Social Thread - Chat about Non-Golf Here!

[iacas]

Type whatever you want in here, probably not golf-related stuff. I'll start.

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Investigated the new AT&T; Family Plan yesterday. Actually spent about 90 minutes doing it, because my mother-in-law may or may not want a smart phone (she's paying $15 right now to mooch off our minutes and texting, with a dumb flip phone).

Daughter is looking to either convert her iPhone 4S or get a new 5c to a full phone (currently acting like an iPod Touch).

Currently:

$60 - 700 minutes, my line (we have 4300 in roll-over :P)

$30 - Unlimited texting, free mobile-to-mobile (that's part of why we have 4300 rollover :D)

$25 - My Data (2 GB - I use about 750 MB/mo)

$35 - My wife's iPhone line + her data (2 GB - about 600 MB/mo)

$10 - Mother-in-Law's line

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$160 - Total (pre-taxes)

Current Plan with Two More Smart Phones:

$60

$30

$25

$35

$35

$35

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$220

Family Plan with my MiL getting 4S, Daughter getting new 5c:

$100 - Unlimited minutes, text, 10 GB data to share

$15 - My phone

$15 - Wife's phone

$15 - MiL's phone

$40 - Daughter's phone…

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$185

So it looks like a good deal… until you realize that as soon as you upgrade ANY of the currently "owned" phones, they go to $40/month for two years. So if at some point in the last two years everyone has a new phone:

Family Plan with 4 phones newer than two years:

$100

$40 x 4

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$260

You can stay at the $15 rate if you use AT&T; "Next" (their plan), but that spreads your payments out. For example, the 5c on an 18-month "Next" program is $21.15/month… for 26 months. So in other words, $21.15 * 26 = $549.90. The retail cost of an unlocked, no-SIM iPhone 5c? $549. Paying an extra $25/month for 24 months? $600 + $99 to "buy" right now.

So there's some good benefits to consider just purchasing your phone outright, because you can pay $160/month, have slightly more data (2.5 GB apiece as opposed to 2), have unlimited voice (we don't need it, obviously), and so on. But you have to have the up-front costs to buy your iPhones each time. If you wanted an iPhone 5S right now, $649 up front versus $199 + $600 (again a savings of $150).

So, even after 90 minutes, I'm still not sure.

P.S. In that sense, the Family Plan + AT&T; Next makes sense then too, because you're basically getting a zero-interest loan: $21.15 * 26 = $550, so you're still saving the $150, but you're spreading out the payments for 26 months. If you can deal with having some weird overlaps where you're paying for a phone while having a new one (both on AT&T; Next, perhaps), then it makes sense to do that I believe - it's like a 0% loan for the cost of a new phone.

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Basically, it comes down to this:

$90 ($60 + $30) in current plan compares to $100 in Family Plan (+ more data)

$35/smart phone + up-front subsidized rate vs. $15/smart phone in new plan with either outright purchase or Next (same cost, different ways of paying).

So let's assume you want an iPhone 5S today:

Current: $35/month + $200/24 = $43.33/month for an iPhone 5S on current plan (base rate of $90/month, and one line pays $10 less since it's included).

Family: $25 + $15/month = $40 for 26 months  for an iPhone 5S on AT&T; Next (same almost to the penny as the next plan)

Family: $650/24 + $15 = $42.08 for 24 months if you buy the iPhone 5S outright (base rate of $100/month, all lines pay the $15).

In other words, they're basically the same; it'll depend on how many new phones we have at any given moment.

[Phil McGleno]

Sorry-Cant help you with that. Watched a new TV show yesterday. Mixology?-WOnt last. Sucked. Also watched Mind Games.-Jury still out on that one. Was hoping it would be like that show about how your face shows lies with that Brit guy. GOt a new coffee maker. Is that what you want in this thread? $200. Just makes coffee.-Not a fancy pants coffee drinker kind of guy.

[RonTheSavage]

Im kind of in the same boat as Erik here, we have a Verizon Family Plan paying for my father in laws iPhone 4. We're getting railroaded by VZW with unlimited talk and text but only 4GB of data for $180 plus tax. Luckily my job gets me a 27% discount on my bill or I'd be paying over $200 each month for only 3 lines. AT&T; is looking like our next landing spot in a few months when our contract with VZW is up. My wife and I try not to get new phones every two years as long as they work we're good. Seeing what Erik is dealing with let's me know I need to start researching this now as it's a lot t think about. One thing I can tell you is AT&T; Cable and Internet is pretty awesome. If it's available in your area you should check it out. I switched from Comcast where I had no premium channels to AT&T; where I now have all premium channels and Im still paying $40 less each month. That price is locked in for two years and my contract is only for one year. They also threw in a $250 Visa gift card to get me to switch. I will be taking that gift card to my local golf shop as soon as they mail it.

