I've recently delved into the world of Dave Ramsey and his "Total Money Makeover." It got me thinking about all sorts of things, especially the future and what finances will be like when we get there. One question that popped into my mind was: What am I going to do about our kids wanting cell phones? It's not a question of If they will want a cell phone, I bought my first cell phone when I was thirteen, it's a question of When they will want a cell phone. This thought process got me looking around online trying to see what options are out there that wouldn't make a huge dent in our budget. Some people might think I'm crazy for wanting to buy my kids cell phones, but I'm a worrier, I know for a fact I will want to be able to get a hold of them wherever they are. Though, I do also know all too well all of the dangers of giving a child a cell phone. This is why I was absolutely Thrilled when I found Kajeet. Kajeet is a prepaid cell phone provider that specializes in making phones for kids. Their phones come packed with every parental control you could ever want on your child's phone. You can make their phone not work while they are in class at school and at night, put a limit on their texting, block numbers you don't like, and best of all, put a sensor on the websites they can view.
As I looked at the prices for this kind of plan I started to realize just how expensive my current plan was. A little over a year and a half ago I pulled together three of my siblings and asked them to go in on a family plan with my husband and I. Instead of two people paying for the brunt of the bill and everyone else paying the add on fees of their phones, we split the whole bill in fifths making each phone worth about $50 a month. At the time, this was a great deal for all of us as it made it so we all had access to unlimited texting and data while sharing 1500 minutes that we hardly use. Now, a year and a half or so later, I'm starting to see that family plans just aren't all they are cracked up to be. We all pay $50 for services that some of us just plain do not use. My husband goes to work with his phone sitting by our bed all day long. He comes home, checks his text messages, replies, maybe makes a phone call or two, then puts it down beside him for the remainder of the day hardly touched. I use my phone for the occasional text, to get notified when I have a new email, and to make phone calls to my family. Everybody uses their phone different, so why lump everybody together with a blanket plan?
Thinking about saving money, I started to research prepaid plans even deeper. What I found has me convinced that this is the way to go. I could easily cut my $99/month phone bill in half with two different plans that cater to my husband's and my needs. I wanted to share it here so that everybody can see how much they can save by switching to prepaid plans. It may not be for everybody, especially those who are particularly attached to their biyearly updated phones, but it's definitely worth considering. All I can see is: $600 saved a year; $600 richer a year. Take a look!
Thinking about saving money, I started to research prepaid plans even deeper. What I found has me convinced that this is the way to go. I could easily cut my $99/month phone bill in half with two different plans that cater to my husband's and my needs. I wanted to share it here so that everybody can see how much they can save by switching to prepaid plans. It may not be for everybody, especially those who are particularly attached to their biyearly updated phones, but it's definitely worth considering. All I can see is: $600 saved a year; $600 richer a year. Take a look!
* More On Cell Phones and Money here, learn about a new company called Ting