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Please, tell me: KNOCK IT OFF!!!

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alli_esq

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909
let me preface this by saying that I never buy myself anything... when it comes to clothes or jewelry, as much as I love them, the only ones I get are the ones my mom buys for me. I don''t spend money on myself alone--if my FI and I buy anything, it''s usually something that FI really wants, and even that comes maybe once a year (if that).

anyway, I have a phone that I HATE and that has been falling apart for the past 6 months or so. it is still barely usable, so I''ve been holding onto it. I can''t talk on it for more than 10 minutes at a time before it dies.

when I first got hired at my job, I was promised a Blackberry (along with many other things, including a raise in December--none of which I got), so I was sort of holding out for that. but now, it''s clear I''m not getting it.

I''m having trouble making ends meet (as are many of us these days), and I am lucky to have a job, as is FI. I don''t know how long that will last. I have tremendous student loan payments that are going up next month, so I can''t afford another expense.

so, knowing all this, WHYYYYY do I keep pining over getting the free blackberry they''re offering on Verizon when I KNOOOOW I can''t/shouldn''t spend the extra $45+ a month for data charges??? what is wrong with me?

I''ve literally been wishing for this since May, when I promised myself I''d buy myself a bberry when I finished the bar in July...once I finished taking the bar, and I couldn''t justify the expense, I told myself I''d buy it for myself once I got a job...and then I promised I''d buy it for myself once I passed the bar...but obviously I haven''t, and I''ve never treated myself to something like this (nor have I gotten myself anything, no matter how small, even though I feel I''ve accomplished a lot in the past year or so)...but in this economy, I DEFINITELY shouldn''t be committing myself to more payments....

ugh, so I am asking you, the wonderful and brutal PS community--TELL ME TO KNOCK IT OFF!!!!! This isn''t a piece of jewelry we''re talking about--it''s not something that''s uber expensive, or something I''ll have for the rest of my life (and I''m not even an electronics girl!)...just tell me to get over it already, GEEZ!
 

TravelingGal

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Date: 2/17/2009 5:50:05 PM
Author:alli_esq
let me preface this by saying that I never buy myself anything... when it comes to clothes or jewelry, as much as I love them, the only ones I get are the ones my mom buys for me. I don''t spend money on myself alone--if my FI and I buy anything, it''s usually something that FI really wants, and even that comes maybe once a year (if that).

anyway, I have a phone that I HATE and that has been falling apart for the past 6 months or so. it is still barely usable, so I''ve been holding onto it. I can''t talk on it for more than 10 minutes at a time before it dies.

when I first got hired at my job, I was promised a Blackberry (along with many other things, including a raise in December--none of which I got), so I was sort of holding out for that. but now, it''s clear I''m not getting it.

I''m having trouble making ends meet (as are many of us these days), and I am lucky to have a job, as is FI. I don''t know how long that will last. I have tremendous student loan payments that are going up next month, so I can''t afford another expense.

so, knowing all this, WHYYYYY do I keep pining over getting the free blackberry they''re offering on Verizon when I KNOOOOW I can''t/shouldn''t spend the extra $45+ a month for data charges??? what is wrong with me?

I''ve literally been wishing for this since May, when I promised myself I''d buy myself a bberry when I finished the bar in July...once I finished taking the bar, and I couldn''t justify the expense, I told myself I''d buy it for myself once I got a job...and then I promised I''d buy it for myself once I passed the bar...but obviously I haven''t, and I''ve never treated myself to something like this (nor have I gotten myself anything, no matter how small, even though I feel I''ve accomplished a lot in the past year or so)...but in this economy, I DEFINITELY shouldn''t be committing myself to more payments....

ugh, so I am asking you, the wonderful and brutal PS community--TELL ME TO KNOCK IT OFF!!!!! This isn''t a piece of jewelry we''re talking about--it''s not something that''s uber expensive, or something I''ll have for the rest of my life (and I''m not even an electronics girl!)...just tell me to get over it already, GEEZ!
45 bucks a month eh? 540 bucks a year...not chump change.

Well, after all you said, I can''t enable you to buy the blackberry. I feel bad enough for you to not scream at you to knock it off. However, you do need a better phone. In this day and age, you need to be able to talk for more than 10 minutes on a phone, especially if work related.

