I'm 31 and a half, and have never owned a cellphone

[GuitarStv]

I know, I know . . . shocking to many people.  It's just never been needed.  We have home phone for 13$ a month (VOIP), and the wife has an iPad (an extravagance I know).

Keys to living without a cellphone:
- Plan what you're going to do when you're out and do it.  (Don't call home halfway through your shopping trip because you forgot what to get - write it down.)
- Plan where you'll be when you're going out and be there on time.
- In case of emergencies use a pay phone.
- If you're not close to a pay phone, use the stuff that you planned ahead and brought.  (Bike flat?  Use your spare tube and tools that you carry around . . . car broken down in the middle of the winter somewhere?  Use your ski pants and heavy winter clothing that you brought for the long trip in case of emergencies, etc.)

If you follow those points you will find that (unless required for a business, in which case they should be paying for it) a cellphone is really just an extravagance.  People could survive to the mid 1990s without using cellphones regularly . . . they are not the life changing essential tool that many think they are.

[TLV]

- In case of emergencies use a pay phone.

Unfortunately, pay phones are starting to disappear because so many people have cellphones. Kind of like how public transit can't gain traction in many areas because everyone drives their own car. Also, if you're in a car wreck on the freeway there's not going to be a pay phone at hand - hopefully someone else will be around with a phone.

That said, my boss is in his 40s (I think) and has never owned a cell phone either.

[totoro]

I'd like not to have a cell phone but that is all I have now - no home phone!

All these worries about needing a cell phone!  I grew up without one, it worked out just fine and was pretty relaxing too.

[GuitarStv]

- In case of emergencies use a pay phone.

Unfortunately, pay phones are starting to disappear because so many people have cellphones. Kind of like how public transit can't gain traction in many areas because everyone drives their own car. Also, if you're in a car wreck on the freeway there's not going to be a pay phone at hand - hopefully someone else will be around with a phone.

The side benefit of everyone else having a cellphone . . . in the case of emergencies it's not going to be hard to find someone to call for an ambulance/the police. 

Assuming however, that the person who hit you doesn't have a cellphone however, one of two things will have happened:
- Your car is drivable and you are relatively uninjured - you can make it to a coffee shop or restaurant then . . . I'd be surprised if they would refuse to call the police in the case of an emergency if you pleaded with them.
- Your car is not drivable or you're too badly injured to drive, and you're blocking traffic . . . in which case the police will be along pretty quickly in my experience.

[tfordon]

Having a cell phone without a plan might be a nice safety net.  You could leave it turned off, and if there is an emergency you need a phone for you can dial 911 for free.  If you ask around, I bet somebody even has one they don't want anymore.

[Jamesqf]

I'd like not to have a cell phone but that is all I have now - no home phone!

Same here.  Cell runs about $7-8 per month, vs $32 for land line, plus I don't (knock on wood) get robocalls on the cell.  But I often leave the cell at home anyway.

[Milkman666]

Not owning a cell phone is pretty cool, but still counting off half years at your age is excellent.

I'm going to start doing this, mainly because I'm pretty sure it'll irritate my wife.

*edited spelling.

[Melissa]

Having a cell phone without a plan might be a nice safety net.  You could leave it turned off, and if there is an emergency you need a phone for you can dial 911 for free.  If you ask around, I bet somebody even has one they don't want anymore.

+1

My parents didn't have a cell phone either and when my husband got rid of his phone because his company provided one, we gave the phone to my parents for emergency use.  Fortunately they have not had to use it thus far.

[Daley]

GuitarStv, I like the cut of your jib.

This is why I do what I do with the communications guide, it's an attempt to ween people back to basic tool usage with the stuff. People don't actually need these things, they just think they do.

As for the whole payphone/deactivated cell phone thing, that's the way to go if you feel you need that safety net... and even if someone carried around a deactivated cell phone for 911 calls, I wouldn't consider it owning a cell phone so much as owning a personal emergency two-way radio.

[Gerard]

I'm 53 and had never owned a cell phone, but now (on sabbatical, in a different city) it's all I have. I've got a 7-11 phone, $20 to buy and about $5 a month (pay per use). It helps that I don't talk on the phone much. I also sometimes take advantage of a special plan called Girlfriend With A Landline.

