Cell Phone Shuffle

If you didn't know, I'm cheap. I hate paying full price for things. I hate it when I think I'm paying too much. I like buying used. I like getting the hook up.

Right now, I am getting none of that with my cell phone and it irks me to no extent.

Currently, my plan is with Verizon. I'm paying $55 a month for 450 any time minutes and unlimited texting. No data plan (my phone, a Samsung Intesity II, ain't smart). Yeah, real exciting. And I'm stuck in this plan until March of next year. Double exciting.

Walking around First Glance, I see most of our teens walking around with smart phones. Texting. Going to websites. And generally going nuts with their little phones. At first, I thought that their parents must be the ones paying for them. But there were too many and for some of them, I knew there was no way they OR their parents could afford it. So I inquired further.

Turns out there is such a thing as a No Contract cell phone plan. Further, these plans are close to HALF PRICE than the regular, major carrier plans.

Por example, Straight Talk is a company that provides No Contract plans. You buy the phone or bring in your own phone (yes, bring in your OWN phone) and you simply pay them for whatever monthly plan you want.

For One Month of unlimited Talk, Text, and Data, it's $45. You read that right. $45 for unlimited everything. If that's not a deal then I don't know what is.

Just recently, a No Contract provider by the name of Cricket started selling the iPhone on a No Contract plan. Again, you have to pay up front for the phone but the plans are uber cheap. This plan gets you unlimited everything for $55 a month. I believe most of my friends who have the iPhone are paying closer to $100 a month. Wow.

There are several other plans out there to pick from and I'm definitely looking for advice and opinions (leave them in the comments). I'll keep you posted as I find better plans (or worse).

SM