Cost of staying connected.......

[Bob_Vaughn]

We just returned from a trip around the country and up to Alaska....For too many of those days we were devoid of any contact with the digital world. While at home it cost around 300 bucks a month for cable, internet, and cell phone service........I am thinking I can reduce that cost by going with satellite tv and a different cell service plus a mobile hot spot. I think these options would work great at home but am not sure about how they would work out while traveling. I just need to reduce our costs.......Some real life experiences would be appreciated.....

[2oldman]

2gypsies wrote:
Jaraxle answered this on 10/19: Virgin Mobile from Target. 🙂

Streaming caps at 2.5G, then 2g throttling.. sounds great.

[fj12ryder]

2gypsies wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

az99 wrote:

Johno02 wrote:
Good luck trying to find a flip phone any more!

Consumer Cellular has them. I dumped ATT and used my flip phone. Got 3X the minutes ATT was giving me. 1200 minutes now for $29.95 or 600 min. for $19.99. I can add the data plan when I need it.

I have no need for a smart phone and like the convenience of the flip.

I can't believe how much people on this thread are paying for phone service with all the new unlimited plans available from about $45.

Phone service is cheap, data plans are not.

I'm still waiting to find out from Jaraxle who offers this unlimited data plan for $45/month. I'd be all over that in a heartbeat. But methinks he's all wet, and very much mistaken about it being a data plan.

Jaraxle answered this on 10/19: Virgin Mobile from Target. 🙂

Thanks, I totally skipped over that, missed it completely.

Yeah, I don't think that will do the trick. Unlimited, but 2G speeds. And Sprint network. Oh well. Better than nothing, but I guess I'll stick to Straight Talk hotspot for now.

[CavemanCharlie]

noplace2 wrote:

=CavemanCharlie I hear you. There are so many options these days it can drive a person batty.

Or, you can go outside, sit in a chair or take a walk, read a book (remember those?) and forget about battiness. How many years do you figure you have left and how many of them do you want to spend staring at one screen or another? Just sayin'. THINK

I was just trying to help the OP with his problem. I only have OTA TV in my camper. I have Satellite TV in the house but, I rarely ever watch it. Your preaching to the choir. True, I have one of those fancy smart phones but, the only time I use it is when I'm so board and have no other options or other things to do. (Which is strangely enough,,, at work) In the mornings when I get up I check out this site. I do the same thing before I go to bed in the evening.

Since I see you are here you must be staring at a screen too!! Remember that before you yell at me THINK..... Just Saying.

[2gypsies1]

fj12ryder wrote:

az99 wrote:

Johno02 wrote:
Good luck trying to find a flip phone any more!

Consumer Cellular has them. I dumped ATT and used my flip phone. Got 3X the minutes ATT was giving me. 1200 minutes now for $29.95 or 600 min. for $19.99. I can add the data plan when I need it.

I have no need for a smart phone and like the convenience of the flip.

I can't believe how much people on this thread are paying for phone service with all the new unlimited plans available from about $45.

Phone service is cheap, data plans are not.

I'm still waiting to find out from Jaraxle who offers this unlimited data plan for $45/month. I'd be all over that in a heartbeat. But methinks he's all wet, and very much mistaken about it being a data plan.

Jaraxle answered this on 10/19: Virgin Mobile from Target. 🙂

[fj12ryder]

az99 wrote:

Johno02 wrote:
Good luck trying to find a flip phone any more!

Consumer Cellular has them. I dumped ATT and used my flip phone. Got 3X the minutes ATT was giving me. 1200 minutes now for $29.95 or 600 min. for $19.99. I can add the data plan when I need it.

I have no need for a smart phone and like the convenience of the flip.

I can't believe how much people on this thread are paying for phone service with all the new unlimited plans available from about $45.

Phone service is cheap, data plans are not.

I'm still waiting to find out from Jaraxle who offers this unlimited data plan for $45/month. I'd be all over that in a heartbeat. But methinks he's all wet, and very much mistaken about it being a data plan.

[2oldman]

az99 wrote:
I can't believe how much people on this thread are paying for phone service with all the new unlimited plans available from about $45.

I still don't know what 'unlimited' plans you guys are talking about.

What I pay for is coverage, anywhere, everywhere. A very common complaint about cheaper alternatives is lack of coverage.

You can choose to be astonished at what we are paying.. fine. But the point of the thread, 9 pages ago, what simply asking how to lower his costs.

[az99]

Johno02 wrote:
Good luck trying to find a flip phone any more!

