# How much do you spend monthly on 'technology'?



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

HOW MUCH ARE _YOU_ $PENDING EACH MONTH ON TECHNOLOGY? ADD IT UP,
IT MAY BE MORE THAN YOU THINK! YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE ABOVE 
TECHNOLOGY SPENDING POLL BY CASTING YOUR *VOTE* NOW!​----------------------------​
I grew up in the radio days. Turn it on and listen. The imagery was in our minds. Whether the news, or our favorite 'programs', other than a single old black phone in the hall downstairs, radio was the only technology we had, and it was free. When television came along, once you bought a very expensive tv set, if you were within range of a broadcast tower, all that wonderful entertainment was free. The only technology in my childhood home that had a recurring cost was that telephone, and that was less than $10 a month.

From that humble beginning to today, with pay cable, pay sat radio, pay sat tv, pay internet, it seems that almost everything has a cost per month or per use. And we eagerly take on the cost for the "extras", or in today's jargon, the "bells & whistles" that "enhance" our experience, whatever that means.

My own bill for all this gee-whiz technology has grown to become a significant part of my modest budget. In other words, it's _astronomical_! :eek2: No one has forced me to sign up for all these technological services which I have convinced myself I need and thoroughly enjoy. But when I stop and think about it, I am spending an amazing amount of money just for the privilege of pushing a bunch of electrons around for my own edification.

Here's a quick rundown of my monthly expense for enjoying the convenience of today's electronic communications and entertainment technology:

Cellphone: Sprint, Cingular - $64 
Satellite TV: Dish AEP/HD/LiL, Voom - $150
Cable TV: Adelphia - $43
Internet access: T-Mobile wirelss/EarthLink - $40
Movie/game rentals/purchases/PPV: $20
*Total monthly cost: $307* (+ taxes/fees) :eek2:

This amount may not seem like all that much, but, as some of you know, I am a retired old fart whose income is considerably less than what it was when I was humping it every day in the 'real' world. Also, these figures don't include the initial cost of paying cash for the all the gear required to enjoy the technology I have convinced myself that I really _"need"_.

So, how much do _you_ spend each month on communications and entertainment technology? Take the poll and see how you compare with the rest of us. Just remember that the amount you spend on technology each month is relative, and is significant only as it represents a percentage of your income.

Communications: telephone, cell phone, pager, PDA, internet, other
Home Entertainment: satellite TV & radio, cable, PPV & movie/game purchases/rentals, other


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

This is for my personal use,, not the company I run.
Telephone Home $23
Cell Phone (2) $39
Satellite Directv $68
Internet $10
Total $ 140 

What my father paid for a tv or anything electronic was very expensive compared to today. He had to replace the Antennas and roters once a year because of the harsh Maine Winters. Satellite TV is a bargain today.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Remember to vote - every vote counts!


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## jmbrooks (Jan 11, 2004)

I'm right there with you Nick. I'm only 38 and even I remember getting cable for the first time when I was a kid. Not only do these cost so much per month, but they keep raising the rates and adding charges/taxes/fees etc...

For me:
Telephone/DSL/Cell Phone = $102
Satelite TV = $64
Vid Rentals = $25
Total = $191 (not too bad, I guess)

You have to admit we have "access" to far more news/information/entertainment than ever before. Just consider this site (DBSTalk.com),a newbe could come up to speed quite quickly just spending a little time here.

Are we better off for it?? Lots of good arguments on both sides of that one. I'm a car guy/computer geek/home theater freak/do-it-yourself'er and all this technology has certainly helped me to enjoy those things to the max.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Nick... you forgot newspaper and magazine subscriptions. 

Cell phone #1 (Business #1) Nextel: $50
Cell Phone #2 (Business #2) Nextel: $70
Telephone (Business #1): $120*
Telephone (combo business/personal): $100**
Internet: $49
Cable: $18
Satellite: $45
Newspaper: $4
*includes yellow page listing
**Includes yellow page listing. I have no personal phone.

