April 08, 2004
Family Planning
There was no wake up call courtesy of L's niece this morning and I was finally able to sleep past 7 A.M. Our weekend at L's parents' marked the first time I had ever watched The Wizard of Oz at six o'clock in the morning, but when a three-and-a-half year old runs into your room and asks if you'll watch "Dorothy" with her, it's difficult to say no and roll over to go back to bed. Sleep finally came last night in my own bed and was, in fact, so satisfying that I should have titled this post "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn."
L has three more days in Chicago, with a full schedule keeping her busy until she comes home Sunday. She's going to a number of dress fittings, some for her and one for a friend who is getting married in May. L is attending a shower for that same friend on Saturday, so she'll be very busy.
Since she's running around having her dress taken in or let out or chopped in half or who knows what - I'm not allowed to see it - I have only one task and it's a biggie. It may very well be the biggest step of our relationship, one that could change our lives for a significant period of time. I've done a lot of research on the phone and online, talking to professionals and friends in similar situations and soliciting advice from just about anyone who will offer.
That's right. We're looking into signing up for one of those "family plan" cell phone contracts. We're each currently paying $50 a month for a giant dead zone in our living room and tons of dropped calls. The plans I've found would save us a total of $40 a month, but there's no word on whether families less of a wait time when calling customer service. It will be the first bill with both our names on it and is the first step on our way to the eventual combination of our finances.
Most plans I've found offer free in-network calling and since most of our calls are to each other, we'll rarely go over our monthly minutes. L has a habit of calling me when she gets off the subway to announce her imminent arrival at home - we live four blocks from the F - and those calls add up.
Still, something about a family cell phone plan makes me uneasy. My current plan is month-to-month, but for our new service we'd have to sign a two-year agreement. I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of comittment.
Most couples we know got a dog before they decided to have a baby. But our landlord does not allow pets so our new cell phones will have to be our first step on the road to couplehood. Besides, cell phones are a lot easier to clean up after than puppies.
But don't worry, Moms. Should our family eventually start to expand we can always add additional lines for only $9.99 each. How 21st century would that be? The digital ding of mini cell phones heralding the pitter patter of little feet.
Posted by The Groom at April 8, 2004 08:56 AMFunny, we're in the same boat! Well, almost..... neither of us currently have cell phones and I have never had one. We've been putting it off because I'm also wary of the two year agreement but we have to do it.... and soon. Before kids.
Posted by: Malinda at April 8, 2004 12:00 PMDid you know you can get credit for dropped calls? At least you can on Sprint. Dial *2 and hit talk, press one for english (or 2 for espanol), then just say "credit for dropped call." I finally figured this out after spending lots of money on redialing after hitting dead spots.
Your consumer-friendly bride-to-be,
JAL
glad you're caught up on sleep, dude.
Posted by: steve at April 8, 2004 05:03 PMNot to be overly commercial, but I wanted to follow up on a comment below and some emails I've received today.
We'll probably go with T-Mobile. As far as prices and minutes go, it's a toss up between them and Verizon but I'm already a T-Mobile customer and figure it will just be easier to stay with them. Their service is fine, not any better or worse than anyone else's. Cingular was laughably more expensive than other companies. AT&T wasn't too bad, but a little more expensive than the rest.
If I wind up getting the new phone I want, I will potentially negate any annual savings benefits of the new plan.
Posted by: The Groom at April 8, 2004 06:24 PMD,
I got my cell phone about a month ago and it is a family plan with my dad *we can add on lines once L and K are older* but i dont for how much. After going to every cell phone place with my mom in the mall and one other place near a supermarket, we finally chose Sprint PCS as our service. They offered the best deal and where we live there are no dead zones. Also you can get phones with cameras and videos which is so awesome. There is also an option on the phone so that you wont have to pay any roaming charges. And for 5 extra bucks each month u can get free minutes after 7 and free weekends instead of free minutes after 9 and free weekends and and for the first 2 months there is no limit on ur minutes. One more thing is that there is a 2-year agreement but u can get 1-year for extra money. Its up to u. So, good luck buying a phone!
My fiance proposed a joint two-year contract cell phone plan a couple of months before proposing marriage. It was what made me realize that we were ready to consider the whole enchilada.
Posted by: Gwen at April 12, 2004 03:45 PMOk, 2 points. Should I start jumping up and down and being really excited if you get a third phone? Would that be the way you announce your pregnancy? Hmmmmm something to think of huh! # 2 if you get sprint, L's Mom nd Dad both have sprint and you can get free calls to any sprint phone, so when L calls us on her way to the subway, that would be free too. Something else to add into the mix.
MOB