Sans Cell Phone: Could It Actually Be Possible to Live Without One?

Thanks, but no thanks. I've never needed one before, why should I need one now? I live in the southwest US, and you'd be surprised at all the places I can go where there's not even any coverage.

In this day and age it's almost irresponsible to not have a cellphone. For emergencies, information, whatever. Especially now that there are super-cheap plans like Walmart's voice, text, data bundle http://bit.ly/bkL3P and other pay-as-you-go services.

Yeah, people don't need iPhones, but a basic cell plan is a must.

I bought two T-Mobile-to-go phones 5 years ago and put $100 refills on both so that the minutes wouldn't expire for a year. I now spend less than $25/year for my mom's phone and $45/year for mine. Our minutes just keep rolling over when I do the annual refills.

You can get new phones at T-Mobile or find a nice selection of used ones at dotcells instead and just get a SIM from T-Mobile. There are also several web sites that offer discounted refills.

I'm a sort of "refusenik". I resisted getting a cell phone until pay phones became nearly extinct. I was horrified at the monthly bills my adult children were paying for their cell phones, so I got a Tracfone about 4 years ago for emergencies. Nothing fancy, but I'm thankful I have it when I need it. I use the yearly plan with the double minutes for the life of the phone. Costs me less than $5 a month. I activated the voice mail. My friends and family know to leave me a message and that I will I call them back on our house landline a.s.a.p. I just had to get used to checking it at least once a day, and to keep it charged. I did order the charger for the car. I tend to use the phone most when we are traveling, so having a way to charge it on the road is helpful.

I can't blame them for trying...but my favorite feature on my cellphone is the caller ID - if I don't want to answer, I silence the ringer!