Best Verizon Free Phone: Droid RAZR M

Best Free Phone from Verizon Wireless

My wife and kids switched their cell phone service from AT&T to Verizon recently.  I was still considering my options, so stayed with AT&T until I saw the free phones that my kids got.  I have gotten free phones before, in fact I have always gotten free cell phones.  If you sign up for a 2 year cell phone service contract, you always have some free cell phone choices.

Free Phone- Motorola Droid RAZR M from Verizon Wireless!
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Droid RAZR M- Best Free Phone

I was pleased when my wife informed me that the kids got free phones.  I wasn't expecting much from a free phone, but the Droid RAZR M is amazing.  It is a great Android device as well as a great phone.  It runs the latest Android Jelly Bean (4.1).  My son likes it better than his 4th generation iPod touch for playing games and watching videos.  Of course, I was concerned about data utilization.  The Verizon Family Plan we signed up for includes 2GB of data to be shared each month.  Playing games and watching videos for a few hours could easily burn through 2GB of data.  But the Droid RAZR M does a good job of automatically using Wi-Fi networks when available.  We have a Wi-Fi network at home, and have taken advantage of free Wi-Fi in restaurants and coffee shops when we are out and about.  The Droid RAZR M clearly shows on the display when you are using Wi-Fi data to download vs using 4G or 3G cell phone service.  The kids know to watch for this and only use data when they are connected to a Wi-Fi network.  Our data utilization has been almost zero so far.

The display on the Droid RAZR M is bright and clear.  The phone is very responsive, sporting dual 1.5GHz processors and 1GB RAM.  The Wi-Fi capability has been seamless, which is important since we plan to do almost all data utilization over Wi-Fi instead of the cellular network.  I have tried out the 4G wireless service for data access a couple times, and this seems to be about as fast as access over our home wireless network.

Verizon Wireless Cell Phone Display- RAZR M is the best free phone
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I switched to Verizon to Get a Free Droid RAZR M

After playing with my kids' phones and reading about the Droid RAZR M, I switched to Verizon so I could get a RAZR M as my free phone.  The RAZR M is the best free phone from Verizon.  The size of the phone is just right.  The screen size is 4.3 inches, which is small for a modern smart phone.

However, I prefer this size.  You can use the phone with one hand, and it is smaller in your pocket.  It is still plenty big for using the internet or watching videos- the screen extends all the way to the edges of the phone and is very easy to view.  The display is intuitive to zoom in and out to view pictures or web pages.  The larger cell phones now have 4.8 inch displays or even larger.  Droid DNA has a 5 inch display and Samsung Galaxy Note II has a 5.5 inch display.  A phone this large seems more like a tablet than a cell phone to me. I have heard these giant cell phones called "phablets"- for phone-tablets.  I want something smaller that is easy to carry in my pocket and use with one hand.

Motorola Droid RAZR M- Best Free Phone!
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The Droid RAZR M may be small in size, but is packed with features.  This phone has a compass built in.  The GPS seems to work very well.  The 8MP camera has a lot of features- I still haven't figured all of them out yet.  The back of the RAZR M is make of Kevlar and the body is made of aircraft grade aluminum.  The entire phone is treated with water repellent nanocoating   Here are more features of the Droid RAZR M for new owners from Motorola's blog.

If you are looking for a new cell phone, check out the Droid RAZR M- it is a great size, durable, light, thin, really quick, and FREE!




Recommended reading:

How to Sell your Old Cell Phone and Get Cash

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Kohl’s Credit Card: Get Kohl’s Cash and Kohl's Discounts

Kohl's Credit Card- The Key to Savings at Kohl's

How to Save Money at Kohl's
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Kohl's is where most of the new clothes at the Pincher household are purchased because Kohl's has some excellent savings programs. Applying for and getting approved for a Kohl's credit card is the place to start to get all of the discounts and savings programs. You can ask to apply for a Kohl's credit card at a Kohl's store at the checkout. You can get approved on the spot and be issued a temporary shopping pass if you want to use your Kohl's credit card for shopping right away. You'll need a Drivers License or other photo ID and you'll need your social security number to apply.

Use Kohl's Credit Card to get bargains at Kohl's

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Kohl's Cash- Even better than Kohl's Credit!

