I had one but got rid of it. Couldn't justify the cost when sometimes I went months without using it. I use my home phone almost exclusively. So don't feel bad netshound, you are not alone! NancyLouise

We don't know how we would live without our cell phones!
My husband travels all over the city for work, I travel all over the city for work, our kids are at school and they would NOT be able to reach us (school, not the kids) if we were needed in the event of an emergency IF we did not have our cell phones.
However, we don't pay the bill, which is between $120-$150/month. That is paid by our employers. As is our one land line at home. We don't have a home phone #. If I had to pay the phone bill, we would likely have ONLY cell phones, and I would cut the minutes back dramatically...
We did survive without our cell phones before, but not with these jobs! I worked in an office all day every day then, so I was always available in the event of a child emergency.

When my daughter is older, I will probably get one for her and one for us but ONLY so she can call our phone in case of emergency. She won't be calling all her friends. We will only get a plan that calls our phone. Until that happens, we are cell-phone free!

I am in agreement with the first two readers. Perhaps we are in the same age group. NancyLouise, I, also come from Maine, up state though-Rockland.

I never knew that people had so much to say to each other, whether it is food or clothing shopping, or trying to avoid car accidents.

As far as people in authority getting hold of parents during working hours, for the most part a lot of times things are not that serious that a child can't wait and in those awful times there still are the police and hospitals, I mean really, we have lived for generations without these cell phones!

I do think that they are here to stay and perhaps will replace phones in the homes, and hopefully be a blessing to many. I just think that PEOPLE need to be RETRAINED as to engaging in private matters in public places.

Well, if you don't want a cell phone, don't get one.

I have a cell but not a landline. Many reasons for that, one of them being that my cell is actually cheaper. $30/month long distance included vs. $40/month and extra for long distance. Plenty of friends and family who live in other states.

Plus...

pre cell phone, car breaks down = get out and walk until some stranger takes pity and gives me a ride to the nearest service station.

post cell phone, sit tight and call friend or tow truck to come get me.

(first got my cell when my last car was getting pretty unreliable, and decided that cell phone was cheaper than car payment)

pre cell phone, stuck in traffic on the way to appointment, got to just sit there and hope whoever you're meeting is forgiving.

post cell phone, call and say hey, accident on the bridge, don't think I'll be at work on time today, boss.

can use it when I travel. I know if anyone in my family were to have an emergency, they'd be able to reach me. Don't have to pay exhorbitant hotel-phone long distance charges.

Can use it to find your friends if you get separated in crowded places (like a dance club or disneyland).

Cell is just more convenient than landline. Necessary? No. Worth the money? Up to you.

NO! You are not the last person on earth without a cell phone! haha (We should form a club). Heck, I never had a "pager", and don't even know how those work(ed)! What's really bad - I've never even bot a TV in my life, and I'm over 50! lol!

I have my home phone that I pay for monthly. Most incoming calls are pushy salespeople or contributions wanted. I never answer my phone anymore. I DID "update" once, and got a phone/answering machine combo (with the little tape cartridges)
We bot about 3 "digital phones", and they pooped out within a month - so took back to stores and stuck with the tape recording kind! LOL!

Years ago, there were "payphones" everywhere. Some worked, some didn't. Problem was - you had to have change (dimes) to use them. There are still payphones, but not near as many as used to be...and they rarely work.

As far as kids in school and parents at work, normally - there was always a "contact for emergencies" list that parent would fill out that the school had on hand.

I remember one time (when "pagers" were popular, and cell phones were becoming popular), hubby & I took a sporadic trip in Southern Arizona. (We were headed to Toumbstone, AZ, but we decided to "explore", and just "winged it", and found ourselves out in middle of NOWHERE on bad - sometimes dirt- roads at 3:00 am! AT THAT TIME, I realized this was not good - we should have a cell phone for such excursions! (However, today, I don't know if a cell would have gotten reception - had we needed one then)

You are not alone!

