Why I got a smart phone
If you read my Target Cartwheel post, you know that I am now the proud owner of my very first smartphone.
On Wednesday, I'll share the specifics of the phone plan we're using (it's costing us $21/month so far, and that covers two smart phones!), but before we get into that, I thought I should explain why I caved.
Especially since I have staunchly (and publicly) refused to get a smart phone for so many years.
So.
Let me back up a bit.
Mr. FG has kind of been wanting a smart phone for a while now. He had a slightly enhanced phone that had a sliding keyboard and web capability, but no touch screen, and it was costing about $25/month. The service had unlimited data, but the service was so terrible, we never wanted to use it.
(This, we think, was the key to them being able to offer unlimited data. Make it unreasonably crappy and no one will use it. Brilliant!)
Anyway, in digging around on the internet, he found out about some surprisingly inexpensive smart phone service plans that had no contracts.
The downside?
Without a contract, you have to pay outright for your smartphone.
However, we decided that that was totally worth it in order to avoid a monthly contract. Better to spend upfront and avoid the never-ending monthly charges.
So, we poked around Amazon and found a refurbished iPhone 4S, and since I hadn't spent any of my Swagbucks in quite some time, I had quite a few saved up, and the phone ended up only costing us $60 out of pocket.
Schweet.
So, we paid $60 upfront, but we are now saving about $15/month on his cell phone bill, which means we'll be money ahead in just four months. And he has a real smartphone now.
What about me?
Well, back in November, I participated in an Aldi Instagram contest, which required me to sign up for Instagram, obviously. We had no smartphone at the time, so Joshua and I filmed our instavideos using Mr. FG's ipod.
Even though I signed up just for the contest, once I got started on Instagram, I kind of fell in love. It's like Twitter, except with pictures.
What could be better???
So. Much. Fun.
(I'm thefrugalgirl on Instagram, in case you want to follow me there.)
The ipod camera is all kinds of terrible, though, and once Mr. FG's iPhone arrived and I tried the camera, I suddenly really, really wanted one.
Seriously, there is just no comparison.
I'd used up all my Swagbucks at this point, but I decided that I wanted this badly enough to just go right out and spend some of my blogging money to buy it. 😉
I didn't buy a brand new $500 phone, of course...I bought a refurbished 32 GB Apple iPhone 4S.
And it cost me $253.
Which, ok, is a fair amount of money for a phone. But now that I've paid for the phone, the only continuing cost for me is a $10.50/month bill.
Also, I now have nice Instagram photos, so, you know.
(I may be one of the few people on the planet who bought a smart phone mostly to get the camera.)
That's not the only reason, though.
I've also come to realize that like it or not, a lot of people are moving to texting over email, and I wanted the ability to stay in touch with people via text. It's not a substitute for face-to-face time, of course, but I do think that texting is a good thing to have in my relationship toolbox.
Also, I now have access to apps, some of which are just handy and some of which can save me money, so that's kind of awesome.
And if I need to use web while I'm out, I now have the option to do that.
The best part is, the plan we have keeps me from being totally addicted to my phone, (you may remember that was my biggest fear!), and I'll tell you all about that on Wednesday.
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Kristen-you may be convincing me. Can't wait for Wednesday post!!
Patti
I have to admit, I love Instagram too 🙂 I also use the Facebook Pages app, and the WordPress app for blogging, so it definitely comes in handy! And of course the camera for taking photos.
I have an iPhone 4S as well, and it's two and a half years old. As soon as the contract was up I switched over to an $18 a month plan, instead of upgrading to a new phone. I'm hoping it will last at least another year or two.
Great post, I have a smart phone and love a number of the apps especially banking without having to leave my house. What I hate is how much it costs per month. I don't use my phone enough to justify the cost. : /
I love my iPhone and I love Instagram.
My motivation for joining was due to Facebook changes. As a visual person, although I use Twitter I like to communicate via photos more. Instagram is amazing. It has a cosy feel also - does that make sense? I've met other Instagrammers that I'm sure I would never have found via other social media.
