I was surprised yesterday to learn that a blog buddy of mine does not own a cell phone. Neither does her husband…and I consider them to be a very contemporary couple. They have no use for it and are very content with their land line. Another blog buddy wishes she had cell phone service, especially for her husband’s business purposes, however their rural area still has no service, eight years after they moved to their current farm in Tenessee. They are frustrated.
I was surprised by both revelations, to be honest. Even though I grew up without a cell phone and the first 15 years of our marriage we didn’t have them, I can’t imagine NOT having them now that they have become a part of everyday communication. Why I love it? It’s the most instant means of getting in touch with someone available today… and a really good way to communicate with teens especially. I am now the queen of texting… this is a VERY valuable tool for the hearing impaired, and that would be me. Mike would be lost without his cell phone as he needs to keep in constant touch with his work crew during the course of a work day. Sometimes he and they are in three different places and issues arise that need decisions in order to go forward.
My 73 year old mother didn’t have a cell phone for the longest time. It was a foreign concept to her, and she was reluctant to get one. Then as she began traveling to visit friends, etc… I insisted she get a phone because we wanted to be able to get in touch with her, Heaven forbid she had a problem or needed assistance. She finally gave in and got one… but the next hurdle was TURNING IT ON. *sigh* I believe it took us three years to get her to leave it on and WITH her when she’s traveling. She still doesn’t know how to get messages on it, but that’s OK. If she needs us, she knows how to dial us. If we need to know she’s OK.. she picks it up on the third or fourth ring.
We still have a land line at This Old House, but it’s not used very often. Most of the time I give out our cell phone numbers for contact info, not the land line. Curious minds want to know… do you depend on your cell phone? Have you ditched the land line all together? Are you still primarly a land line user?
• still have a land line
Check (mostly because I want to be able to use my vintage telephones! – nerd alert – frankly, I give out my landline number a lot. I have my cell number on my biz card.
• would die without my cell phone
That might be an overstatement. It is integral to my daily stuff. Calendar, email from numerous accounts including job, texting from kids, friends, and hubs.
• know people without cellphones
I have a friend that lives two hours from me in a small town in Wisconsin. When she comes to visit it used to make me crazy that something could happen (which has a time or two) and there would be no way for her to contact anyone or anyone to contact her. She finally did get a pay per month phone.
Technology is our friend! Kinda?
I mostly have a cell phone for emergencies only. It is only on when I leave the house and I don't know how to check messages either, but no one calls me anyway. I hate the fact that texting was added to phones. Way too many people on the road texting.
We haven't had a land line in 5 years. That's $3000 we have not spent on a land line. We gave it up when the phone would ring and not one person in our house would get up to answer it. It was always "it's not for me" which was true as calls for you went to the individuals cell phone. The only land line callers were telemarketers.
Ditched the land line!!! Don't miss it!
I must still have a land line!! I call my Mom in Florida every night at 9pm to see how her day has gone. BUT- got sick of the price of the land line so we bought a OOMA that contects to your router and is NOT A MAGIC JACK!! we tried Magic Jack and it NEVER worked for us. But we pay $3.89 a month for local and long distance calls. Basically- you're paying the taxes and for 911 service so it varies according to your county. I wrote a post on it -http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8247394444946188457#editor/target=post;postID=4684965086570184059
Not sure if you can pull it up- but we love our OOMA. You can also google it.
I also have my cell! Gotta have it for safety purposes in this day and time. Just a flip up phone with a basic plan- just to talk and not text!
We use our cell phones for all calls and don't have a phone hooked up to the land line. But we need the land line for our DSL because it's the best Internet option here. I also text with several people, mostly Erik. But I also text with others, including my farrier about schedules. I don't know how Erik and I would stay in touch as well, given his need to spend time in the Bay Area for work.
It's wonderful, Karen, that you can text and receive text messages. I'm sure that makes life much easier for you to communicate.
