Self-employed? Need to max your tax return? Try Walmart Family Mobile

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

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As most of us in the United States are finishing up our income taxes (they’re due April 15, ya’ll!), I bet most of us are hoping for a bit of a refund. What are you spending your refund on? Let me plant a little bug in your ear about a cost-saving investment I just made that will “max your tax” refund. Thanks to #CollectiveBias and Walmart #FamilyMobile, I’m trying out the Samsung Galaxy Exhibit (less than $100!), which is only one of many phones available through Walmart Family Mobile.

The truth is, I should have tried out this plan a long time if only for the fact that it offers the cheapest of all the unlimited talk/text/web no-contract plans.

Me and my phone

Most people who know me are fully aware that I’m pretty much glued to my cell phone and for very good reason. My single phone operates as our home phone, my company’s phone and my personal use phone. I use it for email, Internet, photographs, blog reader, social media management, tracking some business expenses, and oh yes, talking on the phone. That’s a lot of responsibility for a small piece of technology, isn’t it?

I’m one of about 10 million Americans who are self-employed (figure is from Forbes) and that number is expected to increase. I work from my home and need a reliable phone partially for my own safety when I’m home alone, but mostly because it’s how I operate my business. When I’m away from my laptop I’m able to keep in touch with clients and not miss out on much, if anything. Truth be told, when it comes to setting up your home office, the adage “if Walmart don’t got it, I don’t need it” is true. Now it’s even true for my cell phone!

My old phone is on the right and my new phone with Walmart Family Mobile is on the left. The new phone is less expensive, provides a bigger and brighter screen, and is available with the same coverage benefits (but faster Internet!) for $6 a month less than my previous no-contract plan.
My old phone is on the right and my new phone with Walmart Family Mobile is on the left. The new phone is less expensive, provides a bigger and brighter screen, and is available with the same coverage benefits (but faster Internet!) for $6 a month less than my previous no-contract plan.

 

Accessorizing with Walmart Family Mobile 

ShopFamilyMobileAccessoriesWhen you use a phone for more than just the basics like I do, you need accessories to go with it. I needed a new car charger (mine broke) so that I can charge my phone between client meetings. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a bit of a klutz so having a good rubber cover was also important to me. These #FamilyMobile phones aren’t expensive, but why not protect your investment when it’s so inexpensive to do so? Speaking of protecting your investment, I also got the protection plan from Walmart.

Two more ways that I extended my ability to use the smartphone was through purchasing an SD card for additional memory, and really maxing out the apps.

Here are the apps I’ve downloaded on my phone (besides the ones that it came with):

For phone maintenance

  • App 2 SD
  • AppCacheCleaner
  • 2xBattery

Social media-related

  • Facebook
  • Facebook page manager (for my business)
  • Pinterest
  • WordPress (also for my business)
  • Hootsuite (for my business and personal)
  • Instagram
  • Wordgram
  • Instaweather Pro
  • Instarepost

Organization/business tracking

  • Evernote
  • DocsToGo
  • Yahoo mail
  • CamCard
  • MilesTracPro

Reading/information

  • Feedly
  • CNN
  • 5News
  • Bible YouVision
  • Weatherbug

Photo management

  • Aviary
  • Photogrid

Interested in trying Walmart Family Mobile?

Are you self-employed like me? Or are you just tired of paying out the nose for way overpriced bad cell service? Seriously, consider Walmart Family Mobile. You can keep your own number and there’s no contract. Did I mention the monthly rates are very affordable for unlimited talking/texting/web use?

You can find Walmart Family Mobile online but I really enjoyed being able to go in the store and ask questions from the associates. If you find something online that they