Four days without a cell phone. "Really?"

[Nords]

Let me introduce you to Mike, a career military officer and blogger of "Live The New Economy". He's blogging about his family's journey to financial independence as he gets ready to retire in a couple years, and one of his streams of income will be blog revenue. He has good ideas and he writes well. I'm [-]going to shamelessly copy[/-] learning a lot from his business model and his blog techniques, and of course I'm enjoying his view of their journey.

In the "good ideas and writes well" department, he's captured my exact sentiments on why I don't care to carry a cell phone. (I carry one on travel, but I whine about it a lot.) During their last family vacation, Mike and his spouse agreed to not use their smartphones for four days so that they'd be forced to spend more quality time with family and each other.

It's ironic that he put up his post than 48 hours after our daughter returned to college. Until she got her phone settings quieted down, we were subjected to a seemingly endless series of the annoyances that Mike writes about. "Being alone together" is just the phrase I've been seeking...

Live the New Economy. - Blog - Summer Recap (Part One): Tuning Out -- Our Four-Day Challenge

 

[audreyh1]

I read the article. Interesting, but I can't begin to relate. The distraction of having a device or web site to constantly "check in with" would drive me batty. I loathed having a pager in the olden days. It was annoying enough to answer the phone in my office or check for phone messages and to have to go through email.

I was getting ready to call my sister on Sunday when I noticed a text message from her from about an hour before. Well, it turned out I wasn't realizing that Sunday wasn't Aug 3rd, and when I called her she laughed that I "just" got the message, and told me "you don't check your phone very often, do you?" No, I told her - better to send me an email. I don't know why my phone didn't make a noise when receiving the text - or maybe it did but I didn't have it with me at the time. I don't text.

I know some people are addicted to their phones or texting, because I see then on the phone all the time when out in public driving, shopping, etc. I always figure these are folks who always need company of another person rather than being alone with their thoughts. Me, I just crank up the music if I need "company" while driving alone.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I don't believe in checking cell phones constantly (and my cell phone is usually not even charged). It takes away time I could be using to check the World Wide Internets instead .

 

[rescueme]

I always figure these are folks who always need company of another person rather than being alone with their thoughts.

Heck, we had that problem in the 50's when we had a party line.

The entire neighborhood shared in your converstations, if they wished ...

 

[scrabbler1]

I don't have a cell phone so when I go out somewhere I don't want to be found by anyone except the people I am out with.

 

[Animorph]

Just got back from Yosemite (yea!). Sprint service was just roaming, so I turned off the phone. That lasted about three days. My sister, brother, and one DS were camping in a different location, while I, DW, and the other DS stayed at the Lodge. With careful preplanning we could meet up at agreed on times and places. But eventually it was "necessary" to turn the phone back on to find out where the kids ended up and get everyone back together. Especially with the ribbing I was taking for not using roaming. It was worth it, whatever the cost.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

I keep in touch with my niece,nephews and god children by text. I don't do the facebook thing and the kids prefer texting. We still talk by phone but week to week we send a text or two. Totally understand why people don't use them.

Im a grown man! I don't check in with anything... but my wife..

 

[Semiretired2008]

I have one of those preload phones. You load $100 and it gives you 1500 minutes that you have a year to use them before they expire. It sits in the drawer and gets taken out when we travel. I have only had it for a short while, but so far have only used about 45min and that was trying to get the tow truck to the correct spot... My wife's cousin got the number off of caller id and calls it all the time and always complains that we never answer our phone. We do not answer it because it is not turned on...