I remember in 2004, getting an email from a close friend who informed me that as of now, she and her husband were disconnecting their land line and would rely entirely on their cell phones. Their rationale at the time was that they were rarely home, needed their cell phones for their jobs, and they could save some money. I remember thinking at the time that it was a pretty bold move - like getting rid of a security blanket or something. I've kept the idea in the back of my head ever since and now with most of my family and friends coming to the same conclusion my husband and I ditched our land line last week.

We started contemplating becoming a cell phone only family shortly after we gave our 14 year old son his first cell phone last August, right before he started high school. Cell phones are a life saver with our complicated work and school schedules. My husband travels a lot for work and our son has many school activities and an ever changing schedule. With our cell phones we have the ability to reach each other and change schedules at a moments notice i.e. if my son's after school activity is cancelled he just texts and one of us picks him up. (This is important as his school doesn't allow students to use the phones in the office except in cases of emergency)

Of course, the economy had a little something to do with our decision also. We had bundled cable/internet/phone with an introductory cost of $99 for all three for 12 months. Well, our 12 months ended in December and the cost jumped to about $160 a month - yikes! Paying two phone bills now seemed downright stupid so I called our provider and simply asked her to remove our phone service. It was easy and I immediately saved $42 a month (our next move is to get rid of the cable - more on that in another hub).

The only issue that was raised during my conversation with our land line provider concerned 911. She did inform me that without the land line we would no longer have enhanced 911. That means that in an emergency local 911 will not be able to pinpoint our exact location. However, the FCC has recently ruled that all wireless carriers must be able to pinpoint your location - eventually this will be in place but in the meantime we figured that if we were conscious enough to be able to call 911 then we would be able to give them our location.

All that said, it was remarkably freeing to actually pull the connection from the wall and toss the handset to the land line. We had portable phones, so the phone at my bedside went also. Without the phone lurking by my pillow, my room almost immediately felt more relaxing.

Also, I noticed immediately that I felt as if I had more control over my surroundings. Without the land line and by only using our cell phones we could disconnect from the world whenever we wanted. Knowing that we wanted to watch a movie uninterrupted, we could now turn off our cell phones and enjoy our movie without telemarketers interrupting. And speaking of telemarketers, none of them have my cell number and so, for the time being anyway, I am free from them!

Five Reasons to Ditch the Land Line

1. Money. If you have a cell phone and a land line what are you waiting for? Check your cell plan and examine your calling habits to make sure you have the most cost effective plan for your needs. Our family plan allows for unlimited texting and doesn't charge us minutes for calling within the plan. This works well for us as the majority of our friends and family are with the same provider.
2. Simplicity. Managing two different phone numbers and checking two different voice mails gets to be tiresome. And, in my life simple is always better.
3. Convenience. Being able to respond to our son's ever changing schedule is incredibly convenient for us and saves us lots of worry and time.
4. Safety. Having my phone with me all the time gives me a certain sense of security. Example: Last year my car suddenly died on the interstate while driving my son to school. It was during rush hour and we were in a very dangerous spot on the highway. Luckily, I had my cell phone with me, called AAA and my husband. My husband arrived with ten minutes to get our son to school and AAA was there shortly after to help me. Also, I'm good at keeping my cell phone charged and so during a power outage we still have service which is great.
5. Business. I am in the process of starting my own business and having a cell phone means potential clients can reach me almost any time. Caution: make sure your voice mail message sounds professional if you are using your cell for both business and personal use.