UGH
 

Just so you all know.....in case anyone cares really, I managed to drop and destroy my phone. Again. So I'll probably be pretty absent for a week or so. (Since my phone is 99.% of my internet access.)
XP
I can't really afford another phone, but I'll have to try to come up with something since I kind of have a job that needs to reach me on occasion...

...and I was doing so well...hadn't destroyed a phone in like, 8 months! Maybe even 10 months actually...

I have a budget of approximately $4 (until Friday, when I should have about $50) and I use straight talk. Smartphone is preferred since my data plan just renewed today.
One of my friends MIGHT have an old phone I can use. We'll see if the sim card will work in it in the next few days.
It's just so frustrating...phone was working fine. Falls off the counter onto the floor and manages to crack the pixel layer in my phone. Permanent black screen.
XP

Literally just checked. And the only one that would be likely to work (since my last phone was a samsung) is a flip phone. XD
I think I can actually get my previous phone (LG Sunset) for less than that from straight talk as a new phone.
XD
My previous two phones were actually that. I accidentally drowned one and after being phoneless for around a month, I managed to shatter my replacement one after only a few months.

If my friend's phone doesn't work, I can possibly do a little shopping on Friday. I get paid from my second job then.

(Anyway, I should probably get back to work now and stop dinking around on the computer. Will attempt to drop on a little tomorrow night again.)

Kaderin <3333
how about you use your next phone around your neck :P

Just like...get a heavy duty lanyard or something :|

oh no so sorry to hear that!!!!

Or a huge protective case.

We need to start a go fund Derpy type deal and maybe raise some $$$$ :/

I'd suggest getting an Otterbox (or a quality phone protecter). It might be pricey at first, but it pays off in the long run if the phone is often dropped.
$50 case vs $500+ new phone per drop

Bubble wrap

I have an Otterbox commuter case on my iPhone 5s, got it in 2015 and at almost 2018 only broke 1 case, to which i replaced.

My lg stylo has a rubber type case on it

Otterbox is really good, from what I've seen. But it's generally a bit more than I'm willing to spend, and too bulky. Personally, I prefer Incipio. Hasn't failed me yet...

I had an otterbox on my last phone... it cost more than the phone did. lol I got my current case on Amazon, and my phone has survived several falls since then.

Oh no. :( Surprisingly my phone as survived a lot of chaos but that might be because I have one of those rubbery cases on it. ;u;

My case is rubbery silicone around the phone, and a wallet. I think it acts like a shock absorber or something. I have a Galaxy S7, so the front and back are glass... I'm honestly surprised I haven't managed to break it by now.

I see. ouo Yeah I believe they do act as shock absorbers. XD Idk how many times I've managed to throw my phone out of anger at it and it's managed to survive. o_O

Yeah, I agree that Otterbox is REALLY bulky. It's probably okay if you have a purse, but I keep my phone in my pocket and the extra bulk and the rubberized surface make it really hard to get in and out.

I've seen plenty of cases that have a silicone shock layer inside a smoother plastic housing. Those are usually enough as long as you don't drop the phone face-first onto the corner of something, and there are glass screen protectors that claim to be able to protect from THAT.

https://s17.postimg.org/nni6pvm3j/20171212_141733.jpg
Mine rubber silicone and then the hard shell snaps on over the rubber

Hold on...$500 per new phone? What kind of millionare do y'all think I am? I can't even always afford groceries, let alone a $500 phone!
I splurged on my most recent one and paid $130. Most are in the $50-80 range.

Most people don't drop that much money on the phone up-front. Instead, their devices are subsidized to their cell phone plans, either as a monthly payment until it's paid off or as a part of the contract ("free phone with a two-year contract"). The latter has grown very unpopular in recent years so you don't see it very much anymore. Then you also get a discount for trading in your old phone -- whatever value is left in your old phone gets applied as a down payment against the new one.

Prepaid phones get away with it because prepaid minutes are ridiculously expensive compared to a standard phone contract -- they sell the phones at a discount because they know they'll make up for it by selling phone minutes.

I'm currently shopping for a new phone and a bit peeved that there aren't any good deals with the "free phone with a two-year contract" plan. My mom and I have used those plans for the past decade.

And now I'm just left sitting here, screaming at phone prices.

I get the cheap metro pcs plan they always have a free phone deal but I have had them so long I didn't get that deal when I joined but I've always got the $50-65 phones and here lately I get the (someone I know upgraded here's my old one that still works but how long) deal :/ I got lucky enough to get this lg stylo due to the hey -here's my old phone deal- it's lasted about a year so far in my hands..... longer than my hey here's a tablet you can have -one month till poop deal- I do have a brand new tablet now that I bought......

I wouldn't spend $1000 on a phone (I think $800 is the highest I've ever gone) and I wouldn't spend $3000 on a car (I think $8000 is the lowest I've ever gone). There's a sweet spot in both cases, balancing how long it's going to last (and you have to pay more to fix/replace it) against what you get out of it (no sense in paying money for features you don't need).

You still get basically the same deal with one of the $0-down phones. It mostly just means that the contract when you're not paying for a phone is cheaper, and at the end of the term the phone is yours to keep.

Yeah, but the upfront price seems a lot more than my previous plans. -grumbles-

It is, I am looking at getting an iPhone 7 for my birthday, and it is going to be around $550…. which is insane.

Elaborate on this please?
I am actually mildly confused since most people I know with phone plans pay $50 or more per month, whereas I pay only $45 per month...

Yeah, I pretty desperately need a new phone. Not like, my phone's absolutely fucked, but...the battery can be dead in an hour. I was also looking at a 7, and a 7S for my mom. My dad wants me to get at least an 8, though.

Ick those are super expensive and huge. I mean I want an 8 just to have 'newer' but really I dont NEED an 8. Hell I could probably have my 5s for another year or so really, but I know if i keep it at this point it is just going to become even less valuable.

Before the current phone, I had an iPhone 5, and where they get ya with that is the cords and accessories. now, everyone in my household has a Samsung device, so we can borrow cords if need be.

iPhones are stupidly overpriced for what you can do with them, especially with how each revision seems to be going downhill... There's a reason I stick with Android.

Your plan also isn't as good as theirs. Their plans have unlimited minutes. Yours doesn't, unless I misunderstand what you're getting. If you go over on your minutes, you're gonna pay lots. And if you don't use all your minutes, then you're not using up bandwidth on the cellular network which saves the carrier money. It's a win-win for them. Same goes for data caps. (Of course, the normal non-prepaid plans are even more win for the carrier when customers don't use a lot of bandwidth, but having an unlimited plan is an encouragement for users to use more.)

My mom and I share 2GB of data (not calls) per month. It's...actually enough, surprisingly. We used to get by with just a single GB, but that was nervewracking during months where I had to travel.

Oh ok. Funny enough I have a Baymax case and something tells me he's protecting my phone from breaking. XD Good robot.