I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. Looking for a way to use your tax refund this year? Get connected with Walmart Family Mobile and check out their unlimited plans and phones.
Nearly every year of my adult life, I have eagerly awaited the time my taxes were filed so I could make plans for my soon-to-be refund. The older I get and the more money I make, the less that refund is (or non-existent altogether). Kind of a bummer, but it’s the way things go I suppose. This year’s return has some definite plans in mind. Along with that thought process, I have been thinking a lot about the changes my family is going through. The question of what age is it appropriate to have a cell phone popped into my mind. My oldest is 10 years old, and very electronic savvy, but not necessarily responsibility savvy. Now that dad is living elsewhere and the children are often to and fro between extra curricular activities and spending quality time with dad, I felt my children needed a way to get a hold of me quickly. Almost 5 year old sister seemed like the likely choice for being responsible enough to handle a cell phone, and she is pretty good at bossing the brothers around, but I knew that idea wouldn’t float with the 10 year old. Besides, she’s still working on her numbers. So….big boy is gettin’ a new phone! Where am I looking? Walmart Family Mobile and the Cheap(est) Wireless Plans!
When it comes to phone plans and phones on a budget, I knew Walmart Family Mobile services would be the best choice for us. For one thing, plans are on a month-to-month basis and no contract commitment. Woohoo! This is great for me because if I find that my kiddos can’t handle the responsibility, or if the phone comes up missing (likely cause), or gets left in his jean pocket that just went in the wash, we can cancel with no issues. I am amazed at how affordable the plans are too! You can get unlimited talk, text and data for just under $40, and unlimited talk and text for under $30! I especially love that I can take care of all of my plan needs and bills online!
With a variety of smart phone options for under $100 and Lowest Priced Unlimited Plans, my kids and I had a blast doing a bit of shopping. I gave him the freedom to choose a phone for under $100, and then we spent another $100 picking out accessories and apps. Luckily, he got the Samsung Galaxy Exhibit and I happen to have the Samsung Galaxy S4, which means we can share charging cords and accessories. Unfortunately Walmart doesn’t carry cases for many of their Walmart Family Mobile phones, but I was able to pick up a universal phone charger and a bluetooth. I have been wanting one for years! I hate driving on the freeway and having my phone on speakerphone because all I hear is wind and cars driving by. Not anymore! Nice clear sound with voice commands, and I’m set! I even let the kids take turns using it when we are on road trips and they want to talk to their dad.
Now to the concerns of pre-teens with cell phones. I absolutely love that my son now has a way to get a hold of me or his dad if needed. I still have my concerns though – about how to monitor his time and usage of the phone. What recommendations do you have for monitoring cell phones and usage with pre-teens? Follow the hashtags #FamilyMobile and #CollectiveBias to see what others are saying about it!
Valerie Strawmier says
Hi Emily, Loved your post! We made the decision to get the kids phones the Christmas before last just because of all the crud that was happening in the schools. It makes us feel better to know our kids can reach us directly at any time without having to ask to use someone else’s phone and they were 7 & 10 at the time. So far, with the basic models, they have been really responsible with them, and haven’t had any problems. When we graduate to data plans and access to Internet, we’ll have to find ways to restrict what they do and where they go on the web, but we haven’t had that issue so far. This might change because I’m considering adding them to our family plan, which will give them unlimited everything, but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, lol. It sounds like you made a thoughtful choice and it’s nice when your kids can be so connected to you! Thanks for sharing!
Emily Lyon says
Thanks Valerie! I think you are so right about the school bit. Sounds like you started the right way!
Danielle says
I love that on the Walmart Family Mobile site you can set parental controls for your kids phones. Makes it easier to monitor and limit their access. #client