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Things you think are far too expensive.

Im assuming youre on Verizon, as I have the same plan, but pay a few dollars more, because I only have a 17% discount.

You assume correctly. :)

It's still crazy to think that without the discount, I'd be paying over $100!

Wow, phones are pricey in the US! Are those sim-only prices, or are you also paying off the cost of the phone?

I'm on £28 (~$45) a month, unlimited texts, 300 minutes (unlimited minutes to phones on the same network, which most of the people I know are), 2Gb data. It's also a contract with a phone, so it's paying that off too.

I got my phone for "free," but it got stolen. :( I didn't have insurance on it, since I thought it was pretty stupid to pay $7 a month extra w/ a $100 deductible, especially since my phone was free. A lot of the phones are heavily discounted if you end up signing up for some kind of contract. Without the contract, you have to pay full price of the phone, which is usually in the neighborhood of at least $500.
 
Dont get me wrong, I dont disagree with you. Im just saying, there are alternatives, and we're not being forced to buy bottled water.
My parents buy it, Im not sure why, and I drink it since I can just grab one. But, I'd never pay for bottled water on the regular, I'll just pour me some from the tap.

And I agree as well. We're not forced to buy it, of course and I rarely ever do. Too much plastic waste and too few water fountains on the street.
I'll carry a nalgene in my bag and fill up wherever I can when I'm out and about. We don't buy it at home but use a filter pitcher due to our building's ancient plumbing.

At $2-$3 a pop sometimes it's ridiculous.
 
You assume correctly. :)

It's still crazy to think that without the discount, I'd be paying over $100!



I got my phone for "free," but it got stolen. :( I didn't have insurance on it, since I thought it was pretty stupid to pay $7 a month extra w/ a $100 deductible, especially since my phone was free. A lot of the phones are heavily discounted if you end up signing up for some kind of contract. Without the contract, you have to pay full price of the phone, which is usually in the neighborhood of at least $500.

I realise you often get them at a discounted rate, but as you say, it's a "free" phone.

I'm not one to need the newest mobile devices, so I get a decent model of phone on contract when my old one dies, but 18-24 months down the line I move to sim-only contracts. Usually get a lot more for a lot less.

Though I know a number of people who keep the original contract running even after it's given time period, which is usually a major waste of money (granted, not always, but it is generally to worth while shopping round at least a bit after the contract is up to see what is out there).
 
You have the D/A box for TV? How well does that work?

New TVs are able to receive digital over-the-air TV at HDTV resolutions, without a converter. I can't get signal where I am at, so I have to get cable. The cable retransmission of local stations is significantly poorer quality than the same channels received OTA with a digital TV. Like, DVD versus Bluray difference. The cable company really, really downgrades the bandwidth.