And I love following The Frugal Girl on Instagram! And Non-Consumer Advocate - Katy's Thrift Shop photos are fantastic!
There is often a knee-jerk reaction against smartphones in frugal circles because they used to be so uniformly expensive, and because, granted, they can be a real waste of time depending on how you use them. But these days there are so many choices as to handsets and plans I don't think you can just assume that a smartphone is incompatible with frugal living. Among other things, mine has a hearing aid app that is worth the cost if I leave my aids at home by accident or have a battery go dead. And that's before the grocery list app, the video calls (so much easier with the little ones in the family who can't talk on the phone yet), how handy it is to be able to snap and email pictures and check bank balances, texting to some family members who have a hard time making phone time. I actually don't play games or Facebook much. The key for me is keeping the phone in my purse or in its charger so it's not always in my hand or pocket.
This is so strange...I just got my first smart phone a few weeks ago and I was thinking of the very small list of people I "know" who don't have one and you were on the list. How funny that we both got one the same month. I also got mine used.
Good for you Kristen, I love my IPhone too. Mine cost only $20 but my monthly bill is much higher than yours. I can't wait to hear about the plan you're using. I'm. not much on using it for the internet when I'm out and about, other than checking bank balances and Saturday I had a minor emergency and had to transfer some funds from one account to another while I was out. I was able to do this almost instantly. It amazes me sometimes, and although like most people I do take technology for granted, I also can step back and realize how different things are now that we have these tools. I have to say, some are not totally necessary, and had I not had the phone to transfer funds I would have survived, but let's face it, it made me a more efficient banker, and possibly allowed a family member to avoid some embarrassment and bank fees as well.
I would love to know the plan too. My contract is up in August and it would be great to keep my phone but spend less per month!
I recently just got my first iPhone 5S as well (a gift from my sister!) and am loving it!
A few years ago, I read an interview with the famous photographer Annie Leibovitz and in answer to the question "What camera would you recommend for a beginner?", she answered "An iPhone". And I have to agree, my iPhone takes stunning pictures for an amateur like me...and SO convenient!
I too caved and got the iphone for the camera and the GPS. I do love it, I didn't always have a camera on me but always have my phone so am taking lots more spontaneous pictures.
What cell phone provider do you use? I'd love a no contract plan...
I love this post! I wish more people understood there are affordable ways to have a smartphone without paying crazy bucks!
For me, I had an iPhone 4S that was out of contract with Sprint. I ended up signing up for Ting where I pay for usage and my bill for one phone is about $23 a month. I still have two phones on Sprint (because I wanted to try out Ting for several months before fully converting our family) and and will port the second line over in May, and the final and third line over in November.
My cell phone bill with Sprint for three lines (two smart phones and one dumb phone) was about $180, and with Ting and three lines it will be about $75 a month. The flip side is, like you mentioned, you have to pay for your phone outright.
I was a huge data user before. When I stopped at traffic lights I would check my phone. I would listen to the radio on my phone. I'd play games which would use data and it was insane. The unintended benefit to paying for data usage is that has definitely made me more mindful about being present and alert and not tied to an electronic device, especially when I'm around my kids. I usually wait until I'm home to check and respond to email or text messages (when I'm on wifi), and so when we are out I spend more time listening and talking to them.
Great, great post!! So great to hear how you came to getting a smartphone and how you paid for a used one outright (versus leasing or buying a new one through a traditional cell phone plan). It's really nice to hear how you tried out your husband's phone before committing to buy one on your own. I am just about to give up my smartphone (an iPhone 3GS that we bought second-hand last summer), but I can't wait to hear more about your plan. Thanks for sharing how you can responsibly have a smartphone - one that doesn't drain your wallet, yet allows you to use new technology to stay in touch with loved ones and even save some money! 🙂
Okay, you have me very excited about Wednesday. I have yet to find a plan that will let me have an iPhone for that little. All the low cost plans I have found are for Android phones and well....I am a bit hooked on my iPod and it's Apps and so I have kept a 2 piece version of a smart phone for years, a ipod and a pay as you go cell phone.