The way the jobs are these days - I 'guess' a lot of people need them - some I think even are "required" to have them.
Sad...like they don't put in enough hours 'on-the-job'...they need to ba 'available' OFF the job too!

OTOH - cells are great timesavers for many working. Example, real estate agents.

I personally don't need one, since I'm at home all the time. Now, my hubby got one for work. He did a lot of traveling to get to appointments. If traffic was bad, he could call customer and inform he's going to be late. Plus, I can get ahold of him if needed no matter where he is for emergencies. (I'm disabled) It gives both of us peace of mind.

We resisted for a long, long time. We finally acquired some. They are the pay as you go type -- no "plan" fee, and you just have to top up every few months. DH uses his a lot. His mother is ill and has some sort of medical emergency every few weeks now, it seems, so he needs to be reachable at all times. They also are extremely worthwhile when we are traveling. Because with this type of plan, you basically pay for each call, I only use mine if I really need to reach someone when I'm not home. As someone else pointed out, pay phones are becoming extinct.

I never thought I'd be defending the darned things.

We don't have cable, BTW. We don't watch TV at all, and we are too busy doing other things to spend a lot of time watching movies at home.

I finally (just for fun) bought a prepay in March when going on vacation with friends. I thought it might come in handy a couple of times, and it did.

A couple of times we called back home (a lot cheaper than calling from the room), and used it a couple of other times as well. I enjoyed the games during the long drive.

It was only $20 for the phone, with 150 minutes on it. The only requirement is buying additional minutes ($10) every 3 months (one actually has an extra 45 day grace period to replenish) b4 the phone is deactivated and useless.

So, for $50 a year, I have the convenience, when I remember to take it with me. Occasionally when going visiting out of town, I'll call and ask if anyone wants me to pick up anything along the way.

It's worth the $50, but I wouldn't pay any more than that for it. Just not worth it to me.

I'm like you and would rather spend any extra money for pay TV. I'm thinking of splurging and getting the Dish Family pack for $20. I think it would be nice to have access to some non smut TV (regular TV has gotten pretty smutty I think), but will have to check and see just what channels it offers b4 taking the big plunge.

Sue

We dumped our house phone for cells years ago. No sales calls no calls from anyone we didn't give our numbers too.

We don't have cable tv. We prefer to rent movies from netflix. I think it works out about the same money.

The advertisers and marketing people ruined tv, same as they did the house phone. We just keep dumping the old technology once the advertisers get to it and moving to the next one. As long as you dump the old as you go the cost is the same.

I do know several people who have a cell phone and no land line. I would love to go that route but I need the land line to be able to send faxes from phone and for directv.

I know very few people without a cell phone.

Did I live without a cell phone for many years? Yes. Could I do it again? Yes. Did I live without the internet for many years? Yes. Could I do it again? Yes.

Do I want to do without either one? Not particularly.

I use my cell phone a lot. Back when I was much younger, I might call my mother once a month or so and rarely just to chat. It had to be important to make a long distance call because it was expensive. Now, I call her once or twice a week for long conversations just to visit. She is 82 and I'm glad we can have these conversations.

I gave my son a cell phone for his birthday last summer. I was glad to know that I could reach him and he could reach me in the event of an emergency. Yes, there were alternatives when I was kid but the cell phone is a safer way for him to reach me.

A couple of months ago my mother was hospitalized and I needed to visit her but it was a very busy time at work. I needed to be in touch with people in my office. The cell phone made it possible for me to go out of town to see her while still staying in touch with my office (these were not short calls).

Just this week, we were on the way to see a rental house as we are getting ready to sell our house and move to a rental while building. I was waiting to here from my real estate agent on something but it was nice to know that I didn't have to sit around the house waiting. I could leave and he could still reach me. At the same time, we arrived at the house and the agent who was showing the hosue to us was running late. He called us on the cell phone and explained and so we waited for him. In the old days, we might have just left.

Not everybody really needs one. If I was retired and my kids were grown and I didn't have friends or family who lived out of town...then I guess I could skip it. But, as it is, I use the cell phone much more often than I use the land line.

