Just like Liberty Bank, in the Des Moines Sunday Register article, I ended up reducing assets to stay afloat.

Each of us has a unique situation; what works for one family will not work for another family.

A few months into joblessness, my husband’s cell phone broke. I realized, since I was restricted to my home due to a health issue, I really didn’t need a cell phone. We have a land line and we get the internet through it. I gave him my phone and we canceled the contract on the broken one. (It was overdue for renewal.)

Seriously, why did I need a cell phone? The only time I cannot be reached is when I am “indisposed” and I am not the type to take my phone to the bathroom with me!

I honestly have not missed the phone over the last four years. There was only one time that I wished I had a cell phone and that was when I was at the hospital as my dad was dying. My siblings were generous and let me use their phones for the few times I needed to contact my husband.

This is not a post against cell phones. When my kids found a job, and could pay for the service, we added them to our plan. They have to pay for the additional costs to our plan, and any extras, like unlimited texting. If their phone broke, they had to pay for the new one.

Our sons are hard on phones, so they chose to pay to add the insurance to their plans. Our daughter did not.

Oddly enough, I survived the first thirty-three years of my life without a cell phone! I think I will be just fine.