New Phone

They say buying a car is one of the worst emotional crisis' you can have next to going to the dentist or taking a car in for repairs.  Going in to get a new phone and change your plan has to be up there somewhere between these.  I have never been so confused in all my life and I did some research before I went in.

My old plan was costing us a couple of hundred dollars a month with no hotspot, just 4GB of data, 1000 messages and 700 minutes.  I was hoping to save money while getting a hotspot but that isn't possible and the senior program with my carrier sucks so I didn't take it.  I ended up with fewer minutes, less data with the new Galaxy S5, very strong competition for the IPhone.  It cost me more than I will save to upgrade the phone but I felt it was necessary for our pending trips.

I haven't had the opportunity to do much with the phone yet but there are many options that I believe will enhance my future picture taking as well as our ability to communicate on the road.  The phone is larger than my previous Stratosphere and doesn't have a flip style keyboard but Samsung has made the touch screen bigger and easier to use.  Just in the little time I have had it, texting is a breeze.

Mia doesn't use the smart phone to the extent that I do so I downgraded her to a basic flip style LG Revere 2 phone.  She can still text and get calls and even access email and the internet but it is unlikely she will do much but make and receive calls.  The downgrade will save us a couple of bucks on the monthly bill but certainly not enough to cover the cost of the Samsung.  The good news is her phone was free with at 2 year plan.

After we "really" retire and stop traveling (three years) I suspect that I will move away from the smart phone to a basic phone and leave the internet and email to other devices in my possession.

Hope everyone is well.  Thanks for stopping by.