A great example why LBYM is so difficult

As soon as the term ran out, my monthly cell phone charge was the first subscription I booted and went with a prepaid phone service. I'm kind of old fashioned in that all I wish for is a phone that rings and I answer it -- no need for all the add ons.

Back when w*rking, I'd automatically pay the cell phone charge knowing I did not even come close to the monthly minutes.
 
easysurfer said:
knowing I did not even come close to the monthly minutes.
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Yeah, tell me about it. As you can see, over the past couple years, we have averaged 40¢ a minute for our cellphone usage because of the "monthly minutes" requirement. Unfortunately, the disposable phone solution is not viable in our case. (I did try hard to make it work.)

View attachment Wireless Minutes Evaluation.doc

I should have mentioned, in my earlier post, that the $30 in taxes and other foolishness does take the "basic" rate over a hundred dollars a month.
 
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What I love (not) about cell phones is that a two-line plan has more minutes than DH and I could ever use, but it is still less expensive than two individual plans with less minutes.

DH is getting an iPhone in the near future (which requires the $30/mo "data" plan in addition to the regular costs) because he [-]wants[/-] [-]needs[/-] [-]has earned[/-] deserves it but I'm thinking of the pay to play service for myself. The end cost will be not much higher than the total $90 we pay now for the two-line plan.

So the subscription theory is working well on us :ROFLMAO:
 
Bestwifeever said:
So the subscription theory is working well on us :ROFLMAO:
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As it is for us (in this application) and I really resent that -- if only I could find some single issue to become really angry about. As it is, the "entry" level for "basic" communication nowadays is $50 to $100 a month and that is "normal." Back in the "good ol" days paying $20 monthly to that monopoly AT&T seems like heaven now.
 
RonBoyd said:
As it is for us (in this application) and I really resent that -- if only I could find some single issue to become really angry about. As it is, the "entry" level for "basic" communication nowadays is $50 to $100 a month and that is "normal." Back in the "good ol" days paying $20 monthly to that monopoly AT&T seems like heaven now.
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This does totally ignore massively increased functionality. An old land line was not a substitute for today's feature filled land line plus a cell phone, not to mention fast internet connection. I can talk to anyone in the US without consideration for time of time of day or time spent talking. It is funny when you talk to members of an older generation who are very nervous about spending more than a few minutes on a "long distance" call. Many of us are even now in the process of developing obsolete attitudes and habits which will cause or do cause our childrena and grandchildren to chuckle and wonder how we got so clueless.

Many of us want more and more of these enahnced services and capabilities; it is just a question of where to draw the line based on cost. An I-phone is a whole new level; but so far not one I can spring for. I know that I would appreciate it but just cannot afford it.

Ha
 
RonBoyd said:
As it is, the "entry" level for "basic" communication nowadays is $50 to $100 a month and that is "normal." Back in the "good ol" days paying $20 monthly to that monopoly AT&T seems like heaven now.
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I agree completely! The price for a cell phone plan is sky high. Right now, I am paying $30/mo on an ancient regional plan (not nationwide), but when we move I will need to upgrade. I am thinking of Verizon's $39.99 basic nationwide plan (which will probably be $45 by the time they are done with taxes and fees and such). Or, I could LBYM and go for a Trac-phone (but then I like having a bigger choice of phone styles). Or, I could pay a lot and get an iPhone to see what that is like, but I doubt I need all the extras that an iPhone provides.
 
haha said:
This does totally ignore massively increased functionality. An old land line was not a substitute for today's feature filled land line plus a cell phone, not to mention fast internet connection.

Many of us want more and more of this; it is just a question of where to draw the line based on cost. An I-phone is a whole new level; but so far not one I can spring for. I know that I would appreciate it but just cannot afford it.
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That's why I was specific in saying "basic" telephone service -- to compare apples to apples. Currently, high Speed internet service costs me ~$50 a month for DSL and an additional ~$60 for the Verizon Aircard. A basic Internet connection via the cellphone would be an additional $30 a month. You are certainly correct; Where do you draw the line. More importantly, when you decide on that line, are you gonna get real, true value? That's the thing that I resent -- not knowing.

Don't even ask what it costs to watch television these days (and I don't even subscribe to satellite/cable) or the cost to connect my computer to the television. I resent that mess also.
 
Ron, I guess I don't really understand. Merchants and professionals and service providers have always tried to avoid apples to apples comparisons. That is the way to very low margins. Every 6 months my cable company raises my rates; every 6 months I call them and tell them why it really isn't going to work for me. And they rescind the raise.

Compare that with negotiating with your doctor or hospital or dentist or you kid's college or your taxes.

One can always just do without, and some people make a virtue out of this. If I didn't like football and baseball on TV, I would sell my nice widescreen set, but I do so I won't. :)

Same with a lot of other things that going without might make life cheaper, but for some of us at least, poorer.

Ha
 
haha said:
One can always just do without, and some people make a virtue out of this. If I didn't like football and baseball on TV, I would sell my nice widescreen set, but I do so I won't. :)

Same with a lot of other things that going without might make life cheaper, but for some of us at least, poorer.

