You read correctly.  I canceled my cell plan!  Well, at least for 90 days.  I’ve been thinking about getting rid of my mobile phone for about a year now.  While this is starting as a 90 day experiment, I’m probably going to kick my phone to the curb for good.  There’s a bunch of reasons why giving up your cell phone is a great idea.

1. Saves money.  My monthly cellular bill was $98, and I upgraded my phone every 2 years for another $200.  That’s $2552, or the amount of money an average American makes in 3 weeks of work!  What would you do with an extra $2552?

2. No “phone bulge”.  I’m no fashionisto, but have you noticed the rectangular bulge in people’s pockets?  It’s pretty silly looking, and there’s some research that shows it could be hurting your health.

3. Forces you to think.  I used my phone a lot.  I looked to it for GPS, Wikipedia, and a host of other applications.  Now, I can get information by starting a conversation with a stranger, and I love meeting new people!

4. Better for the planet.  Producing cell phones requires a plethora of natural resources (nickel, lead, gold, and copper to name a few) that are difficult to extract from the earth.  The mining process pollutes third world countries, and the devices are typically produced in sweat shop conditions.  Plus most used cell phones end up in landfills.

5. Allows you to live in the moment.  How many times have you gone to a restaurant and seen a table of friends looking at their iPhones and ignoring each other?  I’ve been one of those people.  There’s nothing in a smart phone that is more important than the real world.

I’m not a Luddite.  Cell phones can be useful, but our society has become addicted to them.  Not having a cell phone means I can’t be reached at all hours.  People seem to forget it’s been that way for the majority of human existence.  I have a home phone for phone calls, and I can use Talkatone to receive text messages on my tablet when I’m at home.

Getting rid of your cell phone is a great way to reconnect with your moment to moment existence, and regain control of your life.  I’m excited for this new adventure in simplifying my life.