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My son has been asking for a cell phone since he was eight years old, and I always said no. Over the past few years I've watched Jordan mature, and our lifestyle has changed dramatically. He's old enough to stay home alone, and he is active in after-school activities, so a phone has become a necessity. I knew if he was going to make the leap into the tween stage with a cell phone in hand, it would need to have an unlimited text talk and data/web plan. After all, I can't afford to pay for him to surf the net for hours, and I have no idea how much he will use the phone to talk and text. In the end, my husband and I needed to hash out the pro's and con's of our son having a cell phone, while trying to find the cheapest wireless plans to meet our needs.
In the last year Jordan has started hanging out with his friends more often, spending nights away from home, and going on out-of-state field trips. It's times like these that I would love send texts to check up on him, and ask for pictures so I can share in the things he's doing with his class. He's also joining the band this year, and he'll be staying after school for practice. With four children, my husband and I are always on the go, so being in constant contact is a way of life for us.
There will be times that our schedules require Jordan to come home to an empty house, and I need to know that he can reach out to me if he feels uneasy or needs something. Like most families today, we have no reason to have a home phone, so if something was to happen, or he just wanted to talk he wouldn't have any way to communicate with us.
I was important for us to find the lowest priced UNLIMITED plan available, and a cheap phone to get him started. I have broken three faces, usually drop my phone on a daily basis, and have even dropped my phone in the toilet and a bowl of cereal (never FaceTime while eating breakfast). If Jordan is anything like his mom, we can plan on replacing this phone at least three times this year.
Thankfully, my journey for an affordable plan ended right around the corner at our friendly neighborhood Walmart! Walmart offers the cheapest wireless plans with Unlimited Talk Text and Data/Web and when I found the Alcatel One Touch Evolve for $29.88, I was in frugal heaven! The monthly cost of Jordan's phone is $34.88 per month (decreased from $39.88). This price is locked in for the life of the plan. How perfect is that?!
Now that Jordan has a cell phone we all feel a sense of security, and I know we made the right choice for our family. Whether he needs a ride home from school, wants to ask permission to ride with a friend, or is facing an emergency, we know Jordan is covered, and that feels great.
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