So. Last night I had a wonderful conversation with my sister. While I was talking, I was outside doing a little physical work (knocking dead branches out of our dogwoods — another story), so I was sweating a little. When we were done, I hung up, wiped the phone off (ew) and went back to work. Last night, when I went to set my alarm on my phone and plug it in for the night, I discovered that my phone no longer responds to touch (it’s an iPhone). This, I decided quickly, is a problem.
We did everything we could think of to no avail and then pondered our doom in bed. How could this huge expense come up right when we starting making decisions to save money in other areas of our life? If we upgrade to the 3GS iPhone, it’ll use up 3-4 weeks in grocery savings that we think we can do. We need to save money, not spend it! And as we were laying there, it came out: maybe we don’t need an iPhone.
silence.
We both use our iPhones a lot for many things everyday. To drop the iPhone and go back to *gulp* normal cellphones that don’t have all those wonderful applications, might mean that we’d have to… well… use the computer instead. Or get the directions ahead of time. Or only check our email once a day. Or entertain ourselves through reading. Or talk to each other. Or to our friends. Or neighbors.
Wait. How much would we save monthly if we didn’t have two smart phone plans?
Seventy dollars. A month. That’s a lot of diapers.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that Mr. and Mrs. Elliott (2 ts) are now former smart phone owners. We went out today and replaced both phones and already have an offer on Rebecca’s 3G. (My phone is, sadly, just a bulky, pretty clock that has to be charged every night.)
It would be nice to get back into smart phones at some point. But the moral of the story is that we found a way to turn an unexpected expense into a money-saving venture.
Hope we can find more of those!
-Adam
June 13th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Sorry about your iPhone dying!
I’m still on my 1st Gen iPhone. I’m contemplating downgrading as well to
save some money. If it goes out, then I’ll definitely give it up.
Way to play the “glad” game
June 14th, 2010 at 7:30 am
Sounds great! My husband and actually did the opposite, and got iPhones. I sometimes regret it, but the apps are really fun during chemo…lol! I am with you though, if it breaks, I will just get a cheap, normal phone to make calls and text. Good luck on the money saving!
June 14th, 2010 at 7:31 am
Congratulations! That’s exactly the type of thinking that will put money in your bank account and peace in your hearts! Love that you’re sharing your journey with folks. Keep up the great work.
June 15th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Smart move (no pun intended). I have an iPod Touch, which I paid for one time, and use when there’s wi-fi. It uses most of the same apps, and has all the same features save the camera/microphone. I got a refurb from Apple for about $170. Works beautifully.
After having Kincaid last year, and even while I was pregnant, I went down the same road trying to both save money but also to improve the quality of food I ate. We haven’t been able to afford to go all organic, but we’ve drastically improved what we buy. I find that if I only buy good food, I tend to eat good food. We cook or eat at home every night, and it is much more enjoyable. We do this even though Travis works full-time and I work part-time from home and take care of Kincaid. It is possible.
Some tips I’ve gathered: Use a weekly shopping list that provides the ingredients for at least 5 meals. We make a little extra and eat leftovers for lunch. We use the lists at: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/1-list-5-meals/
Buy in bulk whenever poSessible. We get most things in bulk: oatmeal, rice, beans, coffee, pasta, spices (you save SO much buying spices in bulk), dried fruit, oil, honey, syrup, flour, salt, crackers, etc. Many stores give you a discount if you bring in your own containers. It may be only 5 cents, but it’s something. We have a food co-op in town that is fantastic.
If you eat meat, buy whole animals. This goes for chickens as well as cows or pigs. Travis hunts, so we had a whole elk, plus we bought half a pig (processed and wrapped) from a local farmer. The pork (including roasts, loins, hams, bacon, sausage, and chops) came out to about .99/lb. We spent about $120 up front, but it has lasted forever.
Use some coupons. I truly do not have the time or energy to even use websites to help me coupon, but I do print out a few each week. Plus, the coupons are usually for junk food I don’t want to buy anyway. I covet coupons for frozen veggies/fruit or diapers.
Speaking of diapers, try cloth if you don’t already plan to. I’m borrowing some from a friend, and they are fantastic. Again, it costs more up front, but when you don’t have to spend $20/week on disposables and simply wash them instead, you’ll feel pretty good. Don’t worry about the using water vs. landfill debate. Cloth saves money.
That’s just what we’ve figured out in the past year. Good luck in your endeavors! P.S. We are trying to move to NC so we can grow more of our own food and be near my family for awhile. Keep us in your prayers; I’m looking for a job over there.
June 16th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
welcome to parenthood (giving up what you want for your kids)- you’ll never miss your i-phone – btw, while I’m using my computer at night, I listen to a CD (from the library) – and have heard all kinds of great music – and it also serves as a timer to let me know when I need to move on – good luck to you!