Does anyone use only cell phones and not have a home phone?

[praisefor3]

I can't believe it but we are considering this step. DH needs to upgrade his phone to a full function phone with fast internet, calendar, etc. and we are definitely getting that one. In addition, I have a cell phone and dd16 has one. For less than what we are paying right now for home phone and our cell phone bill which includes DSL, we could disconnect the home phone, get all 3 phones equipped with high speed internet and get another fourth cell phone just to keep at home. (DS10 and the younger do not need to think they have their own phones right now but I guess eventually it could be his.) Our friends run their desk top computer off their cell phone internet and say it is every bit as fast (we already have a wireless internet set up in the house.) This would give us 1400 shared minutes, plus free nights after 7:00 and weekends as well as phone to phone (Sprint.) No roaming, 3 fully internet capable phones, no long distance, etc. The only thing I'm concerned about is just the change in "lifestyle" and not being used to such a set-up. We have a 4000 sq foot house (2000 up, 2000 down) so not having several phones sitting around on the same extension would be strange. Has anyone else made such a change and, if so, how has it worked for you???

[cin]

Thank you for posting this. I keep forgetting to. We are also considering this. I already have a phone case and carry my cell at my waist because DH only calls me on the cell--free calls from cell to cell on our contract. Our home phone is on the least expensive policy, which is $20/mo: free incoming and 3 cents/minute for outgoing. I use my cell for everything and always put my cell number on the forms instead of house phone. But I'm still a little insecure about dumping the landline. It just isn't 'right'. ;)

[elegantlion]

We did this last year. It worked well for us. We did just change cable companies and had to go with their bundle that includes home phone. so now we have one again, only because it was the same price as our previous cable/internet company. We've only given out the home number to one family member so I'm almost at the point of unplugging it again.

 

My dh and I use our cell phones for everything, I love the convienience of it. We saved 70.00 a month just by disconnecting the home number.

[Lady Katherine]

It saved us over $60/month, and seems to work well. The only disadvantages are:

 

1. If you have to call 911, they don't instantly know your location. You have to be able to tell them.

 

2. If your ringer is too soft, it's hard to hear it all over the house, and sometimes the phone can get lost. If the battery goes dead while it's lost, it can be hard to find it.

 

Advantates:

 

1. Lower cost.

 

2. The house phone is mobile, so it can be used as a spare cell phone for a child on occasion. (When we were at DisneyWorld, I was able to give it to 12yo ds and let him go off on his own.)

[Remudamom]

This is what we wanted to do but we were told we had to have the land line for our internet hookup. So we have one traditional phone upstairs in our room that we never use and have to pay for every month. I am trying so hard to break old friends and family from calling on that phone, I'm considering turning off the ringer so they have to remember my cell.

 

We love our cells, the girls share one, the boys share one, dh, college son and I all have our own. The kids just use theirs to talk with dh and I, or occasionally grandma. Ours work as a dependable walkie talkie system here on the ranch.

[5wolfcubs]

We did for about 3 years. When we moved to our current house, we simply didn't get a land line. Never missed it. However, when we started allowing oldest to stay home with the other kids while I ran an errand, I left the phone with her -- meaning I had none. We didn't really like that. We debated getting a 3rd cell phone but ended up getting a no frills land line w/ our cable/internet package. We have a single phone in the kitchen and no one but dh & I have the number. So if it rings, we ignore it. :) If I'm out, I call when I'm on my way home -- and just talk to the voicemail which the kids can hear. I tell them when I'll be home, if I need them to come out to help me unload, etc. If I want to speak to one of them, I just keep talking until they pick up. It is my own private announcement system. I love it.

 

So our situation is a little different from yours, but works for us. I don't get many calls and if I'm expecting one (service call, dh leaving work, etc) I'll just keep the cellphone with me. Works for us!

[readwithem]

I'm sure I'm showing my age. Several friends have gone to cell-only and the quality of our conversations is extremely poor. The connection is never as clear as on a land line.

[genie]

Our friends run their desk top computer off their cell phone internet and say it is every bit as fast (we already have a wireless internet set up in the house.)

 

What company would you be going through? Are your friends using the same one?

 

I haven't been able to find mobile broadband that is as fast as our DSL, but the DSL out here is SO unreliable (remember the little girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead... when she's good, she's very very good, but when she's bad, she's HORRIBLE!!) I am considering switching to something else just on principles.

 

We looked into satellite internet, but the speeds just aren't there yet. I would love to have another direction to look, though.

[genie]

I'm sure I'm showing my age. Several friends have gone to cell-only and the quality of our conversations is extremely poor. The connection is never as clear as on a land line.

 

Yes, this is a huge concern for me any time I think about going cell-only. My mom always calls me on her cell, and for very basic conversation it is okay. But the other day she was trying to spell out a website for me, and there would be a drop out as she was spelling, and she had to keep repeating it, and that just is irritating for both parties. I hate to make business calls on cell phones for this reason.

