Could You Give up Your Cell Phone?

Nope we have no land line, and I would have to have it to call out in an emergency. In your case maybe you should change your voicemail message. "I am really REALLY sorry I can not come to the phone right now, however I am using my superpowers to try and save the world. I will get back to you as soon as I can find the nearest telephone booth to change back into my normal clothes and not blow my cover." I had people getting upset that I didn't answer too I put this on mine and you would be amazed at what a little bit of humor will do to ease a tense situation

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I wouldn't let family chase me away from my phone but they all know I don't jump to answer it. If I'm in the kitchen cooking and my hands are a mess, I don't hastily try and wipe them off to grab the phone. If I'm bathing my daughter and the phone rings, I let it go to voice-mail and catch the message after I'm done. Sometimes, I'm just in the middle of a really good book and don't want to talk.

It helps that I've canceled texting on our phones because it saves us $30 a month and we can't afford the extra expense right now. Our phones are just phones and nothing more until our income starts to come closer to matching our outgo. Then we can pick up the perks again.

We keep our cellphones because I have an irrational fear of being stranded midway between destinations, out on the freeway in the baking heat of the summer with my toddler daughter. I have horrible dreams of her dying of heat stroke or getting hit by a car as we trudge to the nearest emergency phone that they have posted ever few miles or so along the highway.

I happen to remember a time when my husband was driving along the road before we had cell phones and the car broke down. It was hot and miserable out. He had to hike all the way back to town to reach a pay phone so he could call a tow-truck. When he got home he was terribly sunburned and said he felt like he was going to pass out from heat stroke.

I keep my phone because I'm paranoid and I have a small child. The fact that I can call my parents up and talk to them whenever I want is just a bonus. If I start to get harassing calls from obnoxious family members, I just start screening my calls until they think I died and stop calling.

Technology is there to make your life easier. As soon as it becomes a burden, change how you use it. Own it. Make it yours again. Don't let it chase you away. Tell your crazy sister in law to jump off a cliff and then never respond to her again. When she sends you a text that says, "Do u h8 me?!? Y don't you answr?"

Simply reply, "No, but you're driving me crazy so please, don't call me, I'll call you." The truth will set you free. They can be as offended as they want. Just let it slide off you like water off a ducks back.

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I wouldnt give up my cell phone for safety reasons. Dont put yourself at risk over your immature inlaws. Just ignore them.

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Nope, I need it to speak with our daughter, my mother and my father in case of any emergencies at any moment.

I also have too many clients to help.

I do silence my phone and place it on vibrate.. that way the ringing of unwanted or unimportant calls, do not feel as urgent. The ringing can sometimes drives me crazy.

FYI.. I never answer the phone if my sister calls. It is always my fault if she is calling.. So she is getting used to emailing or texting me.. I place all of the accusations in a file with my version of her assumptions.

Sometimes, I think she would be a great fiction writer.. She can really make up some great stories. She is like your SIL, she thinks the world is just here because of her. She assumes the worst in everybody and yet, she is the one that is always stirring the pot.

Also we no longer have a land line.

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No way, especially because someone else is being a bully about it!! I feel safer having a cell ohone (i.e., child lost or hurt at playground, car breaks down, late picking up child, etc.). I don''t have it for other people's convenience, just mine, hubby, and kids. I never use my cell phone in the car becuase of distracted driving issues and until this weekend, I never had a data/text plan. So I don't answer my cell phone for every ring or beep!! Tell the inlaws to bug off! Or tell them, you are changing your plan to save money and the cell phone is for emergencies only.

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Nope...I think we should limit our use. Now with three kids and daycare..I am glad to have mine in case of emergencies..It is also nice, to talk if I am running to the store and my DH thinks of something I left off the list or vice versa....Love my phone but agree to cut back on using it.

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If I needed to, I could. It is really a handy device to have, but some people get addicted to it, and I am like you I do get annoyed when they text and call and expect you to jump loops to answer it. I guess you have nothing better to do than to sit and wait for a call.

My family gives the guilt talk that what if it was an emergency? I am thinking, then call 911.

So many things can prevent you from answering the phone. It is not charged, you are in the bathroom, you didn't hear it ring, it is not close by, and a host of other reasons, but the people who call think you have it glued to your ears.

Yeah, so I could do without it and have had a cell phone sabbatical before. Left the device at home and out of habit was reaching for it, then realized that I really didn't need it after all. I was able to do something else with my time than dial.