DH has cell phone fees reimbursed by his company. I finally got a cell phone after my old car broke down at night.

Our phones were free and we keep them for 1-2 years until a new free phone is offered to us. We get a 1 or 2 year contract and when it's up I shop for the best deal on a phone plan. Monthly cost for my cell phone is about $25-30/month.

Cell phones are a definite must for us. No cable TV for us. Not sure they even offer cable tv in our area. Need the home line for fax and computer.

my wife, my son, and myself all have have cell phones. the company pays for 2 of them, i pay for the 3rd. the company also pays for our landline so that i can dial up our sites from home if there is a problem. soon i will have high speed wireless internet at home and teh company will be shutting off the landline.

the only thing i use it for besides work is my Directv, but i plan on buying a cell socket so that my home lines work using my cell phone. i have actually used these before when setting up mobile emergency command centers for local EMA departments, and they work well.

my 2 year old also has a cell phone. of course, it is not activated! she has my old one that just messed up on me. imagine, a 2 year old with a camera phone.

I also am of the "cell-phone-no-landline" persuasion. The way I see it, for about what Qwest was charging me for a just a landline, Verizon offered more coverage (in a sense, since the phone is where I am rather than tied to my house); free long distance (not like I call people all that often, but why tie up money with "minimum charges" or phone cards that expire?); Caller ID (I transferred my landline number to my mobile and simply don't answer the phone if Caller ID doesn't show me a number I should know; too many telemarketers); and other features. Plus now I have an emergency phone. And when I was on phone coverage, I could call in and find out what the problem was and get calls back. No more being rooted to a pay phone or the house.

Not everyone needs a mobile phone. But they certainly come in handy!

Isn't it a problem not having a land line if there's a power outage or hurricane? A couple of years ago, there was a huge storm in the DC area that knocked out power for almost a week. People who had only cordless phones and cell phones were out of luck; also, people who had their phone, cable, and internet bundled did not have phone service for several days.

We don't have a cellphone. We have had them a couple of times when there was a critical phase of work when my DH's office needed to be in touch quickly, But after that period was over, he turned them back in. We don't want our drive time to be work time as well.

Having no land line isn't an option for us. Cell phones have never worked well in our location. If anyone phones enroute to our place, we know when they are getting close because their phone cuts out.

It isn't just an age thing. 3 of our 4 children (age 25-35) have cell phones. The one who doesn't is an ardent cell phone resister. Most people would regard her as the one who "needs" one most, since she regularly travels 6 hours to visit her boyfriend in another city, and because she frequently works in streams and fields.

Cell phone service just isn't where we chose to put our money.

Cell phones have batteries so power outages are not problems. If the power is out for days you can just charge it in the car.

Also my phone has internet usage so if there is a storm or problem and power is out, I can get news, email and information about what is going on during the problem from my phone.

I can get directions when I am lost, find local restaurants, or stores. This was a huge help when we moved from Boston to Houston.

I also set the cell phone not to ring for people I don't know so if some moron calls to sell something ( not so far ) or other then I don't even know they have called.

"Isn't it a problem not having a land line if there's a power outage or hurricane?"

Nope.

Telephone lines are (generally) hung on poles just like power lines, and are just as susceptible to being knocked down by wind or having trees fall on them. When I had a home phone, it was as likely to go out during a storm as the power.

Anyway, you don't need power to *use* a cell phone, you only need it to recharge the thing. I know I've gone at least three days without recharging mine and not drained it completely, not sure how much longer it could last. Obviously longer if you don't chat on it for hours. And if you have a car charger or can plug it in at work if you have no power at home, there's no problem at all. A cell phone is more likely to be useful in/after a storm, not less.

