Republic Wireless

I am no longer living in caveman times...I have a smart phone.

As I said on my instagram, this is a sad/epic development because I really still DO NOT LIKE the idea of smartphones, but I found a plan that is actually cheaper than my Verizon plan and it includes a smartphone, so I have to go with my frugal living and cave in.

For those of you who don't know, Republic Wireless is a newer company where you do not have a contract and must buy your phone (either a Motorola G or X) but you have the option between four plans- $5 for unlimited talk and text over wifi, $10 for unlimited talk/text & cell service and data over wifi, $25 for 3G's of data and wifi everywhere, and the $40 plan for 4G's. I found this information over Mr. Money Mustache and my friend Meredith tried it first and loved it, so I decided to follow suit!

On my Verizon plan, it was $115 per month for just the phone with no data or smartphone capabilities (for the three people on the plan), while this plan will only be $30/month for three people. The BEST PART about this, though, is that each person can change their plan two times per month. So let's say I am going on a trip and I want data access everywhere, I can up my plan to the $25 one for a few days, and then drop it back down when I come home and only pay per-diem for when I am on the higher plan. Perfect! 

This is my new phone- Motorola G

This is my old phone that I have had since January 2011...sad to say goodbye.


I still don't believe in paying for internet when I can access wifi most everywhere, so I like the $10 plan and having all the phone/computer capabilities of a smartphone. I will not let this get in the way of my socializing and I still don't like having access to all that information in the place of interactions with people/living, so I will try to use this as basically as possible. For now, though I am a little more legitimate in the 21st century!

Why I almost (but didn't) get a smartphone.

I came very close today.

Too close.

My current cell phone is slowing down and my computer is aging. I was thinking that a smartphone was the answer. I could kill two birds with one stone. 

But I can't.

I was standing in the Verizon store ready to do it after looking at the newest iPhone. Then I started talking to the salesman. $199 for an upgrade with a two year contract...and an extra whopping $30 a month when I don't even come close to maximizing my current minutes or data on a 3-year-old slide phone.

It just makes no sense.

Why would I pay an extra $360 a year for a luxury that I do not need, already pay for at home, and more importantly, provides nothing to enhance my life? Sure I could kill time on my phone at work or at the store or while in traffic, but what I lose by doing all of that is the ability to live. To be alone with myself and my thoughts. Or, shockingly!- the ability to communicate with people when I am waiting around. 

Not having anything to do in specific times of waiting is no excuse to need a phone. I don't need cell phone games or apps or to be connected with the internet every second of my life. I can ask for directions. I can call someone to help me if I need a service. I can do math in my head. I can walk away from facebook, twitter or instagram for a few hours every day (or even a long weekend!) and be ok.

I just can't do it. I think it is a waste. I am happy typing right now on my laptop in the comfort of my own home. I don't need to bring technology with me everywhere. In fact, when I am away for a trip, I love the idea of having less connections with the "internet world."

Smarphones do not provide happiness or life-enhancement. This is a great quote from an article online:

"You need to build an ability to just be yourself and not be doing something. That's what the phones are taking away, is the ability to just sit there. That's being a person." 

I can call and I can text with my phone. And if I leave it at home for the day, my world is not shaken or even bothered very much.

I will just have to submit to the fact that it will be a long while before I can be included on group texts:)

Innovation Downfall

As you may remember, this is my current cell phone:

Obviously I do not search the internet or take good pictures on my phone. I simply call and text people. I also do not take it with me everywhere and do not use it as an entertainment device. Because as you may also remember, I do not believe in cell phones with internet because I believe it is the social and attention downfall of our society. Case in point of these photos from this weekend the morning after a Bachelorette Party:

Granted, this was in the hotel room, but there were points during the weekend when EVERYONE had their cell phone out (excluding me) and was on the internet. Also, at a BAR a GROUP of guys were all drinking, standing in a circle, and staring at their cell phones. AT A BAR. Why don't you just stay home and do the same for cheaper?!

I will continue to socialize and live life in person and not on my cell phone, thank you.

Post-Technological-Apocalypse

I was sitting out by my pool last night with some new neighbors (yay!) when we got into a LONG chat about how technology is ruining our society. All three of us work in varying levels of education and we all commiserated about how students are losing social skills and respect due to technology. They don't know how to hold conversations with people, have no filter because on the internet you can say whatever you want to with little reprimand and you can hide behind your computer while doing so (which gives you courage to say things you otherwise wouldn't) and can't focus on anything that requires true WORK and PATIENCE because everything in our world is instant ratification. You need directions? Look it up! Need to shop? Go online! Need answers to any question you have? No need for a dictionary or reading through a book, google it! There is no reason for the students to understand that many things in life take a while to achieve when they have everything at their fingertips.

I am so disheartened by what technology is doing for our society that I even mentioned to my mom that that is one of the reasons I am personally hesitant about having kids- I worry about what the world is coming to (I know this is always what parent's say -"This generation!"- but I truly don't know if it is good to bring people into this world). If you know me well, you also know I still don't have a cell phone with internet. One of the main reasons for this is because I have been in too many situations where I am out in a social setting and no one is talking to each other because everyone is on their phone. People don't TALK anymore! It's ridiculous! It also is ridiculous for me to pay for internet on my phone when I already pay for it at home. And I hate that people can contact me 24/7 anyways...what ever happened to going out for the day and a phone call not expected to be returned until 2 or 3 days later? I need my privacy and space people. I don't need to be connected to everything all the time...and I wish more people felt that way. Facebook should never have been opened up for people younger than college because they simply can't handle it. AOL was bad enough when I was growing up, but the bullying and picking on people didn't compare to what is done now online. I also think that people "friend" people they aren't really even friends with, yet when they run into them in real life, they either know WAY too much about them or don't even say hi. I have begun defriending people I know I wouldn't say hi to if I saw them. Why do I need to know so much about people I don't regularly talk to?

I know that technology has done great things for research, medicine, world communication and in terms of people keeping in touch with people (I mean, I do have this blog so I can't really talk about that), but my thing is that people aren't educated enough to know how to use technology in a good way and not have it become detrimental. My generation is in an interesting position because we remember what life was like before and after (the switch happened for most of us while we were in school). These student's don't see that. They are raised in a 100% technological/internet ruled world, and no one has ever been in that position. So my question is, how can we as a society make it so that these children do not lose the skills they need to be successful adults in a social and work-ethic sense?

I think a great way would be to have facebook and twitter be only available to the 18 and up crowd!