Since I claim repeatedly on this blog to be a frugalista, it may come as a shock to learn that I am an iPhone mom. I jumped on the iPhone train 20 days after my baby was born, on my 29th birthday. People, I AGONIZED over this decision for months and months. The one time expense of the phone was tolerable enough (since the price went all the way down to a cool $99.00). The big hang up for me was the monthly cost. Tim and I have always had the cheapest cell plans possible, pretty much. Our monthly bill for two phones used to be $65/month. To go from that to $150/month was absolutely sickening to me, which is why we steered clear of switching for as long as we felt we could stand it. And then Darah was born and something somehow changed. Maybe we just got tired of worrying over the issue. Maybe we wanted something more reliable than the crappy phones we had and the spotty service within our house (dropped calls, anyone?). Maybe we were just in a really happy place and decided, “What the hell?! Let’s do it!” I think that was the case, actually.
And even though the monthly bills totally blow as compared to what we used to pay, let me tell you why this languished-over-and-yet-ultimately-impulsive decision actually worked out great and why I’m so glad to be an iPhone mom.
1. PODCASTS! Yes, I know that podcasts are not strictly for folks with iPhones, but it is soo convenient to download them to your phone. The reason that this is a particularly awesome feature for me is because it provides me with entertainment that doesn’t take my eyes off Darah while I’m feeding her, and the built in speakers allow me to listen hands-free. I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate this. I think that if I had absolutely nothing to do while feeding this child 8 times each day that I would start to grow a bit resentful. I’m just being completely honest. I spend most of the time listening to mommy podcasters and learning some really great parenting tips. Darah also gets to listen to some cool new words. Everybody wins!
2. Taking pictures. Yes, I know camera phones have been out for several years. It shouldn’t surprise you to hear that Tim and I, in addition to always having the cheapest plans, have also always had the cheapest phones. So this is a new experience for me, personally. When I was on maternity leave, I emailed Tim photos of Darah each day while he was at work, and he said that it really helped him feel connected to us. It also helped me to get to share some of the details of my day with another adult, which was really nice. Also, I basically have a photo album with me at all times, and this has come in handy!
3. Checking email quickly. I absolutely love that I can check my work, personal and blog email accounts in mere seconds, and from anywhere that I am. This is a HUGE time saver for me, as it keeps me from worrying that I’m missing something important (because I am a worrier). While it isn’t faster to respond to an email on the iphone as opposed to a computer, checking my accounts is much faster. I love it!
There are many other fantastic features to the iPhone, and many more reasons why it makes my life easier, but those are the main three. Does anyone else have an iPhone or any other similar phone and find that it makes life easier? Does anyone find that it actually seems to be complicating their lives a bit more?