 

And I don't know if it is just my hearing that is ruined by years of rock concerts, or if we just have really crappy cell phones, but I have a VERY hard time using a cell phone in the car. The background noise of the engine or tires makes it almost impossible for me. But my husband can use the same phone in the same car and hear just fine. So apparently it's me, but that still makes me apprehensive about switching.

 

I do love the clarity of my land line.

[beansprouts]

We have been cell only for almost a year now. We both had cell phones anyways, and it simply did not make sense anymore to spens $100 a month for our home phone. I carry the phone in my pocket most of the time so it is actually easier to take calls (if I want to;)) I also know that when the phone rings it is for me. When we had a home phone I never answered it, because very often the call was for dh, and the machine could take a message easier than I could. I love the new system it is working very well fo rus.

 

We do still pay for cable internet. I think it is about $60 a month. I would be interested in looking at hooking our desktop computers through the cell phones. Can you give more information on how this works including cost?

[praisefor3]

I will know more details then. We have a "business" account (even though it is a very small business) and we get good customer service (as in...somebody who actually really knows what they are talking about!) Our friends who connect their internet also have Sprint and have been doing this for about a year. But I want to make sure all my facts are accurate with cost, etc. before I post the details so I'll add more this afternoon.

[EarleneW]

We have had cells only for almost 2 years. When I debated what we were paying for a landline vs adding 2 phones on to our plan, it was a no brainer. We were paying over $60/month for a landline and it was $5/phone to add on 2 to my cell plan. I don't miss it one bit.

[Brigitte]

We have had cells only for almost 2 years. When I debated what we were paying for a landline vs adding 2 phones on to our plan, it was a no brainer. We were paying over $60/month for a landline and it was $5/phone to add on 2 to my cell plan. I don't miss it one bit.

 

Same here, except that it has been 1 year since we dropped the land line. We were having lots of problems with the land line and rather than get it fixed, we dropped it and haven't looked back. We get our internet through the school where dh teaches (we live on campus), so that helps.

 

However, we will be moving and on our own for internet in June and since I really need a toll-free number for work, we will probably pick up a landline and a dsl when we move.

[finding_sanctuary]

We've been land-line free for about 3 years now, and I love it. A few things, though:

 

 

• Don't lose your phone when the battery is almost dead. Finding a phone with a dead battery can be nearly impossible, sometimes. My couch ate mine, and I didn't find it for several months! When it's just your cell phone, it's not such an issue, but when it's your only phone it becomes a problem.
   
  
• Remember to keep the house phone charged, especially if it isn't used very often. Otherwise, it may have low battery just when you (or your kids) need it most. (Been there, done that, wasn't pretty...)
   
  
• Having your "home phone" with you all the time can be an inconvenience. Admittedly, not all people are like this, but I've run into quite a few who expect me to answer right away, no matter what, just because it's a cell phone. As if the fact that I'm always available now, even when I'm away from home, makes me obligated to answer calls immediately.
  

 

 

All in all, I LOVE having no land-line. It's saved us an astounding amount of money. Add that to all the other benefits, and it's been well worth it.

[beansprouts]

We've been land-line free for about 3 years now, and I love it. A few things, though:

 

• Don't lose your phone when the battery is almost dead. Finding a phone with a dead battery can be nearly impossible, sometimes. My couch ate mine, and I didn't find it for several months! When it's just your cell phone, it's not such an issue, but when it's your only phone it becomes a problem.

• Remember to keep the house phone charged, especially if it isn't used very often. Otherwise, it may have low battery just when you (or your kids) need it most. (Been there, done that, wasn't pretty...)

• Having your "home phone" with you all the time can be an inconvenience. Admittedly, not all people are like this, but I've run into quite a few who expect me to answer right away, no matter what, just because it's a cell phone. As if the fact that I'm always available now, even when I'm away from home, makes me obligated to answer calls immediately.

All in all, I LOVE having no land-line. It's saved us an astounding amount of money. Add that to all the other benefits, and it's been well worth it.

 

I had more problems with points 1 and 2 when we had our land line. We always had a cordless phone, and dh never, never, NEVER put the cordless back on the charger. He also tends to travel the house when he talks on the phone and will leave it sitting wherever he happened to be when he finished his conversation. So I was frequently searching the house for a cordless phone with a dead battery - which at that time was my only phone. Now, I have the responsibility of my own phone which is always charged and usually on my person. When dh lets his battery run down and leaves the phone wherever, I still have mine :D

 

As far as point 3, I have no problems with letting voice mail take calls for me. People who know me are used to this and don't seem to mind it much. I would rather use voice mail and call back when I have time to talk than cut the other person short because I am busy. BTW I tease dh for being "trained" to a bell. It doesn't matter what he is doing, if the phone rings, he goes running for it.

