You put your mobile phone in the back pocket of your new trousers, but it’s too shallow so you move it to the front pocket. You bend over to scoop water out of the pond – great for watering plants – and the phone slips out of your pocket, falls in slow motion, and the waters close over it.
Shite.
There’s no sign of your phone despite sluicing through the gunk at the bottom of the pond with a net. Like a sheet of paper falling through air, it probably fell in a to-and-fro sideways dance on the way down, so it could be anywhere. The pond is large and deep. You emit a few of the finest four letter expletives known to humankind, metaphorically dust yourself off, and decide to enjoy the rest of the day anyway.
It happened to me last weekend. For various reasons – lovely guests, lovely weather, stuff to write – I left buying a new phone for five days. And being mobile-free has been an eye-opener. Here’s what I’ve learned about thinking before buying.
Thinking before buying just saved me more than £800
We all need ways to consume less, and one way to consume less is to consume wisely. Being phone-less for a few days threw my phone habits into high relief. I almost bought a new Samsung Galaxy on auto-pilot. Then I stopped and thought. Now that I actually know what phone functions and features I use most and like best, I can buy a mobile that gives me what I need. No more and no less.
Kate one, bad habit nil
So I’ve just saved more than £800 by consciously looking at how I use a thing and thinking about why I want it. I feel like I’ve broken a bad habit, a habit millions of us have around mobile phones. Next time you do something as daft as I did, or your phone gets nicked or dies, give yourself a few days off if you can bear it. You might save impressive bundles of cash.
Is your phone tied up with your ego?
I imagine thinking first worked for me because I’ve de-coupled my phone from my ego. If you allow a phone brand or model to define who you are, or say something about the person you are, I should think it’s probably harder to change brands or settle for a cheaper phone.
