going without... (cellphone that is) anyone?

[Seminole Wind]

wondering if any of ya'll go without, or go with reduced options. seams like most everyone these days feels the need and will tell you they "have to have" their cell phone with tons of data and such. in my earliest youth we didnt even have a message machine. Ah...  times were simpler then... we "pro"gressed through message machines, voicemail, pagers, flip phones and smart phones. i did have my email before i got my first cell phone. i was behind the curve, keeping my pager and voice mail long after the rest of the world had moved on. a lot of that was because i lived seminomadic and most of the time there was no coverage where i was. i lived off a voicemail service and a prepaid calling card at pay phones. anyone remember 1010220? i have gone through flip phones and candybars, bagphones and external antennas up to wizbang android smart phones.

fast forward to present day and i find myself heading back to those simpler times. as pay phones became endangered and now almost extinct i do need some form of communications. i have used my laptop and free wifi in order to avoid the ball and chain of epensive cell/data service at times. frinds have given up their smart phones in exchange for simple flip phones ( and i am talking 30 something tiype friends, not grandma) we dont chat as often as we did when we were all connected, bt when we do get together to chat, it is more meaningful.

currently i have dumped the ominipresent cell phone for a cheap mifi and ported my old cell number to google voice. i did it to save money. i now have unlimited internet and resonable speeds i can take with me anywhere i go, and i have a "home phne" of sorts as i can call and even txt via the google voice. for a while i would carry the mifi and my old non active cell phne like when i went into the store. but with in a few weeks i pretty much keep the mifi "at home" when i go shopping, fishing, kayaking, what ever i am going to "do". i find my self more presant in the moment. and i am enjoying not being teathered. these is not much in my life at least that cant wait till i get home.

i am no ludditte i have computers and wifi and solar and plenty of modern stuff, i am just finding as i go i am weaning myself from being "constantly connected" being jacked in seams jacked up.

so is there anyone else out there that eschews the cell phone and leaves it at home?

 

[lenny flank]

I keep my cell only in case I need to make an outgoing call for something. Other than that, it is basically my "watch", and tells me the time.



I have Tracfone, so it costs me almost nothing.

 

[maki2]

What you are saying is you need to have the inconvenience because the inconvenience itself is helping you because you developed an addiction to using the phone. But not everyone who has a phone has that addiction and even if they do there are other techniques to overcome it besides an extreme intervention of going "cold turkey" and getting rid of your cell phone.

Next time you need to break a bad habit you can do it in just a couple of weeks by putting a rubber band on your wrist and gently snapping it when you engage in a behavior you would prefer to lose.  That is a simple standard behavior modification technique that cost nothing and is very discreet to use even in social situations. It works great! It can also be used to stop you from obsessively thinking about a situation in your life that you can't let go thinking about.

 

[Cammalu]

Damn, one rubber band for everything I do wrong? This is going to hurt..,,

 

[rvwandering]

We have a cheapie cell phone that is pretty much useless for anything but talking and texting. It almost always stays in our motorhome unless we're expecting an important call or text. It's really not a hardship for us to be disconnected while we're out all day because we've never been big fans of talking on the phone.

 

[willingtorelocate]

Well, you need a cell phone for emergencies at the very least. When you're in a tight spot, and you need to call for help.

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I absolutely need a phone, and I need a phone with hotspot and large data plan capabilities. Nearly every job I've had in the last five years expects some remote and/or weekend work. And if I can't do it, they'll find a contractor that can. So, for me, it's essential. Between jobs, I need the data package to find more work. Nobody's ever used newspapers to hire programmers. It's always been the internet, and before that it was word of mouth and social networking.

My cell phone is my key to the world. It's how I find work, stay in touch with my family, and often how I travel. I remember paper maps well. I don't miss them. If I had to give it up, I would have to give up this whole lifestyle. I don't think I could do it the old fashioned way, and be a responsible adult at the same time.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[ByeBye]

I'm becoming more Luddite everyday, just don't need to be an activist about it, lol.

 

[GypsyJan]

No one can believe I have never owned a smart phone. I have a $15 Tracfone which I basically use for texting and can call 911 if I have an emergency and only have to refill the minutes a few times per year.