(Not perfect; cell towers can be knocked out of service or overloaded, too.)

if a major storm knocked out all power, the landlines would go dead as well. many folks do not realize this, but the phone company uses electricty too. if the central offices and remote terminals lose AC, they run on battery. 24-48 hours later they die unless a generator is hooked up. not all sites will get emergency power back at first, so you may be out for days until a mobile genny is brought to the site.

cell sites on the other hand usually have genny's onsite that kick in immediately and can run for long periods of time. plus they have battery backup. all this does no good if the tower fell though!

NOTHING is 100% reliable, but cell phones are getting to be as good as or better than landline service in most areas.

You know what, I guess one of my issues with the cell-phone and why I don't have one, is that people seemed to have lost..hmmm...manners, I guess. I work in retail and I see so many people in the store that are on thier phone while the cashier is ringing them out, or on thier phone when a Pharmacist is trying to go over thier prescription, when it's thier turn to be waited on and they are on thier cell-phone I have actually seen a number of people tell the clerk to "hold on" when there are people waiting to be waited on behind them! There just seems to be no more etiquette today. Did you know there are some countries that actually have software in public places that turn off signals inside so you can't use your phone in public places? So I guess the monthly bill is'nt the only thing stopping me getting one. We just seem to be losing the personal quality and the simple things like manners. I guess thats one reason why I boycott them the more I thought about it. I know the time will come when I get one and my family members will have to get one but they certainly will know the proper etiquette in when and when NOT to use them. For right now, one less bill is alright with me. My parents raised 7 of us without a cell-phone and let me tell you, there were plenty of emergencys but everything was always taken care of. I do believe in todays world, women especially, should carry one when they are out. I just wish they came with an etiqeutte book when you got one.

"the only thing i use it for besides work is my Directv, but i plan on buying a cell socket so that my home lines work using my cell phone. i have actually used these before when setting up mobile emergency command centers for local EMA departments, and they work well."

davidandkasie - could you explain this? One of the reasons I even have a landline is for Directv (the other one is to be able to send faxes). If I could get around that I think I would get rid of the land line altogether.

I have one but I don't use it all that much. I'm finding it more helpful when I'm expecting someone to call me back like my doctor, someone scheduling an appointment to give me an estimate, etc. I'm not home during the day and I don't sit at my desk at work all day either. Having a cell phone allows me to connect with someone with one call rather than a bunch of messages back and forth. It's also nice if you travel much as it's an easier and less expensive alternative than trying to use hotel phones, pay phones, calling cards, etc. It's been helpful when someone is driving up to pick me up at the airport and can't find me - they call and I can describe where I'm at.

I don't yack on it all the time like some people do. I do think people can be quite rude - talking on the phone while checking out of a store, in a restaurant, yelling out all their personal affairs on the phone in an elevator, etc. DH on the other hand talks on it all the time - can hardly ride in the car without yacking to someone.

Kats_Meow - you might want to look into a fax-via-internet service like Efax. They provide you with a fax number where you can receive faxes, and you send by using some simple software that they provide. Just scan and fax. I pay $12.95 a month, no extra fees or taxes, which is less than the second phone line I would need for my business fax.

Here is a link that might be useful: Efax

I just wish they came with an etiqeutte book when you got one.

I'd like to see that book included with lots of other products, too, like certain brands of cars (strange how bad behavior in cars seems to concentrate in certain brands around here) and motorcycles (especially the unmuffled ones), and posted in public restrooms. Wouldn't want to get rid of any of those products (well, maybe the motorcycles....). But it's sad that technology enables such poor etiquette.

Don't even get me started on cellphone etiquette.

I wonder why so many of them talk so loud when using them? Is the reception that bad? Just a bad habit?

The other day I was stopped at a stop light, and overheard every word of the telephone conversation in the car next to me. Had the same passenger been conversing with the driver, I doubt if I would have heard anything.

After she hung up, she then loudly blurted out a profanity.

I lost it, and said to her something like this....Besides hearing every word of you phone conversation, I just heard that. Watch your mouth in public. Would you?

The light then changed and they sped off...Thank goodness.

Sue...who hates to hear loud profanity and one sided telephone conversations in public.

Netshound, Thank you,. That was the point that I was trying to make.

