The Low Life

I think I am experiencing iPhone withdrawal.  I keep stopping what I am doing to post things…and then realizing I can’t.  

On the up side, I keep realizing I can’t post about everything I do, and getting back to doing what I was doing, instead of just talking about it.

…sorta.  

Then, I come home and post about it.  

Ha.

Well…at least I am saving fifty bucks a month, right? 

Oh, and: My sincere apologies to anyone with whom I tried to text or talk to on my cell phone today.  I am still learning how to use it.  I think I failed a few times.  

Sorry for the sideways picture of my daughter, too, if you happened to receive that.  Apparently, in order to take pictures that are upright, I have to turn my phone sideways.  

Don’t worry.  I’ll get it.  

Someday.  

I never planned to have an iPhone.  In fact, the idea seemed completely outlandish to me ~ why would I need an iPhone??

Well, then someone gave Shane a new iPhone, so he had this old one just lying around.  For a long time, we let it just lie around.  I just didn’t need one.  Then, something happened to my phone.  Honestly, I can’t even remember what it was.  What I do remember is that I was without a phone, and so we decided maybe I could activate the iPhone and just use it as a regular phone.  Just not get the data plan.   The only problem with that plan turned out to be that you’re not allowed to do that, I guess.  So, we debated buying me a new little cell phone, or activating the iPhone.  In the end, I decided to give the iPhone a shot.

I have had such a great time with my iPhone.  I post pictures and status updates to Facebook, search directions using the map feature, look up restaurant menus on the road before we stop… It’s a pretty fun, addictive little device.  

But then, here we are trying to save money, and every time I see our cell phone bill, I think, “Holy cow!  That’s a lot of scratch!”  I mean, with 4 out of 5 of us having cell phones, and two of those being iPhones, we end up averaging about $200/month in cell phone bills.  That is just not reasonable, in my opinion, so I went in to AT & T Wireless a few days ago to find out what I could do to save a little money.  

I had been thinking for some time that I might like to switch back to a regular cell phone, anyway.  Don’t get me wrong ~ I have enjoyed my iPhone. It’s just that I don’t need it.  In fact, the more I thought about going back to a regular phone, the more the idea appealed to me.  Yes, it’s true ~ I won’t be posting as many up-to-the-minute reports on Facebook.  I’m sure we will all survive.  In fact, in a way, I think it will be better.  I feel like I was living more mindfully ~ that I was more fully invested in living each moment ~ when I was not all Facebook-drunk.  

I used to like being out with the family, maybe taking a few pictures, and then coming home at the end of the day (or the week, or whatever) and sitting down to organize my thoughts and write a blog entry about it.  Maybe that isn’t for everyone, but it’s more my style.  I like having time to mull over things, lay it all down and black & white and mull it over some more before I share it.  

I think it’s important to acknowledge here, too, that I have an addictive personality.  It’s okay, I can admit that.  It is exceedingly easy for me to become addicted to things, and Facebook is one of those things ~ I’d check it on the way to work, in between classes, on my way to pick up kids, while I was out with kids, at dinner, while I was walking, reading, watching a movie….uncool.  That was not the way I wanted to live.  I wanted to be more present, more relaxed and more…well, just more ME.  I am not a technology buff.  It’s just not my thing.  It never has been, but I got sucked in.  And I didn’t really like it.

So, after much consideration, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be better to save that money and spend it on things that ARE my thing?”  I decided it would.  

Off I went to AT & T Wireless.  A very helpful young man named George looked over our account with me, and he advised that we consider removing the insurance from any phones that were more than a year old.  That was about $10/month/phone, and we had two that qualified.  I told him about the idea I had about dropping my data plan. Turns out, I could save $30/month/phone by doing this.  Only Shane and I have data plans, and I think Shane probably really does need his, since he uses his phone A LOT for work, especially when he travels.  Therefore, at this time, I would really only entertain the idea of nixing my data plan.  Nevertheless, dropping insurance and losing my data plan would save us $50/month, and that is nothing to sneeze at.  

I mulled it over for a few days, talked to Shane, and decided to go back and do it.  Today, I stopped by the store again.  This time, I worked with a young woman named Diana.  She was extremely helpful, and directed me to some really cute little phones that would suit my needs.  I ended up choosing a Pantech Pursuit II.  It is pink, and stupidly cute.  Which is weird. I am so not a pink and cutesy gal, but I have had several pink and cutesy cell phones over the years.  PInk and cutesy just works for cell phones.

Diana switched everything over for me, so I now have my new phone, with no data plan.  The interesting thing is that, if I just cannot hang without my data plan (I think I will make it), I can opt to add a data plan for $10/month for unlimited access.  I could also add GPS for an additional $10/month.  So, worst case scenario, I totally can’t hang and add data and GPS, and I am STILL saving $10/month over my old data plan.  Since we axed the insurance, even if I do add data and GPS, we will be saving $30/month, and that’s better than nothing.  

It’s also interesting to note that I can still use my iPhone like an iPod (all of my music is on it), and I can use it to access the internet wherever there is WiFi.  In the end, I really don’t feel like I am losing much at all.  Of course, this is day one.  It might be a tougher adjustment than I think, but, for now, I am happy with my cute little pink phone.  I’ll keep you posted on how I feel as time goes by.