All I can say is wow! It does add up.


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

My father told me he paid $600 for a set in 1961 for a zenith. We only had 5 stations back then and that may explain why so many kids are fat today.
Both my wife and I agree that Television has become 99 percent junk.


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## JBKing (Mar 23, 2002)

SatTV - $70
phone/dsl - $100
cell - $40
newspaper - $0
DVD/game rentals - $25
Game purchases - $50 (monthly average)

Total - $285


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## Selenna (Jun 18, 2004)

In anticipation of soon being either unemployed or moving to a lower-paying job, I've recently made a number of changes in what I'm spending monthly trying to get my regular charges as low as possible while still indulging myself in things I really enjoy. So right now I'm got

Cell phone (I only use it for emergencies) - Alltel - $13
Home phone service - Vonage - $17
Cable broadband service - Charter - $35
Satellite TV - DirecTV - $35 ($45 after my 6-month discounted period)
Online gaming subscriptions - Ultima Online - $20

Total $130

Plus I'd guess I usually spend between $25 and $50 per month buying DVDs.

I'd also say that the availability of so much stuff via internet shopping means I spend more not necessarily on technology/entertainment but I buy things that I probably wouldn't have without the ease of surfing to shop. Unlike the stereotypical female I *hate * mall shopping.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Richard King said:


> Nick... you forgot newspaper and magazine subscriptions.


You're right, Richard, and I forgot to include toilet paper, too - probably more essential than all of the above. However, for the purposes of the survey, magazines and news paper subscriptions are not electronic. If you happen to pay for any online subscriptions, you can include those costs in the 'Internet' category.


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## Mike123abc (Jul 19, 2002)

Probably should have included more price tiers, by the time you pay for Satellite, cable modem, phone, cell phone you can really have a high bill. My E* bill is over $100 with 4 recievers now...

Phone bills have gone down. I do pay a smaller phone bill now because long distance prices have fallen so much. Remember when flat rate $.25 was big, then $.10 now I pay less than $.05 (of course if I called enough I would pay the $20 for unlimited). My cell phone bill is at least $30/month cheaper than it was when I first got it.

The Satellite/Cable bills are the only one that seem in a steady upward march.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Mike123abc said:


> Probably should have included more price tiers, by the time you pay for Satellite, cable modem, phone, cell phone you can really have a high bill...


What additional tiers do you suggest, Mike?


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## BFG (Jan 23, 2004)

I selected the 100-150 range, but oops i forgot that cell phone thing so it's actually $100 more

Dish - $67.17
DSL - $52.92
Cellphone - $101.97
Phone - $46.92


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## Jasonbp (Jun 17, 2002)

$151-$200 level for me. Looking at the bills together, it adds up fast, and I am sure I didn't add something in there.



Selenna said:


> Unlike the stereotypical female I *hate * mall shopping.


This is Kalamazoo, who does? We had four malls, now we have one. Crossroads. Which, ugh...who came up with the floor plan for that mall?


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## Selenna (Jun 18, 2004)

Jasonbp said:


> This is Kalamazoo, who does? We had four malls, now we have one. Crossroads. Which, ugh...who came up with the floor plan for that mall?


Nah, doesn't matter... I grew up in Chicago and while Woodfield is certainly more attractive to me than Crossroads (huge understatement  ) I just don't like shopping much. Never have. I'd much rather be spending my time gaming 

Back somewhat on-topic, when I think of how much I spent on my old Apple II and games.... of course we didn't include the cost of our computers in Nick's poll - though I suppose spread out over the life of it as a monthly amount it's not too bad.


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## Redster (Jan 14, 2004)

Thanks Nick,, I was very happy to just pay the bills when they come in and be ignorant to how much they actually were.

Home phone: $35
Cell Phone: $50
Broadband: $45
Satellite: $68

Technology purchases within last year ?