I don't think cell phones make people rude any more than guns make people murderers.

The people who are rude with cells would just be rude in another form if they did not have the cell.

No cell phone here, either.

I have no trouble with them, generally. But turn them off in theatres or when you're in a business establishment. I tell customers to my workroom to turn them off, just the way I turn the ringer off on my land line. I don't permit interruptions by my phone... I expect the same from customers!

It's an advertising coup that so many believe they must always be "reachable". I relish the time AWAY from the 'phone. Controlling the damn thing is my goal; wear one on my hip? I don't think so.

Chelone, you're so right. In the past few years, clients have started to comment that I don't have a cell phone number on my business card, and then they ask for it. When I tell them that only my family and close friends have the number, they're surprised, and many are more than a bit peeved. But I'm with you - I don't want to be too reachable.

We have no land line, but my wife and I each have blackberry/cell phones. My wife is a full time mom but still loves having access to her e-mail and to the Internet wherever she goes.

In addition to the benefits I saw above, we have unlimited free talk time to each other and to my parents (also on my plan). We get traffic alerts e-mail to our phones. We can keep up with e-mail when traveling or even when out and about for the day. The phones synchronize with Outlook, so our calendars go with us. We can use Google Mobile Maps to quickly find and call places. We can see realtime traffic maps of our city. We can keep our shopping lists on our computers and synch them with our phones.

Cell phones, for people that don't talk a lot, aren't much more expensive than land lines and they are so much more flexible. We could live with out them, but we find that they are easily worth the extra money to us.

The thing I still don't understand is how anyone can watch TV without a DVR. Once you've used for a few weeks, sitting through commercials just seems insane. I haven't watched anything live in years. I would definitely drop cable if it weren't for our Tivos.

Parents teach manners, phone service providers do not.

Ooo, I'm going to change my cell phone to a pay per use. I only use it for scheduling repair persons or contractors, and emergencies.

Hi netbeagle,

I don't have one, either.

Being retired, I get my pension cheques monthly, whether I work or not.

All that I need do to qualify is ... stay above the grass (which I've managed quite well, up till now).

Sometimes when I see someone with a pager or a cell on their belt, I remark that I see that they're wearing their leash, today.

When they look at me rather quizically and ask what I'm talking about, I point to the machine.

Most of them willingly concede my point ... some with a degree of disquietude, sometimes a measure of distress: "You got that right!".

ole joyful

I am a single parent of a young teen, do part-time work at home, and as well I am a landlord and property manager of six sets of tenants (both residential and commercial). My cell phone is not a matter of whimsy, it is a VERY useful tool that makes my life easier and allows me to perform my jobs better.

Yes it is a "leash" in a sense, but that is the nature of my work. I need to be available to school, camps, co-workers, tenants, and emergency services 24/7. Literally, I have been called by ADT security services at 1:15 AM when an alarm went off.

And they are SO convenient for all the reasons people have mentioned above and more. I can remember being at Disney with my sister and son, and calling her while we were waiting on line for a ride, to let her know how long the line was and when we were getting on! Kinda silly and fun! :)

That said, there are lots of people who behave rudely while on their cell phones, but I think that has decreased as this new technology has become a normal part of everyday American life and people learn how to use them appropriately.

Pay per use phones: When I looked at them several years ago, they weren't particularly cheap and the minutes had to be used within a certain time period. It was just as cheap to get a phone with a normal plan. The only advantage was that you could get one with no credit.

Leashes: That's certainly why I encouraged my staff to all get Blackberries. I wanted to make sure that I could reach them when I needed them. Of course, that also gives them more freedom. There are times when we have things going on at the office that would have required them to be at the office or at home. Now they can go out about town knowing that if something comes up they can respond quickly.

In some ways it is sad that it is so much harder to truly get away from work. On the flip side, we can do a lot more with fewer people. The more you can produce, the more money you can make. Which means you can afford better cell phones. ;-)

But at what personal cost? ;)

In some ways it is sad that it is so much harder to truly get away from work. On the flip side, we can do a lot more with fewer people. The more you can produce, the more money you can make.