There is a land line here simply because I got a break on the cost of dsl (which I never had until I moved here). All those years on "dial up" and didn't know what I was missing. 🙂
My cell phone is very basic; I don't need all those bells and whistles however have recently learned that I'm paying about the same as the girls with their iphones or whatever they're called. It makes no difference though; I take mine with me everywhere sometimes even working in the yard. (that is when I had a yard) LOL
I do wish people wouldn't text while driving; talking isn't safe either.
xoxo
We don't like being 'tethered' or leashed to a phone. We do have one, but never know where it is or it's not charged, or lost at the bottom of a VERY deep purse. We rarely travel and are home bodies, so the only time we make sure the phone is charged is when one of us will be hours away from home and needs to get in touch with the other. We have a land line. We rarely get calls on it either. We don't have teenagers, my parents are dead and his mother lives very nearby one of her daughters who checks on her regularly. Paying $50-$100 a month for something that just isn't useful or important to us makes no sense whatsoever, and neither of us wants to be constantly harped at by a ringing or buzzing phone strapped to our body all day. Life is simple for us and should be for others, but in some ways I think they have become far too dependent on technology and ALWAYS being in touch. It's something that society has said we have to have and that we MUST always be in touch. When did that become the norm? Why does everyone in the family always have to be in touch with one another 24-7? It wasn't always that way and we don't feel that it has to be that way. People seem paranoid about where their children are, what their children are doing, who their kids are with. We find it ridiculous to be honest and think that a bit of space can be a good thing. Everyone just needs to relax a bit. We purchase $100 worth of minutes once a year and spend the rest of my husband's hard earned money on food and necessities. No texting, no ringing, no buzzing, and no lining a phone company's pockets with our retirement money. It works for us. Nope, I am not one of those ladies who jumps in her SUV and immediately calls someone. See it all the time. It's dangerous and I don't believe any cell phone user or texter when they say that they don't do it. I see it ALL THE TIME. Drivers and their phones.. ALL THE TIME. It makes me angry and even more apt to never have a cell phone on me or with me. A huge distraction, so cell phone users, do not lie to me and say you don't do it. I know better. I know this sounds like a rant, I am just long winded. LOL
I have had my daughter call me from her cell phone in her mini van with four screaming children in the back and she is talking to them and me and that's dangerous. My question is 'who's driving the van??' Moms do it ALL THE TIME. Do not tell me they don't. Shut off the phone or ditch it entirely, especially when in your vehicle… better yet, leave the damn thing home.
Guess you could say I have a real bug up my ass when it comes to cell phones. Parents want to know that their kids are safe, so they buy them a cell phone and then the kid texts with it while driving, crashes the car and kills themself and 6 other people or crashes into the back of another vehicle and kills the child in it! Oh gosh.. bug up my ass? You bet.
Not a rant, but ya, it kind of is.
Happy Monday Karen, hubby, & I have cells. Nice when I need to get ahold of him. As far as my adult children go….no I don't like cell phones….they don't call me on them they text us on them…my kids text me all the time. I wish they would "talk" to me but no it's a text,most of the time till I call them. Have a land line too. Oh the times we live in now…., but I like to hang on to simplicity… be well. Karen acapecodnest
We got rid of our home phone about a year ago ! We only have cells and its just so much more easier ! I'm a simple living guy but lets face it you almost have to have a cell phone now plus it's a way you can keep up with kids better , I blog on it using the blogger app , I have to have it so employes can find me , I get emails on a instant instead of having to be at a computer ! So we are huge fans of the smart phone ! I do agree we myself included rely on them to much ! But I'm sorry it makes life a lot easier !
i wish our cell service was stronger where i live. we are in a tiny pocket that gets pretty iffy.
my 80 yr old neighbor has nothing but cell service. has never had a land line installed over there – did without phones until the cell service was available. when i get a text from her, i grin. 🙂
We still have a land line but use it less and less. Mostly when my mom or mother in law call. I grew up in the communications business (pagers, car phones and 2-Way radios) in the 60s to the early 80s it was my dad's business so I really thought most people had them, but I never dreamed I would have on in my purse! The first ones I remember had a mobile operator to make your call but you could listen to other people's phone calls…that was a great source of entertainment when my sister and I were little and learned the value when my family was involved in a fatal car accident in Louisiana at 2 in the morning in 1969.
psst. a little blabbermouth birdie told me today is your birthday? happy, happy, happy to you!
We still have a land line, but also have cell phones. My mom has a cell phone, doesn't text (doesn't even use a debit card, so I think texting would be too much)and only turns it on when she wants to use it. Seriously, my hubby got me an iphone several years ago, and it is the best gift I ever got. Love it.