 

I also like the text feature of cell phones. I use this when I just need to send a quick, time-sensitive message, but don't have time to talk and/or don't want to assume the other person does.

[Magnolia]

I would love to go cell only but we live in a rural area. Our cells do not work out here. :(

[beansprouts]

I would love to go cell only but we live in a rural area. Our cells do not work out here. :(

 

That would be a problem.

[inquirer]

OR you could switch to internet only service and hook up a VOIP ... we used one when we were living overseas and loved it. They are easy to use and you can pick any number you want. For instance in live in Houston but couls choose a KC based phone number that lets my family call for free.

 

My problem is that I can't get cell service in all parts of my house ... mostly because of the poor service I currently have. But I would check into the VOIP ... you might really like it. Vonage is one company I know about.

[Emmy]

We only use cell phones - we switched just a few weeks ago. I actually moved my home phone number to a cell phone so I didn't have to change our # with everyone. I really like it!

 

When my kids get older we will likely add a 3rd line to our cell plan and have that available for them to use when they need one.

[momtolgd]

When we moved here over a year and a half ago, we decided to just get cell phones. It really works out great for us. My parents and my in-laws all have the same type of plan and it's free for us to call each other...and the amount of minutes we get each month is more than enough for us.

 

It works out so well for us...we also have a great connection where we live, so that is a plus as well.

[Mekanamom]

What company would you be going through? Are your friends using the same one?

 

I haven't been able to find mobile broadband that is as fast as our DSL, but the DSL out here is SO unreliable (remember the little girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead... when she's good, she's very very good, but when she's bad, she's HORRIBLE!!) I am considering switching to something else just on principles.

 

We looked into satellite internet, but the speeds just aren't there yet. I would love to have another direction to look, though.

 

I'm not the person you asked, but I'm using a mobile broadband internet connection.

 

We're using Sprint. It provides internet to the whole household with our wireless network.

 

I think it's pretty good. Every now and then, we'll lose signal or something and have to wait a bit to get online. It's not as solid as our old T1 line used to be, but it's about a thousand times cheaper. :)

 

I could be totally wrong here, but I think I heard that Amazon's Kindle uses the Sprint connection to order and download ebooks and deliver the news.

 

We use our cell phones as our personal phones, but we do still have a landline as well. DH and FIL are concerned about having a backup phone in case of an emergency that could knock out the local base stations temporarily, like an earthquake. Besides, we have these totally awesome geeky phones leftover from DH's old business. The kind you have to dial 9 to get an outside line. We're all hooked up with our own extensions, hee hee. Even FIL next door has an extension on the system. So it has been very convenient. The girls just got their own extension too, so their friends can call them directly. And we never get telemarketers, because they don't dial the extensions.

 

I can page family members but they have to pick up the phone to hear me. We don't have a speaker system in the house, otherwise I could make announcements, like in department stores. :D Hahaha... "I need an associate to the kitchen, we have a code 2, please load the dishwasher." Toldja it was geeky. ;)

 

I did try to argue with DH and FIL about dropping the landline and just going wireless to save some $$$, but no go. We're keeping one landline for now in addition to the cell phones.

[CalicoKat]

We only use cell phones - we switched just a few weeks ago. I actually moved my home phone number to a cell phone so I didn't have to change our # with everyone. I really like it!

 

When my kids get older we will likely add a 3rd line to our cell plan and have that available for them to use when they need one.

We transferred our home phone to the cell too a couple years back--it's been great! Now we're moving in a few months and we'll have to have temporary housing during that time. With the cell phone(s) already in place we don't have to update people on how to contact us. It stays the same.

 

We did just recently get a 3rd cell phone for the kids, babysitter, etc at home. We added it to the plan and we'll see how that goes.

 

Quality is poor. But it brings the phone usage back to 1940's era usage/philosophy. It's a tool.

 

We do have a landline at the house--it was installed & paid for my dh's company, before we decided to do cell only, so we do have 911 capabilities and local calling. We don't use it for personal so when it rings and dh isn't home it's ignored.

[Tutor]

We just switched to all cell phones. We looked at getting cell-based internet, but it was a better deal to get satellite internet and cell phones. I am amazed at the cost of a local-only land-based line! It costs us about $10 less per month to have 2 cell phones (700 monthly minutes plus unlimited calls to each other and other T-Mobile people and free nights and weekends) and a prepaid at home for emergencies than it did to have a land-line, long distance calling card, and two pre-paid cells. Plus, when we used the cells and the calling card, we were always thinking, "I wonder how many minutes I have left. I should probably hang up soon" and not enjoying the conversation.

 

We haven't missed the land line at all.

[Jenny in Atl]

We did this a couple years ago and love it! We have saved a good bit, and it all but eliminated telemarketing calls (not sure why.. even with No Call list I got more on the land line).

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

If you go with a VOIP you can often get 911 service tied to your house through that. Plus-we find the connection is very good, even for international calls.