921DVR $1000
Big screen$ $1400
Home Theater $400

Yearly subscription to Zone Alarm Pro $39 (should add these in too,, they are technology)

Norton System works another $30 some odd 
Ad-aware $$ ? I dont remember

ohh , and another $80 for pc powersupply, another $120 for computer monitor, $250 for the video card, $40 more for more memory.
Probably between wife and I, bought about 30 dvd's at $20 apiece roughly,, theres $600. No clue on how many cd's she has bought.

For a grand total of ..... $ = thats why I eat leftovers 3 times a week.


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## Phil T (Mar 25, 2002)

Technology toys do add up!!

I have a family of 4 so here goes..

4 cell phones $70.00 AT&T
2 home phone lines $60.00 Qwest
2 DirecTivos & a HD Samsung 360 $70.00 DirecTV
Juno Dial up internet $10.00 Juno
XM Satellite Radio $10.00 XM

Total $220.00


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

Now go back and look at all the taxes you pay per month for technology. Shocking.


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## Redster (Jan 14, 2004)

true,, but at least on those taxes I have a choice. If I didnt like the tax,, dont buy it.


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

mainedish said:


> This is for my personal use,, not the company I run.
> Telephone Home $23
> Cell Phone (2) $39
> Satellite Directv $68
> ...


Taxes add up to $42. for this. Ouch.


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## Karl Foster (Mar 23, 2002)

Directv bill - $72.00
PPV's usually 3 each month - $12
Cell phones (3 phone family plan) - $90
Internet usage - $18
Qwest phone line - $50 

$242 total


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## lee635 (Apr 17, 2002)

60 E*
100 ATT Wireless (4 phones)
100 Verizon phone/dsl/long distance
20 MCI long distance
10 highstream dialup (for on the road and backup)
40 long distance calling card


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## TonyM (Aug 14, 2003)

Well lets see

Dish - 7.99
ExpressVu - 36.86 (after conversion)
Cell Phone - 56.99
FTA - 0  
No Home Phone
Internet - 50.00

total -151.84


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## peano (Feb 1, 2004)

Home phone: $24.38
Vonage (for LD) $14.99
DirecTV $41.96
ExpressVu $18.13 (includes HD Nets)
3 meg DSL $16.66
Cell phone $ 48.44 for 500 minutes daytime

I am in Canada. Prices shown are in US Dollars.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

DirecTV- $62.18
XM- $12.98
Earthlink Dial Up- $19.99
Nextel- $88.87
Verizon (land line)- ~$35
Computer Payment to Best Buy- $100

All prices include taxes, well actually my phone services are the only ones taxed, besides the 21 cent tax on the DirecTV bill for the TiVo service. The taxes on cell phones are ridiculous. I’m on a two phone shared plan. The rate plan is $40, the add on phone is $20, that’s nearly $30 a month in taxes. When I bought my computer Best Buy had 24 months no interest, which is the main reason why I bought it and had the best of everything available offered by Compaq in it. The computer came to about $2500 total I paid off the odd amount on the first payment and now I pay $100 a month. 

Total comes to about $320 for my household. My mom and I split the Nextel and DirecTV bills, I pay for XM, Earthlink and my computer payments, and she pays for the land line service from Verizon.


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## lee635 (Apr 17, 2002)

Steve, I'm not tracking on your previous message, it looks like you are saying that your cell phone bill is $60 ($40 plus addon of $20) but the tax is $30. That doesn't sound correct?


Be careful about what you classify as a "tax" from your cell phone bill. Some of the providers itemize certain charges and give them names that look like taxes, but they really aren't taxes. There was a news blurb about this several months ago, I can't find the link, but it compared these "taxes" and showed how company X listed some charge for something that company Y doesn't even charge for.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Guess I should have said 'additional fees'  All of the charges are itemized for each phone, my phone is the master phone and has roughly $16 in additional fees, my moms is the slave and has about $13 in additional fees. The current rate plans Nextel offers are cheaper and include 100 more anytime minutes along with unlimited walkie talkie, we're limited to 350 Direct Connect minutes, also the add on phone dropped from $20 to $15. Next month were switching rate plans. I didn't know about that but actually I hope some of what they call taxes, are just stupid ways Nextel tries to extort customers. I'd rather give the money to Nextel, then the government, aside from the E911 fee.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

:backtotop:

Way too much information about your cell phone, Steve. Let's try to keep this discussion on the broader topic of:

*How much do you spend monthly on communications and home entertainment technology?*

Thanks a bunch.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I don't see where I went off topic, I was just further explaining what Lee questioned.


