Right now we don't use Skype because with Sprint, all of us in our family plan can talk to each other with no draw-down on our minutes. We can talk to anyone else evenings or weekends free.

Sprint makes it very easy to stay with their plan. I pay for unlimited text, we share 1500 prime minutes talking time (Mon-Fri, 8am - 7pm) a month between us. Last time I checked, Dean used about 500 minutes (not all during the day), my son sent about 1000 texts, and my daughter and I are somewhere in between those numbers. At most we've managed to use about 750 prime minutes in a month. My house is now a cell and my cell is still a cell, and I can only talk on one at a time, so it's pretty much a wash. We haven't had to go to Skype. My friend Dean is on the plan because it is the only way I can be sure he always has a phone, and because for $10 a month, it is easy. And sometimes charity needs to begin at home.

I do pay for the convenience of all of these phones - my bill is about $130 a month. But average that out with 5 phones, and it isn't bad. I'd have to pay almost this much just for my children and me (it's $90 for the first two phones in the plan, then $10 a month for each additional phone up to the limit of 5). And paying for my children to have phones is important - they're in college, they can stay in touch with me, with their father, with friends. They can call 911 if they have to. It is a bridge back to their support system at home, it is all of the good things a phone can be in this day and age.

Pardon my waxing positive on the cell phone plan, but for us, it works very well. When they get to the point when they have jobs and houses and such, then they can take their numbers and pay for their own plans.

Made a great batch of beef vegetable soup this evening. Backed up a couple of favorite movies on DVDs. Cleaned up the kitchen. And tomorrow I'll make a big push to finish an art project and a newsletter for work.

SRS