I work at a large multinational company. Someone had a bright idea to start "follow-the-sun" support -- until the folks in Europe let us know in no uncertain terms that they were not interested in being paged or phoned after hours. In fairness, our European employees -- like our Asian and U.S. employees -- often get to work earlier or stay later than normal to do business. But Europe has as many types of communications devices as the U.S. does. They just refuse to let those devices tyrannize them.

For me the cell phone is simply a tool. It does tyrannize me a bit, in that mine is always on and it is almost always on my person. But for the time being, it is my choice to be tyrannized this way! ;)

I worked the 9-5 jobs for many years, and there is a lot to be said for leaving your work at the office when you go home. Nobody calling you at 8 AM on a Saturday morning because the hot water heater is leaking. Not having to meet the Sewer & Drain company after hours with the Wet-Vac in tow because a main drain has backed up. Blech.

On the other hand, about half my income is derived from rents. Most of the time things run pretty smoothly with the tenants, and the hardest work that needs to be done that month is pay a few bills, and stroll into the bank and deposit the checks.

Leaves lots of time for gardening!!

What I see shaping up here is HOW people choose to use a technology. Years ago, before the answering machine, you responded to the bell and picked up the receiver. Nowadays, you don't have to do that! You have CONTROL of the telephone. Cell phones are very liberating IF they are used judiciously.

I said I didn't have a problem with cell phones... but found the "me first" aspect of them annoying. And I do find it annoying to be cut off in mid sentance when someone reaches for a ringing cell phone when I'm explaining how much it will cost to rehab. the dodger they've brought into the shop. I now simply walk away and return to my sewing machine and go back to work. When they finish their conversation and have "time" for me again I tell them to wait, I'll be done "in minute"; the point is very clear and easily made. "Are you ready to talk to ME now? OK, don't answer your phone again, the sooner we finish up here the sooner you and I will back on the path to productivity".

Parents may well teach manners, but when their own are so lacking what are the rest of us to do? I'm brutal about this aspect of cell phones. Last come, first served? Unhuh.

Last night I was driving on a multi-lane street, one of the major arteries in town, when I saw a lady in a nice shiny red car next to me (no dents in fenders, yet ... that I could see, anyway) looking down at her cell phone.

Dialing??? After dark - even with a lit keypad: night driving requires extra vigilance, even on a lighted street.

At the light, I saw that it was one of the kind with pictures (in colour, of course).

I thought that if we arrived at the next red light just as it turned red, of going over to her car to ask her just how she thought that she could consider dialing a number on her phone, or watching the pictures, and keeping her eyes and mind occupied with the traffic, at the same time?

A car, not properly operated, quickly becomes a lethal machine.

It seems to me that using a cell phone while driving should be a legal offence.

Careful not to be too talkative, folks - things that you say can be used against you!

ole joyful

P.S. And how can I keep my eyes/mind on the road when I'm spending so much time considering activities in a nearby vehicle??

o j

I know in NY state you can be ticketed for using a cell-phone while driving. A friend of mine was driving home talking to her mother, she came up on a box in the road, had to swerve to miss it and lost control of her car. She died and left a 6 year old son.

I've watched this thread but delayed input because I carry a somber message.

I believe my father would still be living had he had a cell phone. A couple years ago, he got a flat returning from a friend's home and was killed crossing A1A in Florida trying to get to a phone booth.

I believe if you are out and about, you need one. It's worth it.

If you have a cell phone, you don't have to use it while you drive. Mine is set up with different rings for friends, coworkers, family, and my wife. Depending on who is calling and when, I sometimes pull into a parking lot to return calls. Other times I just wait until it is convenient.

You needed interrupt conversations with other people to answer your phone. Every cell phone I know allows the caller to leave voice mail. The phone also records the number of the caller. You can call them back when it is convenient.