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## Mike D-CO5 (Mar 12, 2003)

Dishnetwork bill 1st account 115.00
Aunt on my second account 35.00
T-mobile w 2 phones 60.80
Sage phone company 32.00
Time Warner cable internet 57.42
XM sat radio 10.81
Total Monthly $311.03

Last 4 months I have bought a 57 inch Toshiba hd tv for 2499.00 ( yes now it is on sale for 1899.00 at Best Buy) Yamaha sound receiver and speakers 299.00. I also bought a Cyberhome dvd recorder from Walmart for like 249.00 ( yes once again it is reduced to 189.00 on the website) I bought another 721 dvr for my son with trade in it worked out to 138.00. I bought a 811 hd receiver for 299.00 w trade in and then traded it back in on my 921 so I got it for like 799.00 with trade ins and the 811. I also bought all new 27 inch Advent tv last year for the Master bedroom and a 20 inch Toshiba for the computer room not to mention a Panasonic 20 inch for my son. Now I had to use my 401k loan to get my hd tv /921receiver and av cabinet, but at 66.00 a month before I get my check for 5 years , It was worth it. We also had about 500.00 more a month last year before my wife changed jobs , so this year I will be sitting on what I already have . The next thing I want to purchase will be when they make a high def dvd player in the next couple of years. 

Yes ,I think I have a electronics addiction. Does anyone know if there is a 12 step program for Electronics Anonomous?:sure:


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Hi, my name's Nick, and I'm a technology addict! :lol:


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## SAEMike (May 29, 2004)

Phone: $25/month 
Internet: $29.99/month for 640/320 DSL
Dish: $60 something/month
cell phone (2) $90/month
Internet subscriptions (ESPN Insider, Sporting News Radio, Bill O'Reilley, Phil Hendrie, ect): about $30/mo

So, about $235/mo 

Soon to double all of that to add to the business that should be opening sometime in December.


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## leemathre (Sep 25, 2003)

Phone $22
Cable television (Cox) $175
Cable Modem $40
Dish Network $366
Company pays for my cell phone $0

Wow! Over $600 per month. I guess I could be called an addict.


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## bavaria72 (Jun 10, 2004)

Phone (2 lines) - $86.00
DSL - $49.95
Mobile (3) - $140.00
Dish - $84.00
*Total - $359.95*

No wonder SBC is trying very hard to bundle Cingular mobile service, SBC phone service, SBC DSL, and Dish service. Some big bucks to be made. Really wish SBC would start offering packages to existing Customers. - Art


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## JBKing (Mar 23, 2002)

leemathre said:


> Dish Network $366


:eek2: $366 on what?????????????


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## leemathre (Sep 25, 2003)

I have many international channels. They are not cheap. I also have the AEP plus sports package, Dish Latino, basically, everything they offer.


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## boatman (Apr 1, 2003)

OK here goes:

Home Office- 88.00
Fax&DSL- 86.00
Home Phone:- 36.00
Verizon Cell 3 phones- 146.00
Dish 44.00
Voom 110.00
NetFlix 23.00

$533.00 per month
man what an eye opener when you add just the basic up. Time to rethink some things.


