Do you ever have days when everyone you walk by is either talking on the phone or texting? Maybe this will just be (or this is!) the way of the world, i.e. little children won’t know a public space that doesn’t feature this scene, and so it will be normal. I have not become someone who comfortably sails through the world with the phone on my ear or my fingers on the key pad. However, I do like to do quick business on the phone, and I actually think that once I have a phone with a keyboard, I will text more than call. It’s also a matter of having a reliable phone, because right now I have one that doesn’t always ring, and sometimes the reception makes talking impossible. That could be the service, but more likely the phone given its antique age: almost four years old.

I anticipate I will go with boostmobile, which is part of Sprint. They offer various plans, including the one that will probably work best for me: pay as you go — 10 cents a minute for calls; 10 cents a text. My recent Sprint bill was $40.20, and I used 191 minutes of phone time and sent 19 texts. So, with the pay as you go, I would have been charged $21. The best thing about this is if I determine that this plan doesn’t meet my needs or its costs are more than $40, I can get a new plan easily — I have no two-year contract to wait out! The time is right for change! I am ready to cut my monthy bill in half! I could save myself over $200 annually. And there are many things I could spend that money on… a nice dinner or two out, several trips to the movies, spa services, a donation to a worthwhile cause… but best of all I won’t be wasting the money because I simply didn’t take the time to do the research and get the best plan for how I use the phone. That’s pretty satisfying. There’s something about dealing with the wheeler dealers at these various cell phone companies that’s finally moving me out of my wasteful complacency. And, you know what else? I’m feeling peace with the harsh reality that i just don’t need an iphone! Sigh.