Really looking forward to hearing more about your phone plan! I very much love my iPhone - the camera is a big draw for me, as is the ease of being able to take my work with me when I'm out and about during the day - but I very much DISlike our plan, which seems way too expensive especially considering we bought our phones outright too.
My wife and I went with Ting and we love it! We ended up getting older smartphones that work just fine. We also don't use data (we have it turned off, actually - something you can't do with the big carriers) so our bill is all of $28 for two phones. I do use a lot of minutes, though.
I think you can turn off data with the big carriers (by which I assume you mean not pay for it, rather than make sure your phone doesn't use it). But you have to be persistent with the sales staff - maybe asking for the supervisor - because they're typically not well trained in such oddities.
I have a smartphone as well. I'd like to know how you were able to find a plan only costing $21.00 a month for two phones. That 's a good deal I'd hate to miss! Thanks!
I finally caved and got a smartphone over Xmas. I'm still paranoid about data usage but I am enjoying texting. It even saved me a bit of money recently: the Michael's clerk scanned the 40% off coupon straight off my smartphone.
Now I need to learn how to clean it up - to do the smartphone equivalents of clearing the cache, deleting cookies, and all that good stuff.
I still don't have smart phone, and I'm totally okay with that. My husband did buy one recently for himself. We used to be with Verizon, but switched to Straight Talk, which we love because of the lower prices and no contract.
I can't wait to hear where you got such an amazing plan. I just switched to a 48/phone/month and that was saving me $60 a month. How much data usage do you have? We have unlimited talk and text. We share 10 gig between 3 iPhones.
Eeekk! We have two basic phones on contract (with limited talk and text) and our bill is considerably more than that each month. Can't wait to hear about it on Wednesday!
I, like many of the other commenters, cannot wait for Wednesday's post either. I am thisclose to getting rid of 2 smartphones on a monthly 4-phone family plan (2 smartphones, 2 regular phones) because it is costing $250/mo. And, most of the time I use my smartphone I'm on wifi and not using up data. I could save so much $ by just getting a phone I can easily text with and then using an old iPhone for the camera and over wifi. Decisions, decisions!
We got our first smartphones this fall. To some extent, it was practicality: there really aren't a whole lot of non-smartphones on the market, and we just figured this is the way things are going and we'd better get with it. 😉
Overall I'm happy with it. I don't use it a ton, because I have a tablet I use for things like reading ebooks and streaming music/podcasts and checking Facebook, and I haven't switched over to using my smartphone for that. Plus, the one time I'd be tempted to use it for internet access--when I'm waiting in the car to pick up my oldest from school--I don't have any coverage! But, I love being able to take decent-enough pictures that I can send immediately, because all of our family is out of state, and my husband is very happy knowing that I have GPS, because I don't have the best sense of direction and many trips to new places have involved me calling him completely lost...
I love hearing about his. I do so love my smart phone, and I do use the camera a lot. We have a horrible contract, so I'm interested to hear about yours. We live in the middle of nowhere and there isn't a lot of competition between providers. I'm hoping maybe your plan is an option out here. I guess we will see. Thank you for sharing!
RK
R.J.
Living "in the middle of nowhere" is a HUGE disadvantage to trimming your expenses on anything tech related (smartphones, cable tv, internet, even landlines) I feel your pain! When you live in a more populated area there are soooo many more options. I use Straight Talk for my phone because I stay in my local area and it works reasonably well (way more dropped calls and spotty 3G than my former contract plan). My husband on the other hand has tried several "prepaid" cheaper plans and the service in rural areas is horrible to nonexistent! So, be careful when choosing and make sure you can get out of it if the coverage is poor!
