This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MarchIntoSavings #CollectiveBias
Spring Break is right around the corner and for once, I am really looking forward to it. I’m kind of over the whole school thing and it’s great that everyone will have a much-needed break. Kids coming home from college (some are already home in my neighborhood) and parents taking off some time from work to spend with their families is what it’s all about. I’ve been working a lot and it’s nice to know that we’ll get a week off to sleep in and do some fun things. Which reminds me… I need to plan some fun things to do.
We are a very social family. And by that I mean we ALL have smart phones and use them constantly. Okay, I take that back… we don’t ALL have smart phones. In fact, 4 out of 5 of us have them. That leaves one very lonely little girl who feels completely left out of the loop by not having a phone. We always had a rule that you had to be 12 years old in our house to get a phone, but lately I’ve been kind of squirming over that. My 10 year old looks at us like she isn’t even part of the family. We’ll go out somewhere and all have our phones, but she just sits there sad… or asks me to use my phone. David and I talked a lot about this and we decided we really needed to try out a phone with her… which led me to discover Walmart Family Mobile.
We’ve had quite a few expenses pile up lately and we knew we didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a phone for a 10 year old. We weren’t even sure that this would be the right thing for her, so we wanted to take it easy and get her something that wasn’t going to lock us into a long-term contract. I passed the cell phones in Walmart all the time and never really stopped to take a look at them, but so many friends have been talking about Walmart Family Mobile plans that I thought it would be wise to check them out.
There were actually quite a few choices in phones (and some were even on Rollback). I ended up choosing the Alcatel Evolve 2 since it seemed to have all the features I though my daughter would need: touch screen, camera, game capabilities (she’s a huge gamer). The monthly plan is only $29.88/month (for the first line) and comes with Unlimited Talk, Text & Data service plan which includes up to 500MB of 4G LTE data.
We live in a very unusual area - we’re in a valley surrounded by mountains. It isn’t always easy to get good cell service here. Seriously, you might have great reception in one location, move a few feet and you’ve lost it. I love that the Walmart Family Mobile plan has 4G LTE service. We’ll never have a problem with the service, which is super important to us since our kids like to ride their bikes and hike on the trails around our house. They are also always going to the neighbor’s house or are at a friend’s house. I’m not overprotective, but I do like to know I can reach my kids whenever I need to. Plus, I always want to be sure THEY can call ME when they need to.
Truth be told, I had to look up what exactly 4G LTE service meant. (I’m so not techie.) It’s really the fastest service available in terms of downloads and streaming. If you know me, I am all about the fast. The faster service, the better. Since my daughter is always playing games on her phone, this was a big feature for me. (She gets a little frustrated when things don’t load quickly.)
One of the reasons we decided to get her a phone now was that Spring Break was coming up and I knew she would want to stay in touch with her friends (for some reason ALL her friends have phones - not really, it just seems like it). And since we weren’t going on a big family trip, I wanted her to have something special that her sisters had as well. Shhhh… it’s going to be a HUGE Spring Break surprise for her. She has no idea what’s coming, although she asks us for a phone almost on a daily basis.
Now is a great time to check out the 4G LTE plans at Walmart Family Mobile - maybe you need to get a new phone for your college student, or even for yourself. I love that it’s a month to month plan (no contracts) and will save you money that can be used for other things… like having a great Spring Break with your family!
I thought I’d make a list of some budget-friendly Spring Break ideas.
SPRING BREAK IDEAS THAT DON’T BREAK THE BANK
- Picnic in the park. It sounds simple, but there are tons of hiking trails and parks around where we live that we’ve never been to. Get the kids involved in packing a fun lunch (can be as simple as cheese and crackers, veggie sticks and hummus, cupcakes, strawberry smoothies) and get out into the sunshine. Don’t forget to take your cell phone to snap photos.
- Museum Exhibits. Lot of local museums have free or reduced price tickets. Check out the temporary exhibits that are installed during your Spring Break and find something that would be fun for the whole family. A little museum outing is fun and educational… and you can stop off for an ice cream cone afterwards.
- Board Games. My kids LOVE board games and they especially love to play with us. If you don’t already have a favorite family game, head out to Walmart to check out their game selection. Have the kids choose a new game and make it into a family night. Order pizza and play the music too loud.
- Rent a movie from the library (yep… libraries actually rent DVD’s) and have a family movie night - or afternoon - or morning. Build a fort with the kids and make flavored popcorn. Spend the day in your pajamas.
- Crafting. Even if you aren’t an expert crafter, kids LOVE making things. Tie dye shirts are easy and fun, or make knotted bracelets out of colored embroidery thread. One project my kids alway love to do is decorate their own flip flops (Walmart has colored ones for only $1.00). Buy some paint markers and let them be creative.
I can’t wait to enjoy our Spring Break… and give our daughter her BIG surprise.
The Walmart Family Mobile service is only $29.88/month for the first line… and that includes unlimited talk, text & data service plan that includes up to 500MB of 4G LTE data.
Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to Walmart Family Mobile online or your local Walmart for current pricing.
So now you know how I’ll be spending my Spring Break. What are your plans? Leave a comment below!
Leave a Reply