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I could not. We live almost 2 hours away from all of my family and friends. We all have the same cell phone company, so it is free to talk to them on their cells. If someone calls that I don't have time for, I just don't answer. I have 2 little kids, so most of the time they understand if I'm busy.

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I could easily get rid of my cell phone... there are some days I don't use it at all, especially on weekends when my husband and I are both at home. I don't have a data plan because I'm not about to spend a monthly fee when I'm a stay-at-home Mother and have constant access to the internet anyway. The reasons I keep my cell phone: we don't have a landline at our house, all of our family lives 2-4 hours away (and long distance is free with a cell phone), and for emergency purposes (driving in the car, etc). My husband and I have the cheapest share talk plan available on Verizon, and we never go over our minutes. So short answer, yes I could give up my phone, but no it's not likely to happen.

As for your drama situation - that's ridiculous. I hate talking on the phone, so I avidly screen my phone calls. I don't understand why families are so controlling with one another? In the long run, does it really matter that you didn't pick up the phone immediately?

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Nope. No house line.

I only answer when I'm available to talk.

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I gave up mine over a year ago and love it. I have a home phone that I call from and it has free long distance. When I am out I like being able to do what I need to do and not have to keep answering the phone. I also hate being with people who will answer their phone while we are in the middle of a conversation/ hanging out, so I didn't anwser my phone that much when I was out, I ignored it/ silenced it. The only times I miss having a phone is when I am meeting up with someone and can't find them.

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I could give up my cell phone but I wouldn't want to. I feel much more secure having mine on me just in case of emergencies. I almost never text and I really don't talk on mine a whole lot either but there have been times when my daughter's preschool has needed to contact me about something, etc. so I wouldn't be willing to get rid of it.

Also, when we were on vacation a couple of years ago that's how my mother inlaw was able to contact us to tell us that my father inlaw was in the hospital because he was having heart problems. Luckily, we were able to get back to our hotel asap and check out early so we could get home and be with them.

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No. No. No. No. No. No.
As my mother used to say......."Gawd forbid! don't say such things! You're breaking my heart ova here." hehe Love you mom. She's a New Yorker, can you tell?

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I didn't read your other post, so I'll just answer the two questions.

Yes - if I had to, I could give up my cell phone!

I refused to have one at all for a long time, because I didn't want to be at the mercy of that ring tone! After 9-11-2001 happened, however, I realized how useful and important cell phones could be, and I relented.

I like the idea that I can contact people in an emergency. It's handy at other times, too, like being able to call from the center of a traffic jam and say, "I'm sorry I'll be late, but you'll see me once I can get off this silly highway."

However, I treat my cell phone as I do my land line phone on the kitchen wall. It is my servant, not my master! I am not *required* to answer the phone - and whoever invented Caller ID should get extra stars in their crowns!

Unless one is in an emergency situation of some sort, or has a job that requires being on call 24/7, one should be able to say, "No, I don't always answer my phone. If you don't get me, be sure to leave a message!" Yes, it means re-training some folks. It also means being conscientious about checking messages!

It might be a good experiment to put your cell phone away for a week - or a month - and see how well you can do without it! But one thing you'd learn is that pay telephones are practically nonexistent these days.... :^)

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Absolutely. My family made me get a phone so that when I was caught in traffic I could tell DH to pick up SD instead. It's the only reason I have one.

If you don't reach me, I can't answer the phone. Even with a bluetooth, I might be *gasp* driving! And I rarely text. I only text when really necessary and don't have a texting plan. You could keep a pay as you go phone for emergencies if it's otherwise just a headache. My phone is mostly for when I'm on the road and might need to call someone. Came in handy when I was 6 mo. pregnant and needed to reach AAA.

I would tell them that they need to respect your time and if they continue to call repeatedly, you'll just turn off the phone (you don't have to mean cancel service, just turn it on silent so you don't hear it). Hold firm.

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Absolutely! I have only a tracfone now and have had 6 mins of airtime on it for the last 6 weeks. I could sooo live w/out a cell phone :)

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Well, being that I don't have a land line anymore, I couldn't. I don't really use it during work hours. And I don't have anyone that gets offended if I don't pick up my cell phone right away....so really I have no issues.