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## olgeezer (Dec 5, 2003)

raising bamboo is less expensive and more relaxing. Except for the sun, storms, bugs and chiggers, the outdoors is a great place to be


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## Redster (Jan 14, 2004)

olgeezer said:


> raising bamboo is less expensive and more relaxing. Except for the sun, storms, bugs and chiggers, the outdoors is a great place to be


That is true,, to think that I spend so much and during the summer we rarely use it. We spend so much time outside playing in veggie garden and flower beds that we hardly watch tv or get on the computer. :nono2:


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

boatman said:


> ...$533.00 per month - man what an eye opener when you add just the basic up. Time to rethink some things.


My thoughts exactly!

The poll shows that the "Over $300" crowd is more typical than I had ever thought it would be. That aside, the other categories have formed themselves into a classic statistical 'Bell-shaped Curve'. In retrospect, I should have extended the high end up to at least a _$500_ category!

If you haven't already, please remember to take part in the poll above. Also, your individual comments so far have been very interesting and highly revealing.


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## Mike123abc (Jul 19, 2002)

Nick said:


> What additional tiers do you suggest, Mike?


Well I am somewhere between 350 and 400, others I see below go to 600... probably tiers to 600.


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## mainedish (Mar 25, 2003)

For me paying for HBO Showtime or any movie Network is a waste of money. I put that money into buying dvds.


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## Hoxxx (Jun 19, 2004)

Wow I never sat around and looked at the cost per month for this techno fun
Cell 49.00
Home Phone 38.00
Dishnetwork 70.00
Broadband 39.95
XM Radio 16.95
anyway I enjoy it all. my main problem is I need to sleep.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Welcome to DBSTalk, Hoxxx! :wave:

I think many of us could use a little more sleep! :new_sleep


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## Ray_Clum (Apr 22, 2002)

Landline/DSL - $82 (incl unlimited long distance)
DirecTV - $54
Cingular - $55
Usual purchase of 2 DVD's a month - $40

$231.00


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## Charles Oliva (Apr 22, 2002)

Here goes:

Phone: $22 from Verizon
Internet: $10 from local ISP
DBS: $42 from Dish
Tivo: $13 monthly fee
DVD rentals: $16 ($2 each for twice weekly rental)

Total: $103

Boy am I a cheapskate.


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## james39 (Dec 10, 2003)

Hmmm, 
Phone $35
Cell phone + $10 per month
cable internet access $32
Dish Network AT-180 + locals $50
Buying DVD's average $45 per month
-------------------------------------
Total: $172 

Well, I guess I'm not doing too badly. 
Still, bleh!


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

No wonder I can't afford a Mercedes and an SUV in the drive way, a half million $ home like some of you and plasma screens in 5 different rooms, etc.

I looked at what I pay out each month for technology services-

DirecTV $55 plus 45 for NFLST $62 average mo
DishNetwork $106
VOOM $88
WebTV (pay for my Dad's service) $25
AOL limited plan $5
Comcast Broadband 
services TV and cable modem $140
ISP's for websites $35
Landline phone service 4 lines $117
2 Cellphones $150
Long Distance service @3cents a minute $12
T-Mobile Air Card service $30
Total so far- $770

Some of the above is obviously paid by my business but I decided to not break that part down since I own the business. And, my business is TV


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## Mike D-CO5 (Mar 12, 2003)

Don I think you win . You pay a lot a month for your toys. 

Now here is the real question; After seeing how much everyone out there is paying monthly , will ya'll now think of cutting back to save Money?

I think how I used to pay just 45.00 a month 20 years ago for like basic extended cable and there were no cell phones or satellite tv or radio. Hell ,there was no internet either. Technology is really changing the way we live and we are all paying the cost for it. Literally.:grin:


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

Mike- I take a different attitude about things I enjoy. I spend little time trying to figure out how to cut back and more time trying to figure out how to make more to pay for it. The only time I cut back is if I don't find a use for that service. If I use it I figure a way to afford it. It's all about attitude, I suppose.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

OK, here's my total's:

D* $171 (part of that is my NFL-ST 1/4th payment)
SBC $95 (includes my local and long distance plus 6M/600K DSL service)
Verizon cellular $65 (two phones family plan)
Sirius, I paid for the lifetime plan, don't remember exact cost but it was in the $300 to $400 range.
Purchase 1 to 2 DVD's/month $45

Please don't start a thread on how much you've spend on all the hardware to make use of these services.