Cell phones usually have very sensitive microphones that adjust their gain automatically. If you use one in a restaurant, you can do so at a volume level lower than a normal conversation and not bother anyone. If you can't train yourself not to talk LOUDLY, you can always go outside with those other social outcasts - the smokers.

Cell phones aren't inherently evil, they are just used that way by people the either don't care or don't know better.

EXACTLY, joestrauss.

I'm sorry for your loss, Celticmoon. You must miss him terribly and your story, like that of netshound highlights the safety and dangers the technology evokes.

sigh...

My cell phone is invaluable to me (and more important than cable - nothing entertaining there, especially with summer reruns!).... it keeps me in touch with family (all out of my local calling area) and kids (away at college) for only $20 each month. (Beats regular long distance!)
Plus I use it for all my calls to businesses, etc out of my local area in order to keep the land line around $20 each month.

One nice thing about spending money is that we all get to choose what is important and what's not. We choose to have cell phones. My parents got through many emergencies and I did too. I'll choose to have a cell phone anyday.

It's like anything else. My grandmother scrubbed clothing in the sink with a washboard because she didn't have money. I choose to have a very nice washer and dryer because I can afford them. Our choices are usually about things which make life easier. DH and I have worked opposite of each other for 12 years and managed 4 kids with that. It's EASIER to have cell phones. It's not like we're taking food off the table to have them. We choose not to have things other families do feel are important. It all comes out in the wash.

Gloria

I am with you ,I dont want the extra cost of a cell phone and I really dont want to join this growing group of people who I feel but not all are so rude and inconsiderate.It has gotten so bad that when I was in the restroom at a major department store a women was on her cell while going to the bathroom as was I, when I complained to management they said they could do nothing, then of course you have those that cant hear because of the noise so they basically start sreaming into their phone.I have two teens and would have nothing to do with hooking them up or paying for it, if i dont want the exspense than I will be dammed if i will pay for them.

I always laugh and say that my husband and I are the last in our socio-economic group that don't have cell phones! So you are not alone!
Our children think we are "weird"! Don't have one and never will.
I have been out to lunch with someone and while we were in the middle of a conversation they answered their phone, never said "excuse me I need to take this call". After sitting there for a few minutes and from the side of the conversation I could hear could tell that it could have waited, I just got up and left! Needless to say she was quite surprised when she was faced with two lunches and no lunch partner! She later called and apologized, but I haven't made plans with her again!

jandasmom, your lunch partner was incredibly rude. The phone was not the cause of that rudeness (though it did enable it). Your lunch partner quite likely would have done the same thing with a pager or even a friend or acquaintance stopping by. Phones don't make people rude any more than knives make them dangerous. Sure, the potential exists. But it's nothing the inanimate object can do on its own.

Well, at least I dropped my expense down from $37 a month to $5 a month. I looked at my minutes for the last 6 months and calculated that a prepaid minute plan would have cost $5 a month based on my light call volume, so I just switched to a prepaid plan. A $10 card expires in 2 months, so that's the least I'll be paying. Woo Hoo!

I'm like the OP--no cell phone, bcs I can't stand the idea of another monthly bill.

But...I think it might be handy. We've contemplated getting a cell phone and restricting all LONG DISTANCE calls to the cell phone (none allows over the landline).

Since we still have dial-up, that would mean we could be online & on the phone at the same time. And it would simply MOVE the long-distance bill, instead of ADDING an additional expense. Sort the same strategy western_pa_luann used.

I remember being struck by how important cell phones were here in NYC on Sept. 11, 2001.

if a major storm knocked out all power, the landlines would go dead as well.

This is actually NOT true automatically. True, if a falling trees knock over power lines, they'll knock over phone lines (in those places where phone lines are above ground). But in that blackout, here in NYC, NO cell phone worked, and ALL land lines did. The phone company has its own power grid. This was true in many other areas as well.

Lots of young people (college age, esp.) find that having their own cell phone means they can keep the same number even if they switch roommates, or towns, etc. No arguing w/ the roommate over whether they've each paid their phone bill, etc.