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I think it’s safe to say that we are now firmly in the grip of a recession – certainly in the UK anyway, barely a day passes when the ‘naysayers of doom’ (TV News, and Newspapers) don’t have something very negative and depressing to say!
But then there are those of us that are (a) optimists and (b) somewhat practical. We look at our expenditure, and assess whether we’ll be able to continue our lifestyle in all respects, or if we need to tighten the proverbial belt.
One respect in which belt-tightening can occur of course is in expenditure on both Mobile services, and Mobile devices – the two might even be intimately related (for example, if you got a device free with your contract, you might be locked in to pay £ X/month until the contract expires).
For those of us lucky not to be within contract period, or on Prepay, here’s a question: do you now have a different view of when you might change your handset next? Have you decided to adopt a different strategy in the wake of the economic turmoil, or alternatively, are you still just waiting for the next handset you wanted to come out, so you can buy it (i.e. no changes)?
I have to say personally I have swapped to a SIM-only deal, which anecdotally a lot of people are doing I hear. This has two big advantages: (1) no contract lock-in and (2) lower monthly contract payments.
Of course there is another way you can affect your monthly service charge – and that’s to use your mobile LESS. Now, if you have a contract with generous voice & data & text allowances, that might not be very effectual – then again, if you are on a leaner contract, it might have a major effect!
So let us know if you are adopting strategies to manage your money vs mobile…..comments very welcome!
[Image via: Wikipedia]
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
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Tahir
