summercomfort (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
summercomfort) wrote2004-08-27 03:11 am
summercomfort) wrote2004-08-27 03:11 am
Phones and Bills
So, I'm looking at getting a cell phone. Parents have been a bit miffed at inability to reach me at times, and methinks it's something that'll come in handy at times. I've mostly been looking at T-mobile, since they actually have, y'know, cheap plans. (does anyone else know other cheap plans?)
But I'm torn between getting a pay-as-you-go plan such as this, with a cute little flip-phone. (That's $99 for phone + 120 minutes. Additional minutes are about a $0.25 per minute and $0.10 per text message) Cons would be having to buy more minutes at Walgreens, plus I don't really know how much I'd use it. Say I use about 600 minutes for the entire year, then that's $120, plus the $99 phone and I'm not much better than where I started.
Or I can get a basic plan of $19.99/mo, with 60 anytime minutes and 500 weekend minutes and $0.05 text messaging, which comes out to be $250 or so. And with that, I can get this Nokia for free, which isn't shabby! It does't flip, and is a standard cell-phone size, but it's got IM-goodness, which may come in handy as an extra way to reach people. But then it's like 3 minutes a day on weekdays (which is, um... 2 calls?), and then 250 a day on weekends, which is kinda crazy...
Or we can get the FamilyTime, which is $50 for 2 lines, 400 min/mo anytime, unlimited weekend. Cingular has a family plan for $40, but I can't tell if it's just 1 line or not, and whether we'd have to spend another $20 for another line.
Shit, I just realized that I need money to pay for summer utilities. (Kate's covering first month, Chang's broke so she's not covering July 15-August 31, maybe I can get Wenping and Liu Fang to cover September?) Guh. (Yes, I had to find 4 subletters.) Okay, so next quarter:
$1100 rent
$ 100 utilities (more if I get cell phone)
$ 500 food? (weekly veggies = $10, weekly meat = $15, weekly snacks = $10, weekly eating out = $15)
$ 400 books
$ 200 misc (activities, club spending, transportation, movies, yarn, laundry, Amazon impulses...)
============
$2300 for comfortable living
so if I am frugal and lifeless (or cheaper alternative life), then it'd be barely under $2000.
Time to find a job!!
But I'm torn between getting a pay-as-you-go plan such as this, with a cute little flip-phone. (That's $99 for phone + 120 minutes. Additional minutes are about a $0.25 per minute and $0.10 per text message) Cons would be having to buy more minutes at Walgreens, plus I don't really know how much I'd use it. Say I use about 600 minutes for the entire year, then that's $120, plus the $99 phone and I'm not much better than where I started.
Or I can get a basic plan of $19.99/mo, with 60 anytime minutes and 500 weekend minutes and $0.05 text messaging, which comes out to be $250 or so. And with that, I can get this Nokia for free, which isn't shabby! It does't flip, and is a standard cell-phone size, but it's got IM-goodness, which may come in handy as an extra way to reach people. But then it's like 3 minutes a day on weekdays (which is, um... 2 calls?), and then 250 a day on weekends, which is kinda crazy...
Or we can get the FamilyTime, which is $50 for 2 lines, 400 min/mo anytime, unlimited weekend. Cingular has a family plan for $40, but I can't tell if it's just 1 line or not, and whether we'd have to spend another $20 for another line.
Shit, I just realized that I need money to pay for summer utilities. (Kate's covering first month, Chang's broke so she's not covering July 15-August 31, maybe I can get Wenping and Liu Fang to cover September?) Guh. (Yes, I had to find 4 subletters.) Okay, so next quarter:
$1100 rent
$ 100 utilities (more if I get cell phone)
$ 500 food? (weekly veggies = $10, weekly meat = $15, weekly snacks = $10, weekly eating out = $15)
$ 400 books
$ 200 misc (activities, club spending, transportation, movies, yarn, laundry, Amazon impulses...)
============
$2300 for comfortable living
so if I am frugal and lifeless (or cheaper alternative life), then it'd be barely under $2000.
Time to find a job!!
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