[DocCyane]

My cell phone is $8 a month, cheaper and more versatile than a land line.

I am old enough to remember adulthood without cell phones because they weren't invented. I would never want anyone, especially a female, to be without their own communication. I recall a few precarious situations in my young adulthood and, though nothing bad transpired, I would not wish those circumstances on anyone.

I encourage everyone to get a cellphone.

[Blackbomber]

I agree that the need for a cell phone is more perceived than actual. And that goes exponential for smart phones. I tried to argue my way out of owning one with my wife, but for the price of a second phone on a family plan, it's not even worth discussing. Now I've had a company paid smart phone for the past 5 and a half years. Even though they pay every cent of the bill, plus the handset and accessories, I've toyed with going to a basic phone. Since I'm a desk jockey who never travels for work, having email on the go is more of a convenience than a necessity. Often times getting "up to the minute" notification of messages is more intrusive than productive. But that's just me. Anyway, I think going (cell) phoneless is pretty badass. I envy you all who are doing this.

[mensa]

I had a mobile phone for a year and HATED it. Got rid of it about 7 years ago and have not, for a single second, missed it. As mentioned above, payphones are a disappearing option in emergencies, but I find offering someone else a buck or two to use theirs ('cause everyone else has one) has worked the three times I've needed it. Mind you, I'm old school, and still believe in the kindness of strangers.

I love the freedom that comes with not being at everyone's beck and call 24/7. I watch friends who join me in a walk constantly digging into their pockets to respond to inane texts. Often they respond with "Will get back to you later". Really? You couldn't have just, you know, gotten back to them later???

I'm not nearly important enough to feel that any calls coming in to me require an immediate response. The world just isn't gonna end if I don't take a call.

As far as the safety net aspect goes, I've managed to live, work, walk and drive myself around for an increasingly long amount of time, in cities, outside of cities, in the wilderness, in 3rd world countries, and have never considered myself unsafe because I don't have a mobile phone. I've never bought into the fear factor being marketed to us. And I truly believe that that is what's happening: people have become convinced that everything from not getting a flu shot to not owning a mobile phone to not micro-chipping their pets (or kids) is adding a huge risk factor to their lives. I call bullshit.

[YK-Phil]

I've had a cell phone since they were invented, and thankfully my work used to pay the bills...but now that I pay my own bills and still need a phone because I fly for a living, I have the cheapest plan available for a 1st-gen iPhone (I got it free from a non-mustachian friend who upgraded to a iPhone 5) in order to stay in touch with my wife at home, but mostly use free SMS/telephone apps to communicate whenever I find a free wi-fi connexion in most coffee shops, hotels and airports. Sadly, the only person who calls my cell is my ex-wife...so call display at $5 a month may not be a mustachian option, but it is a must-have for me...

[Jamesqf]

I love the freedom that comes with not being at everyone's beck and call 24/7. I watch friends who join me in a walk constantly digging into their pockets to respond to inane texts.

I agree on the freedom, but you do realize that the fact that a cell phone can[ be carried around with you does not mean that you must carry it.  Mine sits at home or in the car most of the time.  When I do take it on hikes, it's more often because I might want to use it as a camera than a phone.  And it also makes a nice portable kitchen timer: I can go out and work in the yard while I have something in the oven, and not come back to a half-burned mess because I got too absorbed in whatever I was doing.

Plus it runs $7-8/month, vs $31/month (maybe more now) for a land line.

[BPA]

I like the emergency phone for calling 911 idea.

Sometimes I like to reflect on how much I've saved by being 44 and a half and never having owned a car.  :)

[kt]

44 and never owning a car is also impressive! wow. i'm just aiming for never relying on a car.

i do have a phone but it is basic, no data plan. and some people find that odd enough! it just takes a little more planning; getting maps before i go somewhere new; researching things before i leave the house.

i would much rather have mobile only and no landline (as atm) than vice versa because call boxes are disappearing and sometimes it is useful to call from away from home. and very few phone boxes are in working order now even if it appears there are a lot around!

[GuitarStv]

Sometimes I like to reflect on how much I've saved by being 44 and a half and never having owned a car.  :)

That would make two of us never owning a car . . . although I've been able to cheat by marrying someone who owned one and using that when needed.