Quitting the internets

dial-up is usually about $10 a month..(assuming you have a computer), thats not much for something that is important to you.
sorry..i would never dream of disentangling myself from the net so i can't offer advice there

Can't you just piggyback on your parents' plan, via AOL, etc. via dial-up? Some plans are really cheap, especially associate membership.

But how much does the local call cost? Over here, my dialup connection cost $25/month. But, when I added in the 20c or so per call to connect, the cost each month was much higher -- accounting for dropouts, let's say that made it $30 total.

Broadband ended up being almost the same price (plus the modem, but that's a one-off).

But none of that solves the main problem: cost on a tight-as budget (and no, that's not a typo; that's as in "tight as a ...").

Solatium, is there a library near you where you can use their internet facilities now and then? That might give you a cost-free option.

The limerick thread suffers in your absence.

Also, there are local libraries. Not to mention community Wi-fi... many students in my area don't have Internet accounts, because they could just use the campus/neighborhood free wi-fi at coffee shops, restaurants, etc. Panera Bread, for example, offers free wi-fi.

Solatium said:

I should appreciate your opinions on these two issues.

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Yes you should. I hope you do.

My advice: Don't move out of your parents house.

billythrilly7th said:

My advice: Don't move out of your parents house.

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Ugh.

Some weekend session at the library wil be enough to track your webpage etc. But when I was a student we opted to eat rice and beans and have diall-up. Of course shared housing is a plus, it divided rent any utility x number of ways and allows for efficiency buying bulk food etc. until I was earning reasonable money I never lived with less than 3 house-mates.

maestrowork said:

Ugh.

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Aww. Living with parents is the cool thing to do nowadays. I moved out of my fiance's house to move back in with my parents...it's fun to pretend you're not a big boy or girl, sometimes. Of course, living with parents generally means you have to abide by their rules, but you can get used to it.

Only move out when you can afford it. If you can't afford an internet connection, I say "stick."

I was really concerned to learn that another teenage person will be wandering the streets, unbathed, without smokes, and eating out of trash containers. I'd say the internet is the least of your immediate problems...

We sound like the pals at the bar responding to the guy saying he won't be coming in anymore...

i wasn't factoring in the cost of a phone when i suggested cheap dial-up. assumed a phone would be a must, and most phone services in the u.s. are unlimited and usually one can find a local dial-up and avoid connection charges.
i wonder if it would be easier to quit smoking than quit the internet
i've never had that habit, but i know it's expensive and there would be benefits to quitting.

billythrilly7th said:

Only move out when you can afford it. If you can't afford an internet connection, I say "stick."

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As a parent of two teens and one twenty-something, plus as someone who is providing a home for another teen, I'd echo this advice unless living with your parents really is unbearable.

If it is unbearable (read: you are being abused), and you are willing to follow rules and live peacefully with others, I'd suggest searching for a co-operative living arrangement with others in your situation. Shared rent, utilities, and internet are much easier on your pocketbook than your own place.

You don't say what age you are, but if you're not finished school yet, grit your teeth and bear it unless you're being abused. Do what you have to do to get that diploma.

If you're out of school, get the job, by all means, and negotiate rent and rules with your parents. If you're paying for room and board, and you're all grown up, they shouldn't have the same need to set a whole bunch of rules the way they did when you weren't an adult.

Moving out of your parents house and getting your own place sounds so grown-up. The reality is, being dirt poor is boring, exhausting, and no fun at all. Trust me on this.

As someone upthread said, lack of an internet connection will be the least of your worries.

ETA: Just read your profile. You can forget the advice for teens...

Yeshanu said:

ETA: Just read your profile. You can forget the advice for teens...

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Me too. Reading the profile thingy, I mean. Please, please leave. You're too old to be sponging off your parents. If you can't afford Internet, then get a better job. They've done their job. Now it's your turn.

When I was a poor college student in Ohio, I used to use Family Video internet service. I think it was like $12 a month or something. It's dial up, unlimited, pretty reliable, no additional fees or contracts to sign or anything. You can cancel whenever you want. It got me through.

I wouldn't want to quit the internet. Some of the other things you mentioned (satellite TV or cigarettes) would be much more productive and healthier to quit. Not to sound like a nagging big sister or anything

Welcome to the world of being on your own. It'll all work out. You will soon afford internet and apreciate it cause your paying for it.

Terri

1. Move out. Definitely.

2. Quit the internet(s?) for a while. It'll help you get some writing momentum going. Just go cold turkey. I did for six months starting in November and it was very good for me.

It's like quitting smoking. Only the first week is really bad.

You say: "Once you get a job" you will move out.
How about saving up until you do?
Everyone has to start somewhere. More often than not it is hard. Choices have to be made. I agree with the others in here. Internet will be the least of your problems.

Solatium said:

As for my other real question, I still want some advice: Would it be a violation of netiquette to take my mailing list subscriptions, memberships to message boards and websites I never use, etc., and shunt them over to my old e-mail so I don't have to think about them anymore?

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Why not? It's your life, your descision. Who will be offended?

You will find a job. You will also manage to get a home on your own.
Meanwhile, why don't you shut down your website (no, I didn't check the link), go through all your mailing list subscriptions, memberships to message boards and websites you never use, etc., and unsubscribe to them. Make your life easier, in short. There is no point in being miserable about a future that hasn't come yet and worry about things that might not happen.

And you should be freakin' happy that McDonald doesn't want you. Been there, done that, and I refuse to recommend the experience.

PS. If nothing else you can always claim to be an illegal immigrant. They don't seem to have any problems getting jobs.

As co-owner of two Yahoo groups, I can tell you that unsubscribing is kinder to group owners and moderators than shunting your mail to an unused mailbox. For ezboard forums, I don't think you need to do anything. People disappear from ezboard forums all the time. I don't know anything that would help you make the choice for other kinds of groups.

OK, sounds like your mind has been made up about the Internet, and that you could only get minimum wage jobs and couldn't afford anything... (although there is always a possibility of having access at work, and also free wifi).

Solatium said:

Would it be unseemly to transfer these memberships to a junk e-mail account (like my old one that got overrun with spam)? Mind you, I'm not talking about correspondence with actual people, just mailing lists and stuff.

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What do you mean by junk email account? Like a yahoo or hotmail account? Sure. Why not? As long as these accounts belong to you, you can use any addresses for mailing lists. The caveat is that you might not get to read these messages because of spam filters...

Also, is it advisable to take my website down, since I won't be able to update it? My mother says yes, because unmaintained web pages are annoying; and I'm inclined to say yes, because the site is a vanity project with almost no content, and I'm a tad embarrassed of it. But would taking it down reflect badly on me? I don't want to seem like I'm hiding anything.

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Does it cost money for you to keep it up? If you have your own domain name, it might be a good idea to keep them because once someone else claims it, you might not get the domain name back. If you don't think your site has any value and there is virtually no visitors, then nobody would care if you take it down, right? Or if you don't update it, for that matter, because no one will visit it anyway. Annoying? To whom? Otherwise, why not just post a note on the site and say you're temporarily "too busy" to update this and will be back sometime "in the future." That way, you don't have to give up your domain name...

However, if it costs money and you decide to take it down because of that, it's up to you.

I think the reason no one really answered your two questions is that... they are trivial. It really depends on what you want. There's no right and wrong answer. It is your life, your site, your email... you do what you want.