Cell Phone Packin' family

[coriolis]

For christmas we're getting cell phones for our 4 sons and for my wife and me. That's 6, count 'em, 6 cell phones!

We bought Tracfones: $20 apiece, prepaid minutes. At that price, the minutes are a bit expensive, but all the other kids have 'em, and it will help us as parents to keep track of the kids and contact them in an emergency or vice versa. The kids will have to use their allowance or do jobs for the money for more minutes. I like the idea of the prepaid minutes - no nasty surprises in the phone bill. I've resisted cell phones until now, now that the price is right.

[arkess7]

WOW thats a lot of cell phones!!! But they are great for emergencies and to keep track of where they are at.......and good for you making them work for those minutes!!! I would do the same thing as well!!

[HurricaneGirl]

Holy Crap!! That's ALOT of cell phones... just teach your boys not to talk and drive at the same time. Nothing good will come of it.

[gtalum]

If you don't talk a lot on them, prepaid is definitely the way to go. Good idea!

[O Town]

I am getting my first cell phone on Christmas as well. Just to have in case needed. I have 3 kids so It would seem a good idea in case I get stuck or have an emergency. I also got the pre paid phone, because I won't be using it so much. 6 phones is alot, but if you don't plan on using them as your main phone then I think it is a great deal. No worries about contracts and an unknown bill arriving in the mail, ecspecially with kids, they would run that bill up so high. That is why all their friends have them, so thier parents can say you have so many minutes, and the kids have no choice. Good luck.

[wx247]

Ed... the only drawback of doing prepaid is when you by minutes you have to use them by a certain date, too. At least that was the way it worked when I had a TracFone. I think it is a great idea for your family, but that is something I wasn't aware of until my phone quit when I had several minutes left and I had to go buy another card just to use the minutes I had in the first place.

[azsnowman]

I swore and be damed if I would EVER own a cell phone, I used to despise the darn things (still do 99.9% of the time) but with everyone these days owning police scanners, we in law enforcement are forced into using them for 10-35 traffic (confindental information) such as drug busts etc, etc.

Verizon Wireless has a GREAT family plan too if these don't work out!

Dennis

[beachbum_al]

I have the Cingular Go phone because I didn't want a contract. I have a monthly plan which runs me $43.55 but once I use up my minutes it either lets me add more and turns off. There is no going over in my minutes and being charged an arm and a leg.

[streetsoldier]

I swore and be damed if I would EVER own a cell phone, I used to despise the darn things (still do 99.9% of the time) but with everyone these days owning police scanners, we in law enforcement are forced into using them for 10-35 traffic (confindental information) such as drug busts etc, etc.

Verizon Wireless has a GREAT family plan too if these don't work out!

Dennis

Ah, the marvels of modern technology; we used either MPD call boxes (yes, they're still there) or "land lines" (usually pay phones).

[Skywatch_NC]

I can hear one of Beethoven's symphonies going off in stereo from all the cells now in Ed's family as they sit around a table at a restaurant.

Enjoy!

Eric

[azskyman]

Rule #1.

If your boys are going to be late...even by one minute, USE IT TO CALL HOME! Failure to do so will result in grounding (the phones, not the boys).

Rule #2.

Program an ICE (in case of emergency) number into each phone.

Rule #3.

They work much better if you remember to charge them up.


Our world is significantly smaller as the result of cell phones in the family. Calls to/from my sons in California are made whenever we miss one another...have an important question...or want to jointly celebrate another Chicago Bears victory!

...and granddaughter Emma's voice saying "I love you, Papa" is oh so sweet across those miles.

[CajunMama]

Good idea on starting the boys out on prepaid. It teaches them to budget their minutes. I did that with my daughter and she learned not to abuse her phone...like her best friend did. The first month her friend had the phone she ran up 19 hours of yak time...and she was in school most of the day!

[breeze]

Oh, Ed - YOUR family is that family on the tv commercial
who are standing in the mall, debating...."You'll call _____,
and, she'll call ______, and, she'll call _______, and..."

The son finally says, "But, I don't have a phone."

Daughter says, "Me, neither."

Mom says, "Me neither."

Dad says, "Me neither."

And, they all go into the store, buy cell phones, and live
happily ever after...

[streetsoldier]

"Can you hear me now? Good!"

[coriolis]

Thanks for the input, everyone.


Here's the plan: This cell phone company offers a "referal" bonus - refer a friend and get 100 free minutes. A friend of one of my boys will refer him. Then we all in turn refer each other. It takes about 3 or 4 days to do. So anyone that can be patient for his turn can cash in for the minutes.

I'll have to read the fine print to see if it excludes family members. Of course, since we all have our own email addy......

[DoctorHurricane2003]

Verizon also has a prepaid plan that, if I understand correctly, you would be able to talk for free to each other and anyone on the verizon wireless network as long as you have a minute balance. It's called inPulse. The minutes you buy are to keep that balance and to talk to others on other networks. Of course, I'd check into it in more detail first and not go by what I say...but that's the jist I get from it.

Good luck!