Poor Man
Survival
Self
Reliance tools for independent minded people…
ISSN
2161-5543
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
"I suppose it is because
nearly all children go to
school nowadays and have things arranged for them that
they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas."
-- Agatha Christie
school nowadays and have things arranged for them that
they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas."
-- Agatha Christie
FREE
INTERNET AND CELL PHONE SERVICE
For Those who read our posts often, you know we’re always
seeking new ways for you to save money…here’s a service I ran across which
might prove useful to you!
FreedomPop, a free wireless internet and mobile
phone service, just might be the ticket. But as you know, free usually – and ironically –
comes with a non-monetary cost. So is it right for you?
FreedomPop does indeed offer free mobile phone and internet
service. Here are the free services we found on their website:
·
Home Internet (1GB Basic
Plan): 1GB (ideal for basic
web surfing and email, $0.01/MB for extra data)
·
Mobile Phone (Basic Plan): 200 Voice Minutes, 500 Text Messages, 500MB Data ($0.025/MB
for extra data)
·
On The Go Internet (Basic
500MB): 500MB (great for
Facebook and email, $0.02/MB for extra data)
They also offer pricing plans for faster speeds and more
data for larger appetites. Here are the top-tier plans we found:
·
Home Internet (Fastest
10GB): $18.99/month for 10GB
and 12Mbps (ideal for photo sharing, gaming, and video streaming; $0.007/MB for
extra data)
·
Mobile Phone (Unlimited
Talk/Text): $10.99/month for
Unlimited Voice and Text and 500MB of Data ($0.025/MB for extra data)
·
On The Go Internet
(Premiere 4GB): $28.99/month for 4GB
(great for Facebook and YouTube, $0.01/MB for extra data)
Some of the higher tier plans have free trials, check
FreedomPop’s website for details. These prices are also subject to change, so
be advised! Another consideration is phone pricing. Prices for
FreedomPop’s are fairly reasonable, but don’t expect any
mind-blowing deals like you might find when signing up for a contracted
plan. The phones we found on FreedomPop’s website ranged from $119 to $399.
Data Speed
FreedomPop partners with Sprint to provide its customers
with wireless service. Unfortunately, Sprint isn’t very impressive when it
comes to data speeds. According to PhoneArena.com,
Sprint comes in 4th place for average U.S. 4G download speeds when competing
with T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. Sprint comes in 3rd place for average
U.S. 3G download speeds when competing with the same. If you’re on T-Mobile or
AT&T, or perhaps even Verizon, don’t expect similar download speeds
when switching to FreedomPop.
If internet speed is important to you, stick with
T-Mobile or AT&T. Granted, if you’re not streaming video, you may not even
notice much of a difference between the carriers. But if you love YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu, it’s probably best to find
a better solution for you than FreedomPop, and not just because of slower
download speeds . . .
Data Limits
You may have noticed that FreedomPop has data “limits” on
some of their plans. While they’re not really limits (as far as we can tell),
they do start charging you extra once you’ve met your plan’s monthly allotted
data amount. Families generally use a lot of data. It’s not surprising to see
families use over 50GB at home for their internet service – and some use much
more. That can add up. Again, if you’re streaming video, you’re going to want
truly unlimited home internet service. You don’t want to have to worry about
how many Netflix movies you’re watching. On the mobile phone side of things, 500MB
isn’t much. Many individuals are using somewhere around 2GB per month.
Devices
FreedomPop has a limited, but nice selection of
smartphones. We found the Samsung Victory 4G LTE, Samsung Galaxy SIII, Samsung
Galaxy S4, and the iPhone 5. All these phones were refurbished – probably
to keep the prices down. They also have a number of on-the-go and home-based
devices for connecting to the internet. Occasionally, you’ll see these devices
go on sale for a bargain.
Coverage
FreedomPop has decent coverage, but it’s a good idea
to check your area to see if service is available – you can do so by visiting FreedomPop’s website and entering your zip
code. As previously mentioned, FreedomPop uses Sprint’s network, which when
compared to the other three major carriers, doesn’t have as much coverage.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a low-cost or no-cost mobile phone
or internet service, FreedomPop is worth a
look. It’s a fantastic option for those looking to save some money who
don’t need premium internet service. Don’t get rid of your existing
services until you’ve had a chance to try FreedomPop for yourself.
More useful survival
hacks to use…
Solar Alert: If you install a solar system on your
house, make sure you let your local fire department know. Provide them with the information they’ll
need to shut off all electric power safely before they attack the fire. Even after all means are used to shut off the
power, you cannot just shut down the panels on a sunny day as it still produces
voltage at electrocution levels.
Reverse Menu Planning
Living a frugal lifestyle takes patience, knowledge, and skill, especially when it comes to food. It will always be easier to just run through the drive-thru or order pizza to be delivered. Convenience foods are always going to be easier than fresh produce and meats. That's why they are called "convenience foods." Reverse menu planning is a tool you can use to make frugal living easier and more profitable.
Living a frugal lifestyle takes patience, knowledge, and skill, especially when it comes to food. It will always be easier to just run through the drive-thru or order pizza to be delivered. Convenience foods are always going to be easier than fresh produce and meats. That's why they are called "convenience foods." Reverse menu planning is a tool you can use to make frugal living easier and more profitable.
5 easy ways to use them up and have them for the
wintertime
Going beyond the clean plate club!
- How to design a DIY water feature for your
home
- How recipes bloat your grocery bill!
- The best things in life are free Live Like
a Mensch
Carpet Odors-Recently, our dog had an accident on
the family room carpet. It was late at night and I was out of carpet cleaner.
What to do? I reached for my can of shave cream. With a little rubbing, it took
the smell out of the carpet without doing any damage. Now I use shave cream
instead of the pricey carpet cleaner!
The
Poor Man has always tried assisting citizens to survive the assault on the
Middle Class-get our free survival package here:
How
to Survive the…
War on Middle Class and All 9 Bonus Reports can be
downloaded here:
Your donations and purchases are appreciated…your feedback is welcome too!
Yours in freedom,
Bruce ‘the Poor Man’
Got a News Tip or Resource to Share With the Poor Man?
Send it to: PoorManSurvivor@Gmail.com
Our Mission: To
protect and promote your freedom, civil rights, financial well being and
overall self reliance in these turbulent times.
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Shallow Planet Production
1 comment:
Always an interesting read-thanks!
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