I have a good friend who started doing this and they like it. Eliminates solicitations thats for sure. We had to go out and get cell phones today is what has got me thinking. Dh's work provided one now they are not going to but will give him some towards his bill. So I really don't need to carry long distance. But I have heard the horror stories of trying to get this accomplished. For right now I want to just keep local. I may try the no phone later but I would have to do something with my internet service because I use dial up right now. I just wanted to hear from other people who have actually tried this.

By Palmbchprincess on Saturday, January 8, 2005 - 09:17 pm:

I have been all cell a few different times. Before I moved to TX we were all cell, with no problems, and for about 18 months recently I was all cell, but they don't offer cable modems in my area so I had to have a line put in. The only thing is the solicitation calls will come, to a certain extent, because you HAVE to give your cell number if someone needs a phone number. Other than that it's relatively easy, just give anyone who needs your number your new cell, make sure you have enough minutes to cover using only cells, and go from there. On a family share plan we usually used about 1800 minutes total, just me and Nate. A lot of those were talking to each other, so they were free. HTH

By My2cuties on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 03:10 am:

My mom and step-dad use only their cell phones..personally sometimes I think it is harder to get a hold of them, say if they are in a bad service area or whatever, and they have a really bad signal out where they live so they have to stand in a certain spot to call anyone. Dh and I use our cell phones for long distance or to call each other (free mobile to mobile), and that works good, but I would feel uneasy about being totally without a home phone. JMO.

By Feona on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 07:57 am:

They do this totally in Europe I hear. You can try it and see how it works for you

By Trina~moderator on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 10:23 am:

We have cell phones but this isn't an option for us. Our house is in a dead zone. We only use our cell phones when we're out and about. I like having a land line.

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 10:52 am:

We got cellphones to cut down on our long-distance costs. It works great. Keeping the long-distance calls off of the land-line saves us money, since the cellphone cost is a fixed amount every month, since we don't use up all of our minutes.

I still like having a land line, though. We have phones throughout our house, so you are never very far from one. With the cell, if that was my only phone, I would have to carry it around with me all the time.

By Mommmie on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 06:38 pm:

I think the downsides to not having a land line are:

when you call 911 from a cell in your home it doesn't automatically give the dispatch your address and you may not be in a position to provide it.

you can't have a dial-up modem

you can't have a TiVo

the iffy connections of cell phones and the quality

if you have kids staying at home alone they need their own cell phone so you can call and check on them

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 08:32 pm:

The kids at home are another reason I'm not wild about going cell-only. They need a way to call out if there is a problem.

By Pixie on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 10:03 pm:

I wouldn't go cell phone only either but we did completely remove the long distance and we use our cell phones for that (saved lots of money). And I had to completely shut off the long distance bcz we planned to do use cell phone only but I kept convienently picking up the landline (habit) to call. If you go down to the bare necessities (which I did not) such as no caller ID, no call waiting...your landline can be really cheap.

By Pixie on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 10:07 pm:

P.S. it won't really eliminate solicitors either, at first yes, in the long run you will eventually get on a list of some sort. As life has it you will need to give a phone number from time to time for this or that and it will eventually end up on a list somewhere!

By Pamt on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 10:41 pm:

I hate the reception on cell phones, so I wouldn't do it myself. Even when you are in a "good" calling area, you can always tell that you or the other person is one a cell IMO.

By Cat on Sunday, January 9, 2005 - 10:45 pm:

We use cells for long distance and when we're out. We don't even carry long distance on our home phone. I wouldn't want to get rid of it though. Dh has mentioned trying that, but I'll resist.

By Hol on Friday, January 14, 2005 - 12:38 am:

I would be afraid. Too many things can go wrong with a cell phone; you forget to charge it, bad signal, the danger of your conversations being picked up on another transmitter (baby monitor, etc).

Also, if you call to check on your kids, they could be ANYWHERE on a cellphone. If they are at home when you call on a landline, at least you know that they ARE at home.

We got rid of long distance (I got tired of MCI continually changing my plan without telling me), and now we use phone cards. They are really cheap in places like Sam's Club or Costco, and you won't get socked with a big bill because it is prepaid. However, IF you do that, you have to call the local phone company and put some kind of lock on your account so that no one can pick up your phone and dial long distance without a calling plan. If that happens, the cost is between 25 and 40 cents per minute! Also, no one will be able to "slam" you, that is, sign you to a long distance plan without your knowledge.

I won't even have just a CORDLESS in the house. We have one in the living room as our main phone, but I have a regular phone that plugs into a jack, in my bedroom. If the batteries go low in your handset, or you can't find it, you always have your old fashioned phone as a back up. Also, during power failures.

I guess an advantage to having a cellphone is, if someone cut your phone line, you could still call for help. Yikes! I've been watching too many horror movies.

By Fraggle on Friday, January 14, 2005 - 09:21 am:

Our house is in a dead zone so it would be hard to go to just cell phone. Once in while we get a signal that can last a phone call.

By Phillygirl on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 11:51 pm:

I only have a cell phone..got rid of the house phone over a year ago. It is cheaper and i love it! But i have a plan that is not even offered any more..I pay $100 a month for unlimited service..that means i can stay on the phone for the entire month it would still be 100 bucks and this included long distance and roaming. My monthly house phone bill was about 60-70 a month (my parents live outta state) and my cell was about the same..so this woks for me. Guess how many minutes i use a month ( dont laugh at me people) on average about 8000..im getting my money's worth..lol!

Also when i travel..its still the same..hawaii...bahamas..allover the US..no problems!!

By Kaleighsmommy on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 05:09 pm:

We only have cell phones. We live in the city, so reception's not a problem. Everyone we know is long distance, so it works out better for us. We're on my in-law's family plan, so it only costs us $20/month and we can talk to any cingular or AT&T customer free. We have 500 minutes to use for everything else, but we have so many rollover, I don't think we'll ever have to worry about going over.