coffeefreak Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) DD is turning 13 and spending more and more time out of the house. DH has started working nights, and I am a little overwhelmed. He used to accompany her to youth things and just wait on her at the church until she was done, but I can't do that with my youngest in tow. Besides, let's be honest, my oldest doesn't WANT me to do that anymore.:lol: So. . .I think it's time to get her her own phone. :scared: The problem I'm having is the expense! She really wants a Nano for her birthday. But if I'm getting her a phone, I'm not buying both. Do we get her a cheapo refurbished flip phone and put her on our plan? I'd have to purchase unlimited text for her and that's $20 a month, plus, she'd be using our minutes and I barely keep myself from going over, I can't imagine what will happen when she's on our plan. She doesn't talk on her phone a lot, but I suspect that will change as the year goes on. Or, do we get her a Touch (Grandparents would go in on it with us) and have her use that to communicate with us and her friends. My big problem with that is they're easy to break and easy to lose. Or, is there something else. If you suggest a pay as you go phone, please tell me the plan you like and why. I've looked at them and they are more expensive than putting her on our plan. I estimate putting her on our plan will up my bill by about $50 a month, I'd really like to do it for $20 or less. Much, much less. Thanks! Dorinda Edited July 9, 2012 by coffeefreak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 You can get a Straight talk phone anywhere from $20-200. The service plan is $30 month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I'd go with Straight Talk on the phone. A touch would require her to have wi-fi to communicate with anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Tracfone is about $20 every three months or so. If she is at the church does she need a phone? Can she just call using the church phone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) My ds just got a phone on TMobile -- the planks $15/mo for unlimited text (10 cents / min to talk, but he and his friends don't talk anyway, they just text. We wentajead and got him a phone with a qwerty keyboard for $50 but other phones start at $20. He saved up last year to fer himself an iTouch, but now that he has the phone, he doesn't use it as much. Edited July 10, 2012 by higginszoo overzealous Kindle autocorrect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I wouldn't use an iPod touch as her emergency communication bc it requires wifi for text and Internet so I would go with another option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 My D' just got a phone on TMobile -- the planks $15/mo for unlimited text (10 cents / min to talk, but he and his friends don't talk anyway, they just text. We wentajead and got him a phone with a qwerty keyboard for $50 but other phones start at $20. He saved up last year to fer himself an iTouch, but now that he has the phone, he doesn't use it as much. My dd has the t-mobile unlimited texting plan for $15/month also. She doesn't talk on her phone. I have a few extra dollars on her account just in case, but the only time voice has ever been used was by dh when his battery ran out and he borrowed dd's phone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Tracfone is about $20 every three months or so. If she is at the church does she need a phone? Can she just call using the church phone? My middles have a $10 Tracfone that they share ... since we've had Tracfone for years, I went ahead and got the 2 year plan -- 1200 minutes, 24 months of service for $150, so that breaks down to $6.25 a month, with more than enough minutes to call us when they need to be picked up, let us know that their plans have changed, etc. I have the same plan. I hate being tied to the cell phone, so only my dc and my dh have the number (well, my parents might, and the occasional babysitter). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 me and DH use prepaid phones. We pay for text only typically. If I know I will need to use some minutes I will buy a 250 minute plan with unlimited text for 25 dollars. My DH has tmobile prepaid and his unlimited text is 15 a month. No minutes required. But you could add an extra 5 dollars to cover calls. I have at&t prepaid and their unlimited text is 20.. We like both and typically only text. The great thing about prepaid is if you go over minutes you can't talk but you can still text if you have paid for a month of unlimited text. It keeps you from having a huge bill surprise you. I can't find cheaper plans than what we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 These are all excellent suggestions! At least I have some direction now! Another friend of mine suggested paying to get her started, but make her pay a deposit to cover overage or refilling her minutes. That sounds like it would work well with a T mobile phone. We pay the $15 per month for text and she pays to talk. I'm going to look into it! If you have any other suggestions, feel free to pass them along! Thanks! Dorinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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