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## BurgEnder (Aug 15, 2003)

E* = $80.00 
ReplayTV = $26.00
Cox HSI = $50.00
Vonage = $28.00
Nextel = $85.00
Phantasy Star Online GC = $9.00
One game monthly = $50.00

Total = $328.00


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

RAD said:


> ...Please don't start a thread on how much you've spend on all the hardware to make use of these services.


Don't worry, RAD, just seeing how much most of us are spending on just the monthly bills tells me we don't even want to go there. The amount I have invested in hardware over the past 12 months is, in relative terms, staggering.

The good news is I pay cash for my toys, so I don't have any monthly payments to add to the crush of monthly technology bills. The other good news is almost all of my recurring monthly bills are paid automatically so I don't have to look at them. :eek2:

_"Out of sight (not site), out of mind."_
________________________

One other thing - when I get enough beer cans to fill an empty RPTV box, I ship them to Chris so he can recycle them and get a few bucks to help with the expense of running this site (not sight). The funny thing is, every time the delivery truck shows up at Chris's house with that big RPTV box full of empty beer cans, he thinks someone has sent him another big-screen TV  :lol:


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## Redster (Jan 14, 2004)

:rotfl:


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

As of this morning, the results of our responders' monthly tech spending patterns are becoming quite clear.


```
$50 or less/month.........3........3%
$51 to $100..............18.......13%
$101 to $150............ 23.......17%
$151 to $200.............30.......22%
$201 to $250.............25.......19%
$251 to $300.............11........8%
More than $300/mo........24.......18%
```
Of the more than 130 responders who have "voted" in the poll so far,

16% spend $100 or less per month
84% spend over $100 per month*
45% spend over $200 per month* 
18% spend over $300 per month

*includes higher categories

The highest monthly technology expenditure reported so far is more than $700. With the over $300 category tossed out as an anomaly (can we do that?), the graph continues to form itself into a classic statisical "Bell- shaped Curve" which probably won't change much, regardless of how many more votes are cast from now on.

Keep in mind that, as with many things in life, what we spend each month on our "toys" is relative to our respective financial circumstances. The more important number is the percentage of total income such expenditures represent, and whether other, perhaps more important things, such as savings, insurance or retirement plans are being sacrificed to one's possible detriment. In other words, can we _honestly_ and _realistically_ say we can afford it?

Each person's situation is different, and the choices we make are our own individual household decisions. I hope we all can say we are making prudent spending decisions when it comes to our _compelling_ technology _wants_ and _needs_. 
Finally, always bear in mind that it is important to understand the difference between our "wants" and our "needs".

----------------------

For those who haven't yet participated in the poll, please feel free to do so.

Misery loves company.


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2004)

My paycheck goes to technology!


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

mainedish said:


> My father told me he paid $600 for a set in 1961 for a zenith. We only had 5 stations back then and that may explain why so many kids are fat today.
> Both my wife and I agree that Television has become 99 percent junk.


I fully agree reality shows are junk and I refuse to watch any. "TV a waste land". How true!


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2004)

This is what I pay every month...
Home phone: $40
Cell phone: $35
Directv: $65
Dish Network: $18
Direcway: $60
XM: $10
Sirius: $13
Wow! it does add up...close to $250


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

In the past 20 days, 30 more people have voted in the poll. While the raw numbers have increased, the percentages have remained essentially the same


```
$50 or less/month.........4........2%
$51 to $100..............23.......14%
$101 to $150............ 28.......17%
$151 to $200.............36.......22%
$201 to $250.............32.......19%
$251 to $300.............13........8%
More than $300/mo.......[U].29[/U]......[U].18[/U]%
Totals..................165......100%
```
Of the 165 responders who have "voted" in the poll so far,

16% spend $100 or less per month
84% spend over $100 per month*
45% spend over $200 per month* 
18% spend over $300 per month

*includes higher categories

Personally speaking, since I started this thread and realized, to my surprise, just how much I am actually spending each month on my 'toys', I have been rethinking my technology spending. Now I am looking for ways to cut back by critically analyzing my usage patterns, and the subtle changes in my viewing habits that have occurred over time.