There are lots of early adopters and tech ho''s out there. They buy new and sell their perfectly good stuff. Are you in a city with craigslist? I''d say, buy a good, workable, secondhand phone for yourself. Treat yourself to at least that. Will it be as sexy as a blackberry? No. But in tough economic times, I recommend getting sexy by taking clothes off, not by buying hot and expensive lingerie!
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Buckle down, get a phone that works. I have good news for you...in the tech world, something better and cheaper is ALWAYS in your future.
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musey

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Ditto Tgal
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there are lots of ways to get yourself a functional phone. That''s the most important thing here. Yes, it sucks that you''ve been waiting and waiting for that bberry, but there are more important things in life (as you know) and continuing to wait for something that you want is not the worst thing that could happen. Delayed gratification can often be the best kind!

You''re entitled to whine about it a bit, so do so when you need to.
 

lyra

Ideal_Rock
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I have a blackberry, as do my daughters. Even with judicious usage, and going over the bills every month with a fine toothed comb, it almost always exceeds the base charge for one reason or another. If things are that tight, get something more reasonable. You can learn to text on any phone, but really, things being the way they are, you should try to use it as seldom as possible, or only as necessary. It is one of those things that can be a luxury or at times a necessity but fits into neither category 100%. Good luck. You need a reliable phone at least, it doesn't have to be great.

PS. Obviously things aren't always going to be this tough, hang in there.
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purrfectpear

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Tell your office admin to explain why an attorney doesn''t have an office provided cell phone
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Tuckins1

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Knock it off. Get the free phone that is available for signing the additional year contract with verizon.
 

Harriet

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Trust me -- you do not want an office Blackberry. You will grow to dread the little red light. Quickly.
 

AmberGretchen

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I agree with the other ladies - looking around for a different way to get a better phone is your best option here - you do need a phone that works, but you don''t need a Blackberry.

FWIW, I know of someone (a friend) with a VERY high-powered career, and he/she refuses to own a Blackberry - he/she tells the team they are working with that if its an emergency off-hours, they can call, otherwise, its not important enough
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MichelleCarmen

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Date: 2/17/2009 8:17:28 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
FWIW, I know of someone (a friend) with a VERY high-powered career, and he/she refuses to own a Blackberry - he/she tells the team they are working with that if its an emergency off-hours, they can call, otherwise, its not important enough
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Someone I know with a high-power career DOES own a blackberry and she dreads the thing. Not only does it constantly nag at her, the thing will call people on its own. Sometimes I''ll get a call from that person, but instead of her being on the line, get this, I HEAR background noises. This happened with another person. . .her phone called me, I didn''t answer, so my phone went to voice mail and on my voice mail I could hear THREE minutes of her conversation with some guy!
 

movie zombie

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K N O C K

I T

O F F !



mz

ps buy a lipstick instead: its a lot less expensive and you''ll enjoy it every day.
 

kittybean

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Date: 2/17/2009 8:13:55 PM
Author: Harriet
Trust me -- you do not want an office Blackberry. You will grow to dread the little red light. Quickly.
Yes. I am so, so happy to be one of the few attorneys I know without an "electronic leash." My FI is a slave to his Blackberry, as are all of my friends who have one--even the ones without an official office Blackberry.

I say get a functional phone, and thank your lucky stars that you don''t have to have an office Blackberry!
 

indecisive

Brilliant_Rock
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Not to enable or anything but if you get personal email instead of work email it is only $30...
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VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Date: 2/17/2009 8:13:55 PM
Author: Harriet
Trust me -- you do not want an office Blackberry. You will grow to dread the little red light. Quickly.
Ditto. Take on the challenge of holding off as long as possible!
 

JulieN

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don''t do it.

How much in student loans do you have?
 

natalina

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FWIW, I have a Blackberry Pearl and I hate it. I have SOOOOO many problems with it: deleting call logs randomly, text messages disappear or never get sent out, I could go on. And I have insurance on it, so this is my second one! Still the same issues. Like you, I don''t want to shell out the $ for a new phone right now, so I''m dealing with it, but grrrrrrr I hate it!
 

alli_esq

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TravelingGal: I know, I really do need a better phone. It''s ridiculous. I can certainly get a free phone if I sign for another 2 years, but that means that I''ll be stuck with a phone I don''t want for the next 20 months, and I''ve been holding out. My dad was going to upgrade and give me his old phone, which is still sucky, but at least I''d be able to talk on it for more than 10 minutes before it died. Now, he''s waiting for the next best thing too, so it would be a while before I got his phone.

