Land lines
Oct. 16th, 2007 09:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Brian's wanted to ditch our land line for quite a while. I'm kind of torn on it. While the 9/11 inspired cellular 'noise' is rare, there are issues with cell phones. Thoughts? It would be a good cost savings, but I'm not sure I'm quite comfortable letting go yet . . .
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Date: 2007-10-16 01:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-16 01:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-16 01:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-16 01:22 pm (UTC)One thing we did do was pick up an extra cell phone that stays in the house, largely for the purposes of babysitters. I don't think we've ever had a babysitter who didn't have a cell phone, but this way we guarantee that we can reach the house, and that there's a phone in the house to reach us. I believe the cost for the additional phone on our cell plan was $10/month compared to $40-something/month for the landline.
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Date: 2007-10-16 01:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-16 01:27 pm (UTC)In all those years i have only one minor black out of 2 days due to issue with a phone and really could have avoided that to.
BUT..
It would require a change in habit, you know that feeling if you left your purse, wallet keys somewhere.. I get that now with the phone, automatic to set it to charge and so on.
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Date: 2007-10-16 01:43 pm (UTC)I still use the number though for my credit card because I don't want to give them my cellphone and get more telemarketing calls.
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Date: 2007-10-16 01:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-16 01:48 pm (UTC)I would be willing to pay 10-15 dollars a month for a land line for emergency use and calling my own cell phone. But I am not about to hook one up -- I can always go screaming out in the streets and I'm sure someone from Arlington Heights will dial 911 for me in an instant. :)
Hell, I think most of the neighbors have 9-1 in before I get to my car in the morning. :)
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Date: 2007-10-16 02:09 pm (UTC)but there is something about having one "just in case" and in my case has the dual effect of 1) keeping the number for the people who need teh Unit and don't know she's moved and 2) our doorbell is attached to the phone. I believe we are required to keep it.
but it needs to be $15. I'm flat out ashamed at how much I've allowed myself to pay for the silly thing.
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Date: 2007-10-16 02:26 pm (UTC)i try to justify it for emergency use, but that warranted getting a corded phone because wireless ones don't work if the power goes out. that corded phone is a piece of crap and pickes up am radio signals. (but in my cleaning this week, i found my old never say die trimline which i might reinstall in the kitchen.) then there's internet access should the power go out, but well, i don't even know my dial up numbers any more or if i have any!
anyway, i'm going to review my budget over the next few months and see where i can save/cut.
maybe you could unplug all your phones and go without it for a while & see if you miss it?
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Date: 2007-10-16 02:32 pm (UTC)Frankly, that's the only real reason I have my land line still.
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Date: 2007-10-16 02:58 pm (UTC)I've been really intrigued by the "desk cell phone" movement -- fixed phones that run on AC power, have honking huge antennas, and work with the cell network -- but so far I haven't found one that's really designed for consumer use (mostly targeted at companies working in remote areas where there aren't land lines). But if I could find one of those, I think I'd be all set to kick the land line.
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Date: 2007-10-16 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-16 03:09 pm (UTC)Although that extra $50/month does grind my innards.....
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Date: 2007-10-16 03:58 pm (UTC)for one, it gets better reception than cell phones. i don't care how good a cell phone is. whether you have one bar or fifty, land lines tend to sound better. (that and i personally never have my cell phone on unless i'm making or expecting a call.)
i know a lot of people rely solely on their cell phones rather than land lines. that's their choice and i respect it AS their choice to make. it's just not mine.
but in my experience it's been quite aggravating to call those individuals, knowing they are at home, needing to get ahold of them, and not be able to reach them only find out later that "oops" they forgot to have their phone on. or "oops" they forgot to charge it up and the battery was dead. or "oops" they had it on vibrate instead of ring after being at work all day and never heard it. or "oops" they couldn't find it in time and missed the call. or "oops" the messages were filled and i couldn't even leave a call-back #.
finally, i'd hate to be in a situation where 9-1-1 was needed and my cell battery wasn't charged up or i didn't have good enough reception to make the call. but that's my nickel rant. ;)
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Date: 2007-10-16 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-16 08:31 pm (UTC)