"What about GPS?" they all ask. I use an atlas...and never worry about getting a wifi signal to use it!

 

[JD GUMBEE]

To save money on the cell bill, Mrs G and I went cheap.
She on the Sprint network...myself on Verizon.

We found this spot to be the best updated listing of reliable phone plans/companies.
Clark Howard is great for $$$$ saving tips.

https://clark.com/best-of-mobile-electronics/best-cell-phone-plans-deals/

We have two phones, 1GB of data on mine...none on hers.

We paid less than $22 between both of them, including taxes/fees last month.

 

[ckelly78z]

My Galaxy 5 is usually with me, but I hardly ever use it. I am the one enjoying the sunset, while everyone else is answering texts, or taking a selfie. The pictures on my phone are of items that I have for sale, or have sold. I have no Apps, and only occasionally look something up.

I have gotten annoyed with my wife and friends because I am the only one not surfing 24/7, but they are, even during dinner.

Call me a luddite !.....never used GPS either, nothing wrong with an atlas.

 

[broken ed]

I've just purchased a new smart phone, as I explained in another post, an unlocked GSM Samsung Galaxy J3 for $169.00 to replace an iPhone 5 hand-me-down.

Although I like having a smart phone I get what everyone is saying. Heck - I still have a compass,,, no, a magnetic compass.

But playing with my old iPhone 5, which again was given to me used and I paid Batteries Plus to replace the battery two years ago, is still very useful without a SIM card or cell service.

First, you can dial 911 in an emergency. In fact the US changed the law years ago that any cell phone can dial 911, even if you walk into Walmart, buy the cheapest phone you can find, never activate it, you can call for help. Just keep it charge. So please, if you don't want or can afford cell service, get a cheap phone for emergencies. No payphones anymore as mentioned earlier. Really - even if you already have a phone with cell service - it's worth the $15 or $20 to have a phone that can dial 911 if your phone breaks or the battery dies.


Second, in addition to being able to dial 911, I've down loaded off line maps (in my case MapsMe). You of course need WiFi to download the app and maps, but once done, this runs completely off line using only free GPS, no cell, no WiFi. In fact on the iPhone mapping and GPS location works in airplane mode.

Third, if I can find WiFi,  my iPhone can still make calls using Google Voice (as mentioned earlier) and do nearly all the stuff it could do if I had cell service, email, browse the web, updates, face time and so on.

Finally, if I'm robbed and they ask me for my phone, I'll hand them the iPhone and and they probably won't think anything of it.

I really like my new smart phone, first new phone I've had in years and years. But I'd be hard pressed to get rid of the old iPhone. It's not only useful, it's been a great lesson on how to be disconnected. I know if I had to I could do the same with my new J3.

If you'd like to read more about dedicating an old smart phone to run off line as a GPS you can go to Adventure Alan at

http://www.adventurealan.com/iphone-gps-map-backpacking/


There's a lot on the web about this, but this is the one that got me started.

 

[B and C]

I have 2 spare smartphones plus my real phone. One of the spares is velcroed to the wall by my bed (plugged in all the time Samsung 5 something) that is my nightstand clock (the clock stays lit all the time) and weather station. It is nice to be able to check the weather before getting out of bed and going to bed at night. It is connected to my hotspot and has Google Voice on it. My other spare is the J3 that I use Google Maps on for driving (stuck to my windshield) and has Google Voice on it too. My real phone is tied via bluetooth to my radio for handsfree calling while mobile. It seems the only time I get a call is while driving. The kids have figured out if I don't answer a text is to call me. My real phone stays in the van almost all the time and I sometimes forget to take it with me when I go in a store. I don't feel the need to be tethered to it all the time. I survived well without one for years before there was such a thing. That being said, I would sorely miss it if I had to do without now. This new wireless age has me hooked.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I find an iPhone a useful tool that is easy to carry so I have it on me most of the time.  Here are my uses:

• For keeping in touch with friends and family. (I use it as a phone, wow).
• It is my camera.  Much, much smaller and lighter than my Nikon SLR camera.  It is with me when a picture opportunity arises.  A dedicated camera was always a hassle to carry or was left behind.
• It alerts me to weather events.  There are few places I go that I don't have enough cell signal (with booster) to get National Weather Service alerts.  Better coverage than (usually static filled) national weather radio signals.  And I get alerts only for the area I am in, not the whole broadcast area.
• And I get time-lapse weather radar.
• Its my hotspot, connecting me to the internet when I want; and not dependent on staying where there is a good WIFI signal.
• Driving directions, especially in unfamiliar cities.  A voice tells me where to turn, what lane to be in, hazards to avoid; all without having to juggle a map or watch for (sometimes non-existent) road signs.  I can concentrate on traffic and driving.
• Help finding cheap gas - Gas Buddy has saved me a few shekels.
• I use the level to position my camper.  Much easier to use than a bubble level or two.
• I have a calculator with me when shopping.
• I keep my grocery list on it.
• Its my notebook for writing down whatever, wherever I am.
• Its my alarm clock.
• I use it as a pedometer.
• Its a QR scanner.  Gotten some good information that way.

 

[AJ452]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with eschewing the "latest, greatest" technology and embracing simplicity. Different strokes for different folks.

Me, I enjoy the tools available with a smart phone, absolutely. Fortunately I do treat it as just a tool and not as a social media portal that my entire life revolves around.

I can put it down, in other words...

 

[maki2]

If you are retired and don't need to work and don't need to do things like online banking it is easy enough to get by with a very simple cell phone plan. The kind many of us had a decade or less ago. I have an online business that can travel nicely so I won't be going back to that kind of phone.

 

[Seminole Wind]

a wifi/mifi hotspot plan can provide all the internet one needs. this can also be used for "wifi calling" or some sort of "voice over ip" to provide a phone number and voice calling with out carrying a "mobile device" so even though it would be using modern tech, the life style is slowed down to a pace similar to pre cell phone days. waiting to make and receive calls or get messages till one is at home. much easier to slow down and be present "in the moment" when one cant be interrupted by a call or text in the middle of an amazing sunset or whatever else one is experiencing. back in the day, many people felt it was a great interruption to have their dinner or other activity invaded by a phone call at home. now many of us carry a device with us constantly that allows that interruption at any time and most any place. such a different world, and so many choose to do that

 

[maki2]

If you don't want to be disturbed when watching a sunset turn the blinky blinky phone completely off. It can't turn itself back on without your help. I have no idea why people think a phone is controlling their life. It can only do what you let it do. If you don't want to talk to someone you don't have to you can block them from calling you. If you don't like an app, uninstall it, deactivate it, etc. If you don't like getting notifications turn them off, it is a simple setting. You can also set up a filter for "do not disturb" so that only specific people can get through to you. The others will have the option to leave a message. You don't have to let the phone notify you of messages if you don't want that interruption. Instead you can check for them when you are ready to look at them or simply click delete without ever listening to them.

I have no idea why anyone is thinking that the phone is in control. If you want it on then turn it on, if you want it off then turn it off. Get out the manual, read through it. Learn how to set it up to stop it from doing what you don't want it to do and limit it to only doing what you want from it.

 

[Seminole Wind]

it is also just as simple to not buy into the hype that you need a phone within your grasp all the time. to each their own.

as the OP i didnt ask to be convinced or taught how to manage a cell phone. i simply shared that i was surviving just fine with out one. i never said you or anyone else needed to follow in my foot steps. i simply pondered if others had come to the same point.

so i have to wonder why you are so adamant in your defense of the cell phone that was not under attack. you know what they say about thou who doth protest to much.

it would be really nice if as i originally asked, if we could hear interesting and positive stories from those that have chosen to return to a simpler path.

it is clear you still and perhaps will always "need" a cellphone. that is great, if that choice makes you happy, cool. not to be kurt, but you choosing to cary a cell phone does not impact my life. go for it. nor does my choice to leave it at home and live with just a "home phone" impact your life. so please dont drift the thread whit all the ways to manage carrying a cell phone. that is not the point. per haps you would like to start your own thread sharing tips for others on how to manage their cell phone use. most likely there are many that could benefit from such a thread.

hopefully others will share stories of leaving the thing behind

 

[wayne49]

Upvote, if I could.

 

[maki2]

It is not about the phone, it is about people and how they think