I definitely like your sexy lingerie analogy--totally made me giggle
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musey: haha, I feel like my gratification has been super delayed already--which I guess is why I want to whine in the first place. and yes, of course there are MANY MUCH more important things...as I said, I am very lucky to have a job and a partner who still has a job, so I have been trying to focus on the positive of that.

lyra: y''know, I guess that''s part of it--I see all kinds of people with blackberries and every time I see a kid with one, I think "gah, if a 15 year-old can have one, I, as an adult lawyer in NY, should also be able to have one! GEEZ!" I do have the lowest calling plan and I''m on the same service as the people I talk to the most, so I barely ever go over on anything. I am a very frugal person in general (especially lately, and particularly since I found out I wasn''t getting raise), so I am so careful about those things. Anyway, thanks for the support
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purrfectpear: hehe, well, we don''t exactly have office admin, which is part of nearly all of the problems I have encountered since starting my job in August. Basically, I work for just one lawyer, and I was his only employee until he hired a paralegal. So it''s just the three of us, and anything I want or need from my job is decided through him (which he sees as me dipping into his own pocket). Getting a blackberry, as I said, was one of the many promises he made and didn''t keep when he hired me. He also told me that I''d be going to court with him a lot, and--when I interned for him last spring--was basically a completely different person to me. He has since all but stopped respecting me, has thrown numerous tantrums (including one where he threw a stapler *near* the paralegal), and basically gave me a terrible review based on a variety of expectations he had set for me which he had never indicated to me before that moment. Needless to say, I am frustrated with my toxic job environment, but as I said before, I still feel very lucky to have a job.

Tuckins1: thank you
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(though it''s 2 years, and the reason I haven''t done that already is that I feel like 20 months is a long time to be stuck with a phone I really didn''t want in the first place)

Harriet: to be honest, I do--my boss already expects to be able to reach me at any time, but I have no remote access to my work email, and as I explained, my phone is unreliable...plus, I really do want to be in better contact with my clients, but the issue, of course, is that my boss is not allowing me to be as involved in the cases as I want to be, and therefore doesn''t think he needs to supply me with anything...

AmberGretchen: I definitely hear that all the time from my friends with work bberries, so I understand that...I''m sure you''re right.



Elmorton: I know what you mean, but basically, as stupid as this sounds, it''s sort of a status thing--I actually had a conversation with a colleague of mine about this very issue...if you use one of those phones in the legal community, people like automatically don''t take you seriously. It''s the kind of phone that teenagers use (except for the teenagers who have bberries, lol)--people who are serious about their business use palms or blackberries. Does that sound ridiculously shallow? Yes. Is it still the truth? uh-huh. Ugh, don''t flame me for that--it''s just something a much older colleague of mine (who was looking out for me) told me not long ago.

MC: I know, I know...

movie zombie: THANK YOU!
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(I tried that already, lol)

kittybean: my FI just got a blackberry bold for work and for his personal phone, and he loves it, and it makes his job a million times easier. He doesn''t approve of me getting one too, though, because he needs it and I don''t. I agree with him, which is why I haven''t gotten it in the first place. (Plus, his job pays for his entire service and mine, obviously, doesn''t)

indecisive: actually, with my service, the lowest plan I could get is $30/month, but with the taxes and fees and insurance, it would be at least $45-$60 more a month than I''m paying now...trust me, I''ve done a LOT of research on this
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VRBeauty: hehe...

JulieN: suffice it to say that starting next month, I''ll be paying almost $1,300/month to pay them back over a 20 year period
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natalina: sorry you''ve had so many problems...I''ve heard that about the Pearl...that is so annoying and crappy...

buuuut....I''d be interested in the Curve, though
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lyra

Ideal_Rock
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I have the blackberry curve. My husband has a work provided blackberry with all sorts of confidentiality s/w so no camera or anything and emails *can* be read by a third party. This is pretty much the norm with company provided BB''s.

Just to address a couple of issues mentioned by others here (and NOT enabling!!!), the Pearl has issues. They can be fixed for as low as $7 with a 1 gig memory chip. You won''t miss texts. It''s a memory issue usually. Also, if your phone is randomly calling other people when you have it "locked", you can bind the lock button to a keystroke "macro". These are issues my daughters have had, and have had fixed.