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I had to have my phone off for almost a year. At first it was HORRIBLE, but then after you got used to how life used to be. It's not that bad. Sometimes it would have come in handy, BUT made life simpler. There is a possibility if you have an ipod touch, there are apps that you can text with. I used that for emergencies, but you have to have an internet connection to do that. I say that if the phones are what is causing all this unnessicary drama, get rid of them, or just turn them off during "peak hours".

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Yes, I could give up my cell phone. I am probably the only one left on this planet who does not own an iphone, ipad, blackberry or smart phone. I still just use a regular no-frills cell phone, (my husband too, although he does have a blackberry for work) and we do not even pay for texting services, so I have never texted before! Your texting problem is simple - get rid of your texting services!! Tell your family you and your husband are trying to cut back and decided that you didn't want to pay for texting services anymore. That's an easy one! So, even though I could give up my cell phone, I think it is VERY important for everyone to have a cell phone in case of an emergency. You don't want to get in a car accident, or have your car break down and not able to call for help. Also, what if your childrens' school is trying to call you and you're not home? You need to have a cell phone for that reason too.

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I switched from a land line to a cell phone when I was single, because it was more convenient and also because long distance was free, and I have family all over the country. I think now there are some land line plans that give you so many minutes of free long distance per month. So could I switch? Yeah, but I still like the convenience of having a phone with me all the time.

I don't really enjoy talking on the phone, and I don't buy into the mentality that because I have a cell phone, that means I have to be permanently available whenever it rings. If you don't want to/can't answer, then don't. You shouldn't have to feel guilty about that.

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Easily I only have a cell prepaid for use for my kids school to get ahold of me if not home or for kids if my oldest is babysitting

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We have two businesses that require us to be on call 24/7. We also don't have a home phone anymore. So, no, UNFORTUNATELY, I could not give up my cell phone! :(

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Yes. I don't need mine at all. I use it but it's not important or something I couldn't live without.

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i only have a prepaid phone. i rarely use it. i just got a new phone so i am trying to use it more to use up more minutes. but when i was doing the per minute rate and buying cards, i would have roll over minutes or money that would end up being $80 or more. i would only turn on my cell when i would leave the house just in case of accident or if i forgot something i could call someone. so before i got my smartphone (which i use more like an ipod touch) i could definitely do without a cell.

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Nope, i couldn't live without it. I use it as a planner, for the internet, etc. HOWEVER, I see it as a convenience for me, not for everyone else...cuz I'm not on call 24/7.

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I could! I do love the convenience of it, but I didn't suffer before, and often I don't answer or reply when I'm busy. I can't stand it when people seem to think that, because we all have cell phones, we're never supposed to be unreachable! I also don't get the apps like 4square that let people know exactly where you are all the time -creepy!

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You could just get rid of texting and turn your cell phones off when you don't want to be bothered. I like mine when I'm out and about and school calls me. I hate when it's always ringing and just came to realize that I don't have to answer it if I don't want to. I don't like being interrupted when I'm in the store. I think it's rude. Unless you have a quick question about a size of clothing or groceries..stay off. People used to leave their houses to relax but with the phone ringing and people asking where you are and tracking you down it is distracting and makes me forget what I'm at the store for sometimes. If I'm cooking dinner and my hubby calls to tell me about his bad day at work I just ignore it and talk to him when he gets home. Even with his ear piece in I don't like him on that thing while driving and I can do my cooking without sitting on the phone. I rarely get phone calls anymore. It's all texts. I got one the other day from my BIL thanking us for his birthday money and card. I thought that was unpractical. My hubby had tried calling him all day and he wouldn't answer so then he calls hubbys cell and hubby tells everyone he doesn't answer it when he's home. It's for work. He didn't call our house phone and hubby was irritated about that. So instead he texted me. I would rather talk to family on the phone.

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Me ~ no. However I do not have a house phone. If I had a house phone then yes. However the only 4 people to text me regular are: my husband, 2 day care workers (each of my kids primary providers) and my boss usually telling me she is going to be late. I will occassionally get a text from my cousin or my good friend, neither of which is drama filled. If I am having dinner or our I just don't answer ~ my mother has learned that I will call her back. Now if I was getting a lot of drama that may be another story, but mine assists me. I know the minute one of my children is sick at day care (then the official call from the director if it gets to the point where they need picked up) or I may get a picture of them doing something new or cute. So for me for now, mine is a good non stress adding item : )
I am sorry that yours causes you all kids of stress.

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