Consumer Cellular has them. I dumped ATT and used my flip phone. Got 3X the minutes ATT was giving me. 1200 minutes now for $29.95 or 600 min. for $19.99. I can add the data plan when I need it.

I have no need for a smart phone and like the convenience of the flip.

I can't believe how much people on this thread are paying for phone service with all the new unlimited plans available from about $45.

[LarryJM]

noplace2 wrote:

LarryJM wrote:

I think you are missing 2oldmans point which was he like me doesn't have to "CHOOSE" between options for spending ... we can "CHOOSE" them all without regards to cost or having to set spending priorities.

Larry

And you sir, miss my point. Short of a private 747, I can buy literally anything (I'd have to finance the aircraft for a few months). I've had ALL of the aforementioned "connectivity" toys and have found them all wanting. MY point is that I don't WANT any of it. WAY happy to be "disconnected".

However, that was NOT WHAT YOUR ORIGINAL POST indicated. Lest you forgot here is the direct quote:

LOL I'll stick with our $1 or less/month to be "connected". We very likely can afford as much, if not more, than can you. We simply choose to spend it differently. Today our "comfort" was a 5 mile hike midst some glorious scenery. Cost?: $0.

No harm, no foul. Your priorities are simply way different than ours.

You indicated it was all about choice and your choice was to SPEND it differently ... it said absolutely nothing about wanting or not wanting it and clearly put the spending aspect about "PRIORITIES". "PRIORITIES" clearly indicate a ordering items to spend limited $$$ on and then "CHOOSING" only those higher priorites until the available $$$ are used. My point was 2oldman and I don't have to set any priorites and can comfortably and simply "DO THEM ALL" w/o cost entering into our decisions for the most part. Now this recent post is a totally different aspect in if you even want or don't want to be "connected" and that has NOTHING to do about $$$.

Your inconsistent statements and positions tell me I have no idea what point you might be trying to make.

IMO you're still missing the point I was originally making based on your own "spending priorities" aspect of how much one might spend to stay connected.

Larry

[noplace2]

=CavemanCharlie I hear you. There are so many options these days it can drive a person batty.

Or, you can go outside, sit in a chair or take a walk, read a book (remember those?) and forget about battiness. How many years do you figure you have left and how many of them do you want to spend staring at one screen or another? Just sayin'. THINK

[noplace2]

Bob Vaughn wrote:
I am no nearer to stretching my connectivity dollar than I was when I posted this question...

One of the problems Bob, is that you never specified what YOU need on a day to day, month by month basis. And yes, I just reread the thread. If you get down to what you require in a month in terms of specific needs via all entities, answers might be more relevant.

I am guilty of meandering off path here. As I mentioned before, we no longer want any of this c*** but we've had it all. Be specific and I can tell you our experiences with virtually anything you can name in this realm.

Would be glad to help, but understand that anything coming from me is from a biased, been there, done that, technoNOT.

[noplace2]

2gypsies wrote:
Today we have a cell phone that we rarely carry with us, 5gb internet and never watch TV.

We do outside activities or read. Pretty boring, huh?

We feel yer pain..err..gain. Walk roughly 20 miles/week and between us read 5+ books/week. Again, costs $0 to stay connected and in shape both mentally and physically.

[2gypsies1]

When we began full-timing 18 years ago we had no cell phone, no internet.

Today we have a cell phone that we rarely carry with us, 5gb internet and never watch TV.

We do outside activities or read. Pretty boring, huh?

[Jarlaxle]

Except I had coverage in rural Wisconsin and crossing Indiana & Ohio on US30!

[pnichols]

Travelon wrote:
Pay Phone? The only pay phone I have seen recently was on display in a museum.

Museum ........ha!

I was at an ancient, but still occupied, California ranch Saturday that had what looked like a "payphone" along side their driveway a little ways in from the country road and out aways from the ranch house. What's the deal with that??? Did they used to stop phone cabling service out from the house instead of running the cable actually into the house - and just have a phone booth close to the road at a each rural residence?

[Dutch_12078]

Jarlaxle wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

2oldman wrote:

Jarlaxle wrote:
I can get a 4G Android phone with 1200 minutes and UNLIMITED data for $45/month..

Where?

Yeah, I'm really interested in this. And what kind of coverage?

No complaints...I had coverage most of the way through Pennsylvania on I-80. Dude I was with has Verizon, and if he had reception, so did I. From Gary, IN to Youngstown, OH on US30, I was streaming music, and didn't lose the signal once.

Just don't stray too far from the Interstates or major cities. Sprint owned Virgin only has service from Sprint's own network. No roaming...