Sounds like you are going with the blackberry no matter what. Get the curve, it''s cheaper and does the job well. The storm is more expensive and anything operating like the i-phone is going to have i-phone issues. Stick to your data plan. Give up something else to make it work financially, or ask your company when you''re getting your phone!! The last thing you want is to end up with 2 bb''s, trust me!
 

luvthemstrawberries

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Aw alli_esq I hear you with the job situation. I recently had to make a decision to stick with a permanent job I''ve been interning at or continue on the intern program and risk not having a permanent position open to me later. I decidied to stick with the current position offered to me. It''s not quite as toxic as yours sounds (I''m sorry
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), but it''s not what I love to do. I have dream jobs that don''t offer very good income but are very rewarding, and in this economy, I couldn''t risk trying to chase after those right now.

By the way, have you looked at getting a new battery for your current phone? I know you say it still functions, but your problem is it does so quickly. I always get the free phones at the cell store, which are always the oldest ones, and I keep them forever. My last phone I had FOREVER, and it would literally go to low battery during my first conversation after a full charging. We replaced the battery... good as new. If you haven''t yet, try looking into that. If the battery is still offered, you could hold out with the one you have and see if that makes things better with the current phone.
 

movie zombie

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Messages
11,879
how about a nail polish to go with that lipstick, then?!

mz
 

indecisive

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Date: 2/18/2009 8:41:57 AM
Author: alli_esq


indecisive: actually, with my service, the lowest plan I could get is $30/month, but with the taxes and fees and insurance, it would be at least $45-$60 more a month than I''m paying now...trust me, I''ve done a LOT of research on this
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Wow, what state do you live in? If you consider insurance that would be $10-24 in taxes on $36 (data plan and insurance)... and you said that doesn''t include the regular taxes on your plan? I know my friends is not that high. I agree w/ what lyra says about the BB Pearl. My friend''s stopped doing that when she got a memory card. I still want a full keyboard like the curve though.
 

Octavia

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alli, you definitely don''t need to sign up for a new plan just to change your phone. Take TGal''s suggestion and look on Craigslist or eBay. You can get a new-to-you phone cheap, and all you have to do is change over the HEX#s to make it operational. I''ve done this at least 3 or 4 times (I have very bad luck with phones). If you do it online, it''s free, and they''re supposed to charge you if you call to have them do it, but online never works for me so I just complain and they do it for free anyway. Then you can go on month-to-month service once your current contract is up, and not be locked into a new contract.
 

Italiahaircolor

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Messages
5,184
Listen, I say go for it.

You''ve earn it.
 

Bia

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 28, 2008
Messages
6,181
Do you really need the data package? I'm at a computer all day so I opted not to have a data package (by the time I get home, I don't want to even look at a comp). If you don't need a data package, get a phone you really like (maybe an iPhone-like phone or the BB Curve).

It's okay to splurge, but to add an extra $30-45/per month, on top of what you're already paying is not wise (IMO), if you're having a hard time making ends meet. Wait for a raise to do that.
 

alli_esq

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Joined
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Messages
909
lyra: I agree that many company-provided blackberries are set up that way, but it was my understanding that with my boss, because we are only a 3-person firm, I only requested that he pay for my data charges and I would continue to pay my voice charges--so it would be through my current personal plan. Like I said, though, that isn''t on the table anymore (though I''m not sure why--since it would be totally tax deductible for him, and would be pocket change...I think it has more to do with our personality clashes than anything else that he won''t do it)...

I don''t have plans to get the data plan now, because I really can''t afford it...I just really really really want it...I would definitely buy the curve because it''s free, but my carrier won''t let me use a blackberry (or any smartphone for that matter) without also getting the data plan
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luvthemstrawberries: I''m sorry you also feel stuck job-wise...I certainly know the feeling. I totally thought this was my dream job, but my boss totally pulled a Jekyll/Hyde on me, and I''m real sad about that in and of itself. As far as the phone goes, I could replace the battery for about $40, but there are MANY other things wrong with my phone (extraordinarily slow, caller ID stopped working months ago, dropped texts, camera no longer works...stuff like that) and I just don''t want to put more money into a phone I hate so much. As of now, I just keep a charger at home and a charger at work and deal with it that way...so cheapo, I know, but $40 is a lot of money to me right now to spend on something I really don''t want to keep...