I never thought I would be one of those people who text others in the same house- but when you have a teen with ear phones in his ears most of the time, it is the best way to get in touch with him.
I think of my smartphone as insurance. You may never "need" it, but it sure can be a life saver when you do.
I travel/drive a lot and I would not be without a cell phone. Who wants to wait in a car on the interstate hoping some "nice" person stops and calls AAA on their cell phone!
Karen – I'm about the same age as your mother – when I first got mine it was also because I was traveling to MV alone and family wanted me to have it. For a long time I left it in the car and only turned it on when I was in it…if I remembered. I did keep it on when I was away 'cause I didn't like getting scolded by my family 🙂
I don't text… yet. I do turn my phone on when I leave the house and off when I get home. Less than 10 people have my number and 2 of them live with me.
We still have our land line and that is the number I give out when people ask for a number.
Some things I like to hang onto for sentimental reasons… lol.
If it weren't for a land line that, mostly, works and the cell tower booster, I'd be totally without a telephone. As it is, during a harsh wind/rain/snow storm my land line goes out for days, weeks and, one time, more than a month. Dave had a cell tower booster put in and if I stand in the sun room, facing south, I can, usually, use my mobile phone.
Mobile phones just don't work for everyone and even with a cell tower booster, I can't use a "smart phone"…not enough band width.
We moved here in 1995 and around 1999 or 2000 Aunt Esther finally got a private line. She'd been on a party line ever since she got a phone.
There are huge swaths of the country that don't have access to cell towers, internet and even land lines. In those places, CB radios help.
We got rid of our land line three years ago when we moved. Do not miss it.
My 87-year-old mother-in-law only has a cell phone in her assisted living facility, but cannot get her messages, check voicemail, or use speed dial. She could easily learn, but refuses to use these new-fangled inventions.
We both have cell phones and NO land line! It makes since because we have two homes and travel a lot. We use them just like any other phone. They are telephones….just like a land line. I use mine with a blue tooth to make it easier to talk and not have to hold the phone to my ear but I rarely talk while driving. Cell phones will take the place of land lines eventually…it's just as simple as that.
Totally lost without my cell and we are now at that phase where we say to each other, "we should get rid of the landline", until I do something stupid like leave my cell in my jeans as they go through the cotton sturdy cycle of the wash. Not good.
Didn't have a cell until I sent my oldest daughter to college, ever since than, it's a must.
We all have cell phones-however, I have taken to leaving my own in the car for when I am out and about. Otherwise, we have a land line and the kids know to call me here if I am not on my cell. I still have an older phone which drives my son-in-law round the bend. He is a district manager for AT&T so he has the newest of everything. Guess what? AT&T service in our area is awful. Guess whose phone they borrow when we are traveling…yep…my good "old" phone with Cellcom coverage! xo Diana
Yes- ditched the land line altogether and am totally cell phone dependent. My own mother had a hard time (76) remembering to bring her phone with her, charge it, keep it turned on, etc. But she now feels its a life line to her as well.
We have a land line. I do have a cell and most of the time remember to check the charge if I am driving long distance! It is a simple cell…just buy minutes. My kids don't text me. I don't feel the need to be connected that much, I guess. My son in HI and his wife only have cell phones. And I doubt that my other boys will get land lines when they get apts. Happy Birthday!! Eat cake!!
We still have the land line and we have cell phones. I've considered ditching the land line to save money. But we're out in the sticks and the land line is dependable. Still considering it! The fact is, we can hear things better on the land line than on our cell phones – at least here at home.
xo
Claudia
I am grateful to have a cell phone, since that's the only thing my kids use and they are ALWAYS out of pocket. We still have a land line and I have no plans to get rid of it. I text the kids from my computer, but not from my phone… unless absolutely necessary.
Not sure if your birthday is today, or yesterday, but… HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I imagine the texting feature is awesome for you, Karen. Being hearing impaired you can use this tool often!
We are the ones who have no cell service at our home/farm that Karen wrote about. We really need this for my husbands business. It would be so much more convenient than giving out our home.
We lose power here in the mountains a lot! When this happens we have an "old fashioned" phone we just plug into the jack.
