How I went 33 years without a cellphone

OK I’m being a bit facetious, who has a cellphone when they’re a baby? LOL!

But to be clear — I got my first cellphone in 2017 when I was 33 in 2017.

When I tell people this, they’re shocked.

BUT.. HOW?

Well, I’ve gone without lots of life upgrades or expectations of what you should have at certain ages. Here’s another example:

Got my first driver’s license and car at 25

How?

I didn’t need it for most of my life.

I took the bus or the subway train, and it wasn’t until I got a contract where I had to travel to for a 4-hour commute by train, was when I started thinking seriously about it, and got my license ASAP.

Then I bought a car for $1500 and drove it until I left to live in the U.S., and then I donated it to the Cancer Society.

But back to the cellphone…

I just never needed it. I had a home phone, and email.

I did all my business via email… or this phone. If people wanted to get in touch with me, they used either option.

I owned an iPod Touch and just got wifi wherever I tried to get it to answer emails, etc.

I know it sounds crazy to people to not have a cellphone in this day and age, but plenty of people live without it.

In fact, I would tell people – I don’t have a phone number, email me.

For me, an email address is more permanent and a stronger link to me than a telephone number.

It’s a luxury. Period.

It is a LUXURY that I upgraded to a smartphone, and I avoided it for years because I didn’t want to be tied to a device nor pay for it.

I consciously CHOSE to upgrade my lifestyle to get a smartphone in 2017 at the age of 33 because I decided I wanted to, and was okay with the added expense of it.

I used a real watch for the time, I asked people around me for information or directions… I honestly didn’t need that smartphone to run my business or my life.

Now, obviously, it is hard to undo what I am used to these days but not impossible.

The only thing I think I’d really miss is being able to use Instagram and a few other apps, but other than that, I use my phone mostly to make notes to myself and listen to music or videos.

The rest of it? I can do it online at home with a desktop, or if I catch wifi.

My partner, to this day, who is 15 years older than me, still doesn’t own his own cellphone either. He uses the home phone, and email.

He also admittedly isn’t into social media, blogging, or anything that I participate in, so that helps him stay away from it, but it really isn’t that crazy to NOT own a cellphone in my eyes.

Some benefits of not having a cellphone

• You’re organized AF – Going somewhere? Better make detailed maps and notes to yourself before you leave the home, along with saving images of a bus schedule on my iPod so I could take the bus
• No one can interrupt your life – No calls, messages… you decide when you want to allow them into your life by switching onto a wifi network, or staying off it
• You are off the grid – Lots of free time to read or do other things if you don’t have a wifi network connected
• No one can call you – Call my home phone, leave a message and I’ll decide if I call you back or not
• No extra added cost – I pay $65/month for 9GB with Virgin Mobile and unlimited domestic calling, plus having paid $2000+ for the phone itself, these are not small costs, and over time, they do add up

New benefits of having a cellphone

• Hotspot freedom – I can now hotspot my laptop in the car and work remotely anytime, anywhere while I am running errands
• Easy access to information – Google it, Find a number, look up a place to eat..
• Can actually call people – Like make calls in the car while you’re waiting or stuck in traffic… it is kind of efficient
• Personal – My own number makes it easier for people to contact me privately and not the home phone
• Safer – More secure than public wifi networks

Thoughts?