movie zombie:
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I STARTED with the nail polish, dontchaknow!
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indecisive: the way I figure it is that I currently have a $39.99 voice plan with a $10.00 text plan, and with taxes and fees, I end up paying about $65/month. I no longer have insurance on my phone, so if I were to get a new blackberry, I''d have to get:
-insurance for $6/month
-data service at either $30 or $45/month
That is at least an additional $36/month, so if I''m charged $15/month now (when my plan costs $50/month) on taxes and fees, I imagine with an $86 plan, it would be about $26 in taxes in fees...so I would end up spending about $112/month versus the $65 I''m paying now...so, that''s just about $47 more a month than I''m currently paying...does that make sense?

octavia: well, my options are:
-renew my current voice plan and buy a blackberry and get a data plan (which, as I''ve said, isn''t much of an option)
-renew my current plan and get a free regular phone (which I''d be stuck with for 20 months)
-buy a phone without renewing my plan, but the phones tend to be very expensive, and it doesn''t seem worth it to me to spend over $50 on a phone I really never wanted in the first place
-buy a new battery for my current phone that really barely works anyway
or
-just deal with my phone until it dies and hope my dad gives up his before that happens...

so frustrating
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my contract has been up since March 08!

Italiahaircolor: I really wish I could...and I do feel I''ve earned it...but unfortunately, my boss doesn''t agree
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if I could get him to pay for the data plan, this whole issue would be moot, but I really shouldn''t spend the money myself in this economy
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Bia: no, I don''t need the data package, which is why I don''t have it...and I would totally just get a blackberry or an iphone without data, but they actually don''t allow you to use those phones without the data package...sad...I wouldn''t splurge on the phone itself (the blackberry I want is free now), but the data would be a splurge, and you''re right--it''s not wise...which is why I haven''t done it...but it just makes me sad that I really want so little, and yet I still can''t do it
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I know, I''m being a baby. WHICH IS WHY I NEED YOU GUYS TO TELL ME TO KNOCK IT OFF!!!
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Italiahaircolor

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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Well you could consider how much a BB typically costs...I know at AT&T the curve costs about $225.00 with a new contract. So considering that Curve would be free for you right now, paying data for half a year would cover the cost the phone--which, you would have paid anyway had it not been free, right?

Also, if you do sync your BB with your work e-mail, the phone and data plan become tax deductable. Meaning yes...it''s money upfront monthly...but in April it all comes back.
 

Clairitek

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Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
4,881
Date: 2/18/2009 3:35:32 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor
Well you could consider how much a BB typically costs...I know at AT&T the curve costs about $225.00 with a new contract. So considering that Curve would be free for you right now, paying data for half a year would cover the cost the phone--which, you would have paid anyway had it not been free, right?

Also, if you do sync your BB with your work e-mail, the phone and data plan become tax deductable. Meaning yes...it''s money upfront monthly...but in April it all comes back.
Thats a really good point in all of this. I hope this could be an option for you to lower your tax liability.

I''m sorry to hear about your troubles at work! I hate it when employers change the way they treat you so much. It sounds like this guy is one more-aptly-aimed stapler away from an assault charge.

Have you considered switching networks or are you tied to this one because of other family members being on it too? I''m not familiar with who offers the BlackBerry so this question might be totally irrelevant.
 

movie zombie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 20, 2005
Messages
11,879
and i assume you bought a bottle of wine, too!

so,

KNOCK

IT

OFF

!

mz
 

alli_esq

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
909
mz,

I am literally giggling aloud--I am holding a glass of wine browsing PS right now! LOL!!
 

indecisive

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
1,240
Date: 2/18/2009 3:20:23 PM
Author: alli_esq

Bia: no, I don''t need the data package, which is why I don''t have it...and I would totally just get a blackberry or an iphone without data, but they actually don''t allow you to use those phones without the data package...sad...I wouldn''t splurge on the phone itself (the blackberry I want is free now), but the data would be a splurge, and you''re right--it''s not wise...which is why I haven''t done it...but it just makes me sad that I really want so little, and yet I still can''t do it
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I know, I''m being a baby. WHICH IS WHY I NEED YOU GUYS TO TELL ME TO KNOCK IT OFF!!!
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I don''t know if you would want them but you can get the palm centro, the xv6900, or the Mot Q9m without a data plan... they are all PDA phones and the 6900 is all touch. Can you tell I just went phone shopping with my friend?!
 
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