Also, what with having Dish, Voom and cable, there is a lot of redundancy in the programming I receive. I have rationalized having cable by saying that it is a back-up to sat which has suffered from rain-fade frequently enough to justify the added cost, as well as having access to local weather reports which is very important during the hurricane season. Although Voom has provided the additional HD channels I thought I wanted, about 85-90% of my tv viewing still comes from DishNetwork.

The Cingular wireless phone/service I had in Atlanta is still active on a minimal plan, but not of any real value except that I hate to give up a very cool phone number in case I ever decided to move back to the Atlanta area, which with the passing of every month is very unlikely to happen since I've been _livin' and lovin' it_  here on the coast for almost two years now. That's $12/m I can save.

The big surprise to me is that after having Voom for several months, the novelty must have worn off and I find that I seldom watch it anymore. I thought I liked HD so much that I would watch almost anything as long as it was in 1080i. This has proven not to be the case. As much as I hate to admit it, Charlie was spot on when he said that to add more HD channels there must be "compelling content" - turns out he's right, at least as far as I'm concerned.

If I decide to drop Voom, which, in all other respects, has been satisfactory and has delivered exactly what they promised, that will save me $55/m (incl taxes).

As far as cable goes, I can cut back to basic and still get the weather channel and SAV/JAX local. That will save about $14/m

With these reductions, I will save $80/m or almost $1,000 in the coming 12 months, which will just about pay for that new a/v receiver and speakers that I so desperately _"need"_.  I haven't factored in the possible addition of cable broadband, but since I uninstalled/reinstalled my T-Mobile wireless internet aircard, it has been running at about 99.9% reliability for two days now, much, much better than the past several months.


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## stone phillips (Jul 1, 2004)

direct tv 155.00 a month
5 samsung series 2 tivos
2 hughes sdvr40
1 hughes ds6000r
1 sony svr 2000
2 rca drd420's
echostar 65.00 a month
1 501
1 7200
1 301.013
replaytv 13.00 a month
cable internet 50.00 a month
cell phone 40.00 a month
sirius 8.00 a month
xm 10.00 a month
netflix 50.00 a month
total 391.00 a month before taxes


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2004)

I'm lucky - the company I work for pays both my cell phone and broadband bills. So the only thing I pay for is AEP from Dish Network, under $100 per month.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

This thread has been "unstuck" and will quickly sink into oblivion. The poll attracted 187 votes and over 1,750 'views'. It revealed to most of us that we spend considerably more on our technology 'toys' than we thought we did. Twenty-five percent of those responding to the poll spend more than $250 per month.

The biggest shock to me was on the low end. Five people said they spent less than $50 per month. This from individuals who, because of their participation here, mostly likely have at the very least (1) satellite or cable tv, (2) a phone line, and (3) an internet connection. If anyone can tell me how you can sub to these three services for $50 per month or less, I would like to know how you did it.

Thanks to all who participated in the poll and took the time to post comments. It's been very interesting.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I was going to wait until this actually happed, but since Nick made his closing conclusions, I'll post it now . Next month I'll be subscribing to Netflix and I'll be adding Showtime to my DirecTV subscription, between that, getting broadband, subscribing to O&A on XM and a rate increase from Nextel on voice mail and caller ID services my monthly costs have risen from my previous post.

DirecTV- $73.18
XM- $14.97
Road Runner- $29.95
Netflix- $21.99
Nextel- $90.07
Verizon- ~$30

Total 260.16

Add my monthly computer payment and that's $360 a month.


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