[dave s]

teens and 20-somethings with phones:  They don't TALK on the phone and rack up minutes.  My two boys and my wife's two girls don't call or answer the phone very often.  We have to text them and TELL them to call.  On my current AT&T; bill, my boys don't use 200 minutes of the free 700 minutes between the two of them anymore.  Ever!

They do text like mad and use the shared data on the plan but don't go over on either feature.

dave

[billchao]

Yea, my wife and I don't use our minutes at all. Actually looking into downgrading our data plan, too because we didn't need as much as we thought we did. Last day on my job tomorrow. Hopefully the family (my son especially) can adjust to the new schedule.

[iacas]

Sorry… I'll be done with this soon. Then I can talk about other non-golf things.

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Completely ignoring the Mother in Law:

I typically get the new phone. My wife gets my year-old phone. Kiddo gets the wife's former phone.

For nine months, we'll have no phones on a contract. Then for 12 months we'll have one phone on a contract. Then for every month after that, we'll have two phones on contract.

Family Plan: $145 for 9 months, $170 for 12, $195 forevermore. After 9 years 9 months: $1305 + $2040 + $2340*8 = $1305 + $2040 + $18720 = $22,065 (yup)

Current Plan; $185 for 9 months, $193 for 12, $202 forevermore. After 9 years 9 months: $1665 + $2316 + $2424*8 = $1665 + $2316 + $19392 = $23,373 (yup again)

That's obviously just spreading the $8.33 that a $200 phone costs you over 24 months. And it doesn't leave room for the two months during which you're paying for the third phone ($25 * 2 = $50). So that's $50/year extra, but you're paying $7/month extra on the current plan, that's $84/year). You're still gaining, in addition to the $50 you pre-pay on your Next plan.

If I modify the Family Plan to just add $649 each year:

Family Plan: $145 for 9 months + 9 years + 9 * $649 =  $1305 + $15660 + $5841 = $22806. So this is the true cost of the Family Plan with a new phone and a year-old phone.

Plus my daughter is 11. So 9 years and 9 months from now she may not even be on our plan.

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Last day on my job tomorrow. Hopefully the family (my son especially) can adjust to the new schedule.

What are you doing? Switching to a new job? Becoming stay-at-home?

[billchao]

What are you doing? Switching to a new job? Becoming stay-at-home?

Switching to a new job. My wife is the stay-at-home. It's just my son (turns three this year) is used to seeing me at lunchtime because I work close enough to come home for lunch. Starting next week I'll be out of the house earlier and no lunch break at home, but I should be home earlier and therefore get to spend more time with the family. Poor guy, between job change and the new baby, he's going through a lot lately.

[iacas]

Sorry… I'll be done with this soon.

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If you just want one (and ignoring the MiL):

Current Plan: 60+30+25+35+35 = 185

+ 25 (AT&T; Next) for one new phone every 26 months

= 210 * 26 months = $5460 with one new phone, one one year old, one two years old

Family Plan: 100+15+15+15 = 145

+ 25 for one new phone every 26 months

= 170 * 26 months = $4420 with one new phone, one one year old, one two years old

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But that math only works if I upgrade every two years . In other words, if we only ever have one new phone. So for the first year, it works. Then in August or whenever, we'll each have a "new enough" phone that we'll be paying that $25 on AT&T; Next (i.e. free loan on the unsubsidized cost of the phone).

But even if you add the second $25, $170 goes to $195. That's $5070. Still cheaper, and you're paying on two phones with one that's free and clear. Plus for eight months we're only at $145.

The comparison to the current plan not doing AT&T; Next is $185 + $16.67 ($200 x 2/24 - the subsidized cost of two phones when you're into the overlap zone) = $201. That * 26 = $5226.

[nevets88]

@iacas - What about Virgin Mobile?

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/shop/cell-phones/iphone5s-gray-phone/features/#plan

[iacas]

@iacas - What about Virgin Mobile?

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/shop/cell-phones/iphone5s-gray-phone/features/#plan

No thanks. It just piggybacks on Sprint. Sprint is crap. :)

Dropped off a failed HD for RMA. Already got the replacement and it's working well. Was my Time Machine drive.

[butt3r3dt0ast]

No thanks. It just piggybacks on Sprint. Sprint is crap. :)

+1

Sincerely,

A long-time, frustrated Sprint customer

[Golfingdad]

We went to an information meeting yesterday morning at a local charter elementary school.  Prior to the meeting, I was kind of meh about sending our kids there, and now I'm very excited about it.  I loved everything about the school.  That's unfortunate, though, because the chances of our kids getting in are very slim.

