maleficent
04-11-2012 at 12:14 PM.
04-11-2012 at 12:14 PM.
Quote from stimpy :
Oh pa-shaw! You prolly say the same thing about sex! Evil



how u doin? Big Grin
Crylol


Good stimpy, very good. Wink
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Joined Feb 2007
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Original Poster
boltman2007
04-11-2012 at 12:23 PM.
04-11-2012 at 12:23 PM.
Quote from Maleficent :
I don't give a rat's ass about sports. And I only download the shows I like, so I want to watch them already. There's no "feelings of obligation." laugh out loud Plus we still get all the regular channels you don't have to pay for. They have tons of good shows. More than you can ever have time to watch.

Paying for TV is a huge freakin' waste of money.
Yeah but many people do enjoy live sports...especially NFL.

Streaming means planning...too much work.

As for tons of good shows doubt you could list more than 10 current streamed "must see series"

TV does cost a lot so I see your point however streaming isn't the end all be all you all make it out to be. TV is more natural.
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