A savings program with a name like Kohl's Cash gets my attention. Kohl's Cash is a special type of coupon that you get by shopping at Kohl's. You can get $10 in Kohl's Cash for every $50 that you spend. The Kohl's Cash is valid for a limited range of dates, typically 11 days. You can't use Kohl's Cash on the same shopping trip that earned the Kohl's Cash- the Kohl's Cash must be used on a future date.

One issue with Kohl's Cash is that it does expire. You must use it by a certain date, or it expires. I have had Kohl's Cash expire a couple times when I forgot that I had it, or simply didn't get back to Kohl's in time to use it. Since Kohl's sells many types of items from clothing to household goods to toys and even some food items like Keurig K-cups and Sodastream syrup, there is always something you can find that you need when you have Kohl's Cash.

Kohl's Cash- Free Shopping at Kohl's!
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Why does Kohl's give away cash?

Why does Kohl's give away Kohl's Cash? The answer is to bring their best shoppers back to the store! If you spent $50 or more at Kohl's, they would love to have you come back since you are likely to buy more. Your potential as a shopper is amplified even more if you have a Kohl's credit card to tap into to buy bargains at Kohl's.

I recently went to Kohl's with $20 Kohl's Cash to pick up a pair of shorts. I ended up with 2 pairs of shorts, and my wife got 3 shirts. All good deals, but we spent $50 on a trip to Kohl's that we would not have otherwise made. This is a good strategy for Kohl's, and it is also good for shoppers- I did save $20 on my shopping bill.

Kohl's Discounts: 15%, 20%, or 30% off!

Now for even more savings- Kohl's Discounts. If you have a Kohl's Credit Card, you'll regularly get mailings with a peel-off sticker that reveals your savings. You can get 15%, 20%, or 30% off. The discounts are a percentage off of the regular store prices, which already seem pretty good compared with department stores like JC Penny, Younkers, Sears, Dillards, etc.

The Kohl's discounts are sometimes good for one day, or sometimes can be reused for a couple weeks before they expire, I always have a Kohl's discount coupon tucked away just in case we end up at Kohl's. One downside of getting used to always having a coupon at Kohl's is that it just feels wrong to go to Kohl's without one.

When you peel the sticker from the Kohl's advertisement and get a 30% off discount, it feels like you won something. Getting a 30% coupon is significant savings and I try to have at least a 20% discount coupon in hand before I go shopping at Kohl's.

Kohl's Discounts: save 15%, 20%, or 30%
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Use a Kohl's Credit Card, Kohl's Cash, and Kohl's Discounts to Save Money

Here's an example of how using savings programs at Kohl's can save you money when you shop at Kohl's: I had $20 in Kohl's cash from a recent shopping trip to Kohl's to get clothes for my growing kids. I wanted a pair of shorts and my wife came along to help me find some that were not too embarrassing. I also had a 15% off coupon.

I bought 2 pairs of shorts for myself and my wife bought 3 shirts. Kohl's has lots of great stuff!

At checkout, the cashier will tell you how much you saved and it's printed on your receipt. For example, I had $20 Kohl's cash and a 15% off coupon. The cost was $53.12. I "saved" $93.89 with price discounts, 15% off, and Kohl's cash. My receipt lists this total saved, and the cashier circled it in red pen. I know the savings is somewhat inflated since almost no one pays full price, but it does make you feel good about shopping. I also picked up $10 more Kohl's cash that I can use on a future shopping trip.

Shopaholics Beware... Kohl's Bargains may be too good!

Kohl's is very good at offering great deals and getting you to come back to the store and see the great deals. They make it easy to charge on your Kohl's credit card- you don't even need to have the credit card with you. They will look up your account if you show them a photo ID and type your social security number in the credit card machine. If you have trouble overspending at stores, you may want to be careful. Kohl's got me to come in with $20 Kohl's Cash, and I ended up spending that plus $50 more!

