I’ve been eligible to upgrade to a free Smartphone since December 9th, and I just can’t make up my mind on which one I want. I know that with a “smarter” phone, I need to take better care of my equipment because of the inherent bells and whistles that can go flat should I drop the phone or leave it in a damaging environment, such as my freezing cold or boiling hot car. Even with my current, frugal cell phone, which my teenage daughter handed down to me, I try to treat it right so that it keeps working for me for as long as I need it.
With the freezing cold weather we’ve been having in the Northeast this winter, a tip sheet from Verizon Wireless (my own cell phone company) caught my eye. It’s got some pretty good information about protecting your phone, so I thought I’d share it with you here:
Keep your phone fully charged. Cold temperatures can run down the phone’s battery charge more quickly. Use a car charger to keep the phone’s charge if you get stranded or stuck in traffic on icy or snowy roads. Think about an extra battery as backup.
Handle your phone with care. The display screen can become brittle when exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time.
Keep your phone in a warm place. Avoid leaving your phone in an outside pocket or backpack or in the car overnight. When outside in the cold weather, carry your phone in an inside jacket pocket, keeping it close to your body for warmth. (I just discovered that my LL Bean down coat has a special pocket inside for a cell phone. Why I never noticed this before is beyond me!)
Don’t use a touch screen with gloves on. While this won’t “hurt” your phone, it could leave you frustrated. That’s because gloves prevent the phone from “recognizing” your touch, so consider adding finger flip gloves to your winter holiday wish list.
Most mothers teach their kids to cook and clean. Leah Ingram’s mother taught her to compost. These days she’s passing along this green message to her own daughters as they all try to live a green and frugal lifestyle as The Lean Green Family. She’s the author of “Suddenly Frugal:How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less.” Visit her blog, Suddenly Frugal.
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