Thinking about ditching my iPhone (move to dumb phone).

From A Buick 8 said:

As a family we pay $255 a month for cell phones.

I have been thinking that I should just jump off the high cost merry go round, and just go with something like the Wal-Mart straight talk plan. Just seems to be crazy to spend 3 grand a year on a phone bill.

I would miss the convenience of my iPhone, but honestly I think I could make due with an iPod. My wife and son do not have smart phones so the change for them would not be that much. My daughter has a 4S so she may be the only hold out, but she is getting to the age where she should be paying her own bill anyway.

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I'm not sure why you are even questioning your choice...where is it written that everyone has to have a smartphone.

If dumping the smart phone works for you financially, at at any other level...I don't understand why you would hesitate. Surely not for the sake of appearances!

From your brief description, it sound like you already know it's the right decision for you. And, as you say, no harm at all in your daughter paying for her own phone...actually, it would probably be a good learning experience for her.

Do you really need a camera, GPS, Texting, Music, Movies, Games or email on a phone if you have those at home from a desktop or notebook computer ? No, than you can safely go with a flip phone.

Are you a kid (Of course not) that thinks, lives, breaths, fantasizes, and goes through withdrawals if they can't text to friends sitting next to them, plays silly games on a small screen, and can't live without a ton of music, and watch games again on a terribly small screen ? Than you must have one...



Think you answered your own question. It costs a bundle, and for what ?

You will not be the first to get off the "smart phone train".

Money must be prioritized in today economy!

Sounds like you have pretty well made up your mind.

Have a good weekend.

If the monthly cost of an iPhone was ever too much for me to handle I would simply go with a cheaper prepaid plan.

Whatever works for ya.

I'm self-employed. If I didn't need a smartphone to be able to check email when I'm away from the office, I would have ditched my smartphone years ago. I'm not sure I'd have even a feature phone.

I don't have a problem affording a smartphone or feature phone, but just because I can afford something doesn't mean I need it.

Just switch to a cheaper carrier. Tmobile has 5 lines for $110 and you can use your smartphones on it.

I could never go back to a dumb phone after using the iPhone.

I can't imagine going back to a dumb phone, can't you just buy a budget android based phone?

CEmajr said:

I could never go back to a dumb phone after using the iPhone.

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Me too. Surely there must be a cheaper plan where you can keep your iPhone?
My contract is up now and I'm only on a Sim only contract paying £10 a month.

From A Buick 8 said:

Thanks for all of the comments. The problem is not being able to afford the phone. I guess i am just looking at maybe simplifying my life some. I am on an unlimited data plan from verizon, works out to be about $88 a month.

Just thinking out load here.

So do you think my 5 would sell easily for $500

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I can respect that you'd like to simplify your life. Sometimes it just feels so overwhelming with everything we have around us.

As for your iPhone, assuming it's a 16gb model you should be able to get just short of $500 for it.

Just use Straight Talk with an ATT iPhone. You can buy the sims online, pay $45 a month for unlimited everything, and still use ATT towers and services (Straight Talk contracts thru ATT).

You could switch to T-Mobile. With the 2-line family plan, which includes unlimited talk, unlimited text, plus 500 MB data per month, it's only $80.

If you can cut that down to one phone line, only $50 a month. T-Mobile has some good plans.

If you have 4 people on the line you can get unlimited talk, text and 500 mb of high speed data and unlimited edge data for all four lines for 100 bucks a month on T-Mobile. It's actually a pretty good deal, so long as you have service in your area.

Applejuiced said:

Whatever works for ya.

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Agreed. Get what works best for you regardless of what others say.

Probably you should consider no phone at all. Why pay for a cellular phone to get a bunch of scam calls that law enforcement and carriers are powerless to stop.

Heck, why even have any phone at all? I might go this way myself. It looks pretty appealing. If we succeed in doing away with mail and phones we won't have to pay any bills because we won't get any. I like it. Let's organize a cell phone dumping demonstration. Besides your daughter won't get any calls from guys and you can save on bullets.

I think a Dump the Phone protest is in order.

From A Buick 8 said:

My daughter has a 4S so she may be the only hold out, but she is getting to the age where she should be paying her own bill anyway.

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What age do daughters pay their own bills out of interest? Mine thinks pocket money is for saving, and dad's money is for spending!

I pay £15 a month for my contract as I always buy the phone outright. Works out cheaper in the end, and you can switch when you want not when a contract runs out. Also the resale of your unlocked iPhone is slightly better.

iPhonemaster5S said:

500 mb of high speed data and unlimited edge data .

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That would last about four minutes for a single phone, let alone a shared plan. And unlimited EDGE data? You'd get better speeds with a modem connection.

Out of interest OP, what are the prices for unlimited everything over there? I'm on a SIM-only plan in the UK where I get unlimited data, calls & texts for £16 per month ($25). But even so, most plans over here have unlimited everything and a free iPhone 5 for between £35-45 ($68).

From what I've seen, it's utterly ridiculous how expensive phone contracts are over there. Are there not any SIM-only plans which might be cheaper?

From A Buick 8 said:

As a family we pay $255 a month for cell phones.

I have been thinking that I should just jump off the high cost merry go round, and just go with something like the Wal-Mart straight talk plan. Just seems to be crazy to spend 3 grand a year on a phone bill.

I would miss the convenience of my iPhone, but honestly I think I could make due with an iPod.

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Go with your instinct, and do what is "right" for you and your family. There is no rule or law saying that everyone has to own a smartphone.

From A Buick 8 said:

Thanks for all of the comments. The problem is not being able to afford the phone. I guess i am just looking at maybe simplifying my life some. I am on an unlimited data plan from verizon, works out to be about $88 a month.

Just thinking out load here.

So do you think my 5 would sell easily for $500

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Can't see how getting rid of your smartphone will simplify your life and that maybe there are "other" things that really need to be done.

Sometimes things in life seem to become overwhelming. Try to step back and look at all the factors that are making things unsettled.

As others stated, if it works for you then go for it.

For me, tbh, it wouldn't work. Whether I'm getting work emails, or handing my phone to one of my daughters to help pass the time while we wait for something - the smartphone is too important of a tool for me to do without.

I hear ya on the cost however

From A Buick 8 said:

As a family we pay $255 a month for cell phones.

I have been thinking that I should just jump off the high cost merry go round, and just go with something like the Wal-Mart straight talk plan. Just seems to be crazy to spend 3 grand a year on a phone bill.

I would miss the convenience of my iPhone, but honestly I think I could make due with an iPod. My wife and son do not have smart phones so the change for them would not be that much. My daughter has a 4S so she may be the only hold out, but she is getting to the age where she should be paying her own bill anyway.

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Did you post this expecting someone to stop you, lol? They still make iPod Touches for the very reason you stated. It is what I started with until I had enough for iPhone and when I got my iPhone 4 my parents started charging me like 34 dollars a month.

Since you have the phones paid for (presumably) have you considered going with a sim plan that allows just minutes/texts (and maybe a small amount of data)? Even AT&T's plan, at $60 a months would save you a ton of money compared to what you are paying.