It's a K-8 school in the next district over (but not far away at all) with 704 students total and two 34 student kindergarten classes.  Siblings of kids already enrolled have priority, so for all intents and purposes, one of those two K classes is already full.

Yesterday's meeting had, maybe, 100 parents attending, some couples, some single.  Maybe 60-70 possible new kids.  Perhaps not all of them kindergartners, but I presume most.  And this was one of 4 or 5 of these meetings held this month.

So, perhaps there are 300-400 (trying to be generous here) kids trying to get into the same 34 spot class as our son.  I'd take 10% odds, that's not so bad.  However, as a little bit of a bonus to kids within the district, they get their name in the lottery 3 times, whereas us out-of-districters only get one.

So ... perhaps 3-5% chance that he gets in.  Luckily, our "fall-back" (the local public school) is a pretty good one, relatively speaking.

[mvmac]

My wife found a lost dog today on her walk. No collar but definitely not a stray. He's an older dog, golden retriever and hanging out with us until we can get him to the vet tomorrow (closed today) to see if he has a chip in him.

Our community has a person to contact when someone finds a lost dog and they send out a mass email with a pic. Since it's Sunday the person "in charge" doesn't have access to the email list and will have to do it tomorrow. We also spend some time driving around asking people if they knew who the owner was but no go.

Can't believe the dog doesn't have a friggin collar, people are idiots.

[Ernest Jones]

So I was watching the Shell Houston Open on Sunday when they played the new Top Flight Gamer ad. My wife came in from the kitchen and said, "what the hell are you watching???"

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7Srr/top-flite-gamer-balls

[boogielicious]

So I was watching the Shell Houston Open on Sunday when they played the new Top Flight Gamer ad. My wife came in from the kitchen and said, "what the hell are you watching???"

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7Srr/top-flite-gamer-balls

Saw that.  Raised an eyebrow from my wife too!

[Lihu]

Sorry-Cant help you with that.

Watched a new TV show yesterday. Mixology?-WOnt last. Sucked. Also watched Mind Games.-Jury still out on that one. Was hoping it would be like that show about how your face shows lies with that Brit guy.

GOt a new coffee maker. Is that what you want in this thread? $200. Just makes coffee.-Not a fancy pants coffee drinker kind of guy.

What brand of coffee maker? Seems a little high for a simple drip brewing machine, so I would guess it does pretty awesome coffee.

[Lihu]

Sorry… I'll be done with this soon.

If you just want one (and ignoring the MiL):

Current Plan: 60+30+25+35+35 = 185

+ 25 (AT&T; Next) for one new phone every 26 months

= 210 * 26 months = $5460 with one new phone, one one year old, one two years old

Family Plan: 100+15+15+15 = 145

+ 25 for one new phone every 26 months

= 170 * 26 months = $4420 with one new phone, one one year old, one two years old

But that math only works if I upgrade every two years. In other words, if we only ever have one new phone. So for the first year, it works. Then in August or whenever, we'll each have a "new enough" phone that we'll be paying that $25 on AT&T; Next (i.e. free loan on the unsubsidized cost of the phone).

But even if you add the second $25, $170 goes to $195. That's $5070. Still cheaper, and you're paying on two phones with one that's free and clear. Plus for eight months we're only at $145.

The comparison to the current plan not doing AT&T; Next is $185 + $16.67 ($200 x 2/24 - the subsidized cost of two phones when you're into the overlap zone) = $201. That * 26 = $5226.

T mobile has a $100 family unlimited talk/text/data plan where the iPhone 5S costs something like $27/month. You pay for the phone with no interest. I am also looking at the Galaxy S5 for July? This has a 120 fps camera for taking videos of golf swings.

The proposed T mobile plan would cost $100 + 27*4 for 4 iPhone 5S or add $6/month for something like a Samsung Note 4 also soon to be released. I am hoping it will work out for this July. Otherwise, I would just wait. The total is about $208 per month if we decide to upgrade all our phones.

T mobile and ATT use mostly the same cell towers.

I like the fact that your mother in law is "tapping" into your current phone plan for only $10/month. That saves pretty big. I wonder if this T mobile plan can be easily extended to accommodate her?

[iacas]

I like the fact that your mother in law is "tapping" into your current phone plan for only $10/month. That saves pretty big. I wonder if this T mobile plan can be easily extended to accommodate her?

Her line cost only $9.99 (she paid $15/month) before. She pays $25/month now.

T-Mobile has a good deal. $100 versus $160. I'll look into it more, but, I don't foresee switching. They can make claims about their coverage but it doesn't seem to jive with the experiences of others.