I also have a cell that I take with me while driving in case of an emergency. Although, I do think my driving days are pretty much over!
It is peace of mind for J also. I can call and let him know that I have arrived at my destination, usually a medical appt.
Both J and I use Straight Talk. He uses the $40.00 a month unlimited talk-texting-internet-camera-video (which he uses a lot on job sites and then can email the footage right from the phone)Never had one problem with this service!
I can never understand paying $300-400.00 a month for cell! Yowza!
The way I view it is that cell phones are used for many things. This piece of technology can be used in irresponsible ways. But it can be used for good things-like someone who is hearing impaired and it can save a life in a grave situation!
I think of all those people in the World Trade Center and on the hijacked planes who were able to speak with loved ones or leave messages for them. Those family members treasure those last words and were able to save them. Some have been shared with the public.
And Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We learned so much about what actually happened on that flight and what heroes those people were!
Yes, cell phones can be used in the wrong way. But my opinion is they do more good than harm in our society! Jut my opinion 🙂
Happy bday, Karen!!!!!!
xo, misha
Live and DIE by the iphone. Not just a cell phone. I am addicted to everything it does for me. I use the memo app for every list in my life! Words With Friends? Breaks up the monotony of the checkout line. Pinterest? Can't go to bed without a peek. Alarm clock? IPHONE. News? Iphone. (The only place I get news – btw – next to Facebook! LOL.) Music for the gym? You guessed it – iPHONE.
So yea – I can't live without it anymore. And regarding the landline? Canceled the home phone 2 months ago. The only reason I still have a landline in the house is because it's my business/fax line. Unfortunately – still feel the need…Happy Birthday woman!!!
The genie is out of the bottle and we aren't ever going back—cell phones are here to stay! I can't leave home without mine–I'm sure it is just a false sense of security, but with all the picking up of grandkids and meeting up with daughter, it is necessary. Still, many days I'd go for a slower pace of life!
Happy Birthday, Karen! Hope you eat cake to celebrate!
We started many years ago when the kids were little with a car phone that was in a black leather bag. Do you remember the car phones? We still have our land line and will never get rid of it, but I use both cell and land lines daily.
Technically I own a cell phone, but I don't even know where it is. I never use it and it usually isn't charged. I only have it for if I leave town in case of an emergency. For the most part I'm either at home (where there is a phone) or at work (where there is a phone), and if I'm not near one of those phones I am probably somewhere where I don't need a phone for those few minutes anyway.
I'm online most of the day so it's not like I feel disconnected, but I don't like the way I see other people get almost addicted to their phones. I don't want that. I'm sure an iphone is fun, but I'd rather not become dependent on one.
I am with Joey on this one too….I would be LOST without my iphone!! It does everything for me! My daughter will not answer her phone. Ever. If I send her a text, I get a response back in ten seconds! I love texting and it is valuable in so many situations. But. Not Driving. I cannot STAND to see people talking and / or texting while driving. There is absolutely no phone call or message that cannot wait until the vehicle is parked. Period. We got rid of the landline when B retired three years ago. Do not miss it at all. Now…because of the location of my home and the cottage, I do have a cell booster which works off my wifi. Works great! I also get all my news and weather and emails and Pinterest and FB and blog with my iphone (or ipad) whichever happens to be easier. I do all of my shopping and keeping track of business leads with my iphone and ipad, as well as rely on it for all my entertainment needs. I do not watch movies on anything other than the ipad…as a member of Amazon Prime…it is free. My husband sees absolutely no need for a smart phone and most of the time I have to remind him to turn it on!! The kids are scattered around the country…we even had grands in China and England last year…texting is invaluable!! He wonders why he never hears from the kids and grands…it is because he as blocked texting on his ancient flip phone. I guess it is an age thing…he needs to get with the program!!
Got rid of my land line a long time ago. I only have a cell phone.
Introduced to a cell when I worked, I am still hooked…the Pres, no…but I was a techie so to speak….:)JP
We got rid of our land line a few years ago due to the expense. My mom has a simple cell phone but only uses it when she leaves the house.
Interesting post Karen!
I am the only one in my family without a landline. My kids all have them, my parents have them and aunts and cousins… but not my husband and I. 🙂
~ Lisa ~