Ha
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IMHO, those who know what is most important to them (such as a nice widescreen TV for you), have got an advantage when it comes to LBYM because they know where it makes sense to cut back, and where it doesn't.
 
haha said:
Ron, I guess I don't really understand. Merchants and professionals and service providers have always tried to avoid apples to apples comparisons. That is the way to very low margins. Every 6 months my cable company raises my rates; every 6 months I call them and tell them why it really isn't going to work for me. And they rescind the raise.

Compare that with negotiating with your doctor or hospital or dentist or you kid's college or your taxes.

One can always just do without, and some people make a virtue out of this. If I didn't like football and baseball on TV, I would sell my nice widescreen set, but I do so I won't. :)

Same with a lot of other things that going without might make life cheaper, but for some of us at least, poorer.
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Yeah, it is just my frustrations showing through and I am (as usual) explaining it poorly. However, I suspect (after reading your posts for the past couple of years) that you and I have very similar LBYM habits. It is very difficult to threaten a phone company with non-use -- particularly with required 2-year contracts. (I was, btw, able to get our current cell phone service without such an agreement.) What if they called my bluff? Would I simply do without a phone? They seem to have fixed that loophole -- when was the last time you looked for a phone booth? (Yeah, there are disposable phones but the cost is still (IMHO) too high for the value.)

Yeah, we also have a wide-screen TV (home -- 42" -- and in the RV -- 25"). I resent that the least costly speakers for the home system was more than the price of the TV itself and that a separate Receiver is required... dvd/cd player, Sage unit, etc., etc. (And you know I purchased near the bottom-of-the-line after many hours of research.) All that for the couple hours a day it is used.

In addition, in spite all that whining, I seem to be digging myself into a hole here that I am gonna find difficult to climb out of.
 
What I admire is marketing's ability to make us realize we want something that didn't even exist until fairly recently. We went from Dick Tracy's futuristic two-way wrist radio to mobile communications that are beyond sci fi ("From sci fi to wi fi"). You can indeed get a lot from what today are "new" phones and for many people they have become as much of a necessity as car insurance. Soon people will be dropping those old fashioned "land line" computers and cable tv service (and I remember when the first cable option was poohpoohed because no one would pay to watch television).

DH would like me to get a phone that includes a thigh-high boots app--bbbam, any idea where I can find that :)
 
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Bestwifeever said:
DH is getting an iPhone in the near future (which requires the $30/mo "data" plan in addition to the regular costs) because he [-]wants[/-] [-]needs[/-] [-]has earned[/-] deserves it but I'm thinking of the pay to play service for myself. The end cost will be not much higher than the total $90 we pay now for the two-line plan.
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BWE, if your DH doesn't really need the data plan (ie, can use wifi most of the time or uses it just like an iTouch), then you might want to consider buying an iPhone used, like eBay or Craigslist. I bought my iPhone 2G for about $200. While the 2G/3G data is nice to have, I'm not prepared to pay $30/month for it.
 
I think this article applies to insurance too. I have been with the same insurance company for years. I keep meaning to compare the rates with other companies but haven't got around to it yet.

I know my rates have gone up every year.
 
While subscription is a nice analogy, I would suggest that inertia is a big factor for me.

When we both retired, we went to an empty slate and decided what we needed. One Visa and one MC both with two cards, for example. One landline and 2 paygo cell phones. No subscriptions. Each have a no-fee checking account. Own investment accounts. High speed internet.

Have not looked at all the new options that have developed in the last 7 years. Inertia! Plus I hate buying because most offerings are so opaque that it takes much digging to find out what is really being offered.

(The generation gap has developed with texting and twitter...)
 
nowadays is $50 to $100 a month and that is "normal." Back in the "good ol" days paying $20 monthly to that monopoly AT&T seems like heaven now.
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I agree with you about just wanting basic stuff. To be fair, however, note that $20 in 1980 is equivalent to about $52 today, adjusted for inflation.
 
WanderALot said:
BWE, if your DH doesn't really need the data plan (ie, can use wifi most of the time or uses it just like an iTouch), then you might want to consider buying an iPhone used, like eBay or Craigslist. I bought my iPhone 2G for about $200. While the 2G/3G data is nice to have, I'm not prepared to pay $30/month for it.
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That is what stopped us from getting an Iphone. That 30 a month for the data plan. Pretty happy with our LG Incite. You can store contacts and has a schedule calender. Browse the internet pretty well. But it lacks any real useful apps.
 
PROFESSOR OKADA, who has studied how marketers persuade consumers to replace what they have, says, “People don’t upgrade as frequently as they should if they were acting rationally.”
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It would be a lot more persuasive if she would provide some reasonable explanation for that view, rather than simply stating it as a self-evident proposition. I have difficulty understanding why it would be "rational" (either cost-effective, or environmentally friendly) for someone to shell out for a 'new and improved!!!' vehicle, home or electronic gadget every couple of years. :confused:

Helen said:
I think this article applies to insurance too. I have been with the same insurance company for years. I keep meaning to compare the rates with other companies but haven't got around to it yet.
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Me too. :(
 
I have seen the "doublethink" in friends who will shop extensively to save a few dollars. but they are paying sky high rates for insurance, phone service, car repairs and others. what they save on their new shopping items is tiny when compared to what is leaking out of their budgets every month.
 
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