I just have to chime in here, since we live in the middle-of-nowhere, too, and drive across country (desolate country I might add) and have never had a problem with Straight Talk (we do lose reception in some spots, but when we had others in our car with Verizon and AT&T who also lost reception in the same spot). Straight Talk is part of the Verizon family and uses the same towers, so you would have the same problem with other carriers.
Totally agree Jennifer. In our area I would say my phone acts like a contract phone on at&t for voice most of the time (same dropped areas) but more like a prepaid phone for data. After some research and digging, most cell providers have 2 maps, contract customers get slightly better coverage that prepaid ones. I imagine Straight Talk's agreements with Verizon, At&T etc vary depending where you live.
I am willing to have dropped calls here and there, my husband is another story! He has tried the several prepaid plans and is never happy with his service! But, he commonly travels 1000 miles away from home.
My primary reason for having a smart phone are the money making/saving apps apps and travel safety. I have an app that compares grocery prices and shows the best deals and coupon matchups, one that shows me the cheapest place for gas that day near my house......the list goes on.
Wow, you must be really good at swagging! I just got back into Swagbucks and have been doing okay so far. In a month I earned enough for a $50 paypal gift card to which I'll put toward buying ingredients for DIY hair and body care. Can't wait to hear about the phone plan.
I can't wait to here about the plan you are using. We have 5 phones on our plan, all have Iphones 4's. They were on sale a year ago of a buck and we all needed new phones. Normally, my honey and I get refurbished, but I told him we should go crazy and spend the extra 98 cents for a brand new one. lol This is our second non refurbished phone since 1995 05 96.
With 5 phones I can't tell you how much our bill is other than too much. 🙂 and I hate the fact that is so high. Hope you are having a good week and I will be back to check out that post.
My guess is she switched to Ting! https://ting.com/rates
I keep toying with the idea, but i use a lot of data--i use my laptop rarely so I don't think it will save us as much as what we have with Virgin Mobile right now since they only charge $30 for iphone plans if you have automatic billing and it includes 300 minutes of talk plus unlimited text & data (which is our main cellphone use).
https://refer.virginmobileusa.com/2lN8fEk
I have been contract free for years and so will never go back! i'd rather pay a couple hundred dollars up front for a phone instead of overpay $500 a year on service i do not need/ use.
Oh, you haven't mantioned my favorite thing: GPS! I love it! I even use it when I know where I'm going and have learned lots of new routes this way. Yes, sometimes it gets things wrong, but overall it's a wonder. We have three adults on non-contract, unlimited talk, text and data plan for $105 per month, including taxes and fees. Not the dirt cheapest, but oh, so easy to use. It's Metro PCS and it is an Android platform, which our computer geek kid strongly preferred. Love the camera, and keep my shopping list on the "Notes" function. Also love my flashlight app!
Okay, so Instagram??? Don't know anything about it. Makes me feel old and out of "it". Perhaps I shall turn to google for enlightenment...
I'm another frugal SAHM who finally caved and got a smartphone this past month almost entirely because of the camera. And now with a new baby at home its the easiest way to snap photos of her sweet face and send to family and friends.
I'm weirdly proud that you crossed over to the "dark side." I've had my iPhone for 3 years and I can't imagine not having it.
I got mine for the digital camera, mp3 player and graphing calculator. I needed all three at once a few years back and it was way cheaper to just get a smart phone. For a long time we didn't even have it on a plan but then I found Straight Talk's Bring Your Own Phone plan which is only $45 a month for unlimited everything.
I finally got a smartphone this past fall and Instagram and the camera were a big reason for that. Like you, text messaging was another reason ... especially group texts. The other part that led me to get a phone was that I dropped my iPod on our cement patio and cracked the screen.
We are in the same boat with older phones wanting to go smart. Thanks so much for the tips!!! Hopefully soon we will have some too!
Looks like I have more willpower than you, FG.
One of my friends used to have a smartphone, but got rid of it and now gets by without any cell phone at all.
Another ditched his smartphone last year for a plain cell phone and plans to eventually ditch that as well.
Good for them.