Got No Dough - Saving Money in Slim Times

I saw a commercial the other day for the Jitterbug Phone and I thought they looked interesting, so I had to do some research. If you haven’t seen them yet, they are specially designed cell phones for older people that are easier to use. Everything I’ve seen so far looks really great and I hope to encourage my mom and grandparents to get one.

Jitterbug Phone

First of all, there are just two basic phones - a one touch phone and a standard phone.  Additionally, they come in two colors - black and white.  I think this is great because I know the older people in my life become very overwhelmed when they have too many options.

Next, they’ve physically designed the phones for older users.  The ear piece is larger so that the sound is more clear, the display is larger so that it is easier to see, and the buttons are large and easy to read.  The downside is that the phones are about $150.  The upside is that there are no contracts because you pay full price.

Jitterbug Service

The service plans are a little more complicated to figure out, but if you know how many minutes you need, it is a bit easier.  You can either set it up like a prepaid phone service and add minutes or set it up like a standard phone service and once you use up your monthly minutes you pay overage charges.  The rates are pretty typical for a cell phone company, so no surprises here.

Additionally, you can add other family members or friends to your plan for just $15 and share your minutes.

My Opinion

Overall, I think this is a great product.  This type of service is great for the person who wants to have a cell phone “just in case” and only uses a small amount of minutes each month.   Especially wonderful is the easy to use phone - I know that trying to operate some of the modern cell phones has been very difficult for my grandparents.