I have a cell phone, but I don't have a service plan for it.

I use Google Voice to make my not-quite monthly phone call. It lets me send sms messages to my mom and dad, who are the only people I know who prefer to communicate that way. I also use it to snap chat my sister over my home wifi, but otherwise, that is pretty much it. My LG Volt spends most the time on a usb cable or lost in the couch. Heck, half of my sms messages are sent via my laptop.

When I upgraded to this setup after having used my cheap flip phone for so long, I was excited to have a GPS I could use with Strava. That lasted a month before I gave up on the idea. It didn't really add anything for me, it was just another bit of routine I needed to remember to do before I went anywhere.

This is a solution that works for me, but wouldn't work for most people. It works because of how I've managed to structure my life. The only bits of electronics I might grab when I leave the house are bike lights.

I'm lucky enough to live within walking distance to all my common destinations. If my bike pops a part, it is easy enough to walk it to my destination. I am lucky that my social circles are all accessible through irc gateways. I can walk up to any computer, point a web client to my znc server, and talk to whomever I need to.

The only complaint that I have heard about my using this setup is that the call quality from my phone is shit. I'm not sure that if that is due to the phone's mic or google voice. Probably some combination of the two.