Recommended Reading:

Old Navy Credit Card Tips
United Credit Card: How I Avoided Paying the Annual Fee and Kept my Miles
GAP credit card: GAPCARD rewards at Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic

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Ceiling Fan Upgrade: Install a Ceiling Fan With Uplight and Remote Control

Upgrade Your Ceiling Fan- Get Uplight and Remote Control

Ceiling Fan Upgrade Options: Uplight, Downlight, and Remote Control
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My wife tried to convince me to buy a discount ceiling fan at Lowes and install it at home. There were several display ceiling fans that had been taken down and were lined up resting in shopping carts. The one my wife was interested in was Harbor Breeze Wakefield 52 inch ceiling fan with up lights, down lights, and a variable speed ceiling fan with remote control. Our old ceiling fan was a simple ceiling fan with no lights or remote control. I had several reasonable and rational objections to this plan:

1. We already had a working ceiling fan, why replace it? OK, the fan we already have doesn’t have lights, but we have lamps in the living room that we can use.
2. The close-out bargain ceiling fan cost $80, which is a lot more than nothing which is how much not replacing it would cost.
3. I didn’t want to mess with wiring and installing a new ceiling fan myself.
4. The bargain ceiling fan was a demo model and not even in its original box- what if parts were missing?

These objections were noted and overruled. The new ceiling fan was purchased and brought home and awaiting installation. On the bright side, we got a fan that originally sold for over $200 for only $80- and it came with a full set of compact fluorescent lights installed. And it had a remote control. I didn’t really even notice the remote control until after we bought it.

Harbor Breeze Wakefield Ceiling Fan With Uplight and Remote Control
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Ceiling Fan Installation Steps

The installation process started with about an hour of complaining. I then got out to work following these steps to remove the old ceiling fan and install the new one:

1. Read ceiling fan installation instructions
2. Check to see that all parts needed are present
3. Switch off power to the ceiling fan at circuit breaker. Check to make sure the power to the old ceiling fan is off after switching off the circuit breaker. If the ceiling fan still turns, try a different breaker…
4. Get a step ladder, set it up under the old ceiling fan
5. Remove the old ceiling fan. There is usually a mounting screw that must be removed. Sometimes it is hidden under trim that snaps in place. Newer ceiling fans can hang in place while you work on the wiring. Let the fan hang and disconnect the wiring. Since I’m paranoid, I took a picture of the connections of the wiring to the old fan before disconnecting anything- just in case. Take the old fan down and set aside.
6. Install the new ceiling fan. Hang it in place and connect the wiring with wire nuts. Make sure the wire nuts are nice and tight and that the correct wires are connected together. It’s usually pretty obvious like white wire connected to white wire, black wire connected to black wire, etc. Now raise the new ceiling into position and install the mounting screw and trim.
7. Now the moment of truth- switch the breaker on and try out your new ceiling fan.

Ceiling Fan remote control for fan speed, uplight, and downlight
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Easy Project: Upgrading a Ceiling Fan

Upgrading a ceiling fan is an easy project- this took me about 45 minutes to remove the old ceiling fan and install the new ceiling fan. If you have a properly installed existing ceiling fan, it is really easy to install a replacement ceiling fan.

If you want to install a ceiling fan in a place that does not have an existing ceiling fan, you may need to tear into the ceiling to install a junction box that can carry the weight of a ceiling fan- a much bigger project and you may want to consider hiring a professional contractor.

A ceiling fan uplight provides perfect lighting for watching TV
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Ceiling Fan Upgrade- Good Value!

If you don’t have a remote control ceiling fan with up-lights, you don’t know what you’re missing!

The up-light is perfect for watching TV. The light reflects off of the ceiling and provides a nice low level illumination.  The fan also has a regular light on the bottom, a down-light I guess, which provides more light if you want that. The ceiling fan also works well, and all of the functions are controlled by a remote control. I use this all the time to control the lights and ceiling fan speed without getting up.

One of the first things to do when installing a new ceiling fan is to make sure it rotates in the correct direction. Most fans are reversible and have clockwise and counterclockwise rotation directions for summer and winter. You want your ceiling fan to make you feel cooler in summer and warmer in winter by moving air in the proper direction. The Harbor Breeze has no obvious way to reverse the ceiling fan direction. It took a bit of research to discover the proper ceiling fan rotation direction for summer and winter and how to change the ceiling fan rotation direction on a ceiling fan without a switch.

I use the features of the new fan every day, and a fancy fan like this probably increases the resale value of my house. We use the uplight every evening, occasionally use the downlight, and use the fan most days. It is really handy to be able to control the lights and fan speed without getting up. I'm glad we upgraded our ceiling fan, this was a project well worth doing.

Recommended Reading:

Which direction should your ceiling fan rotate in summer and winter to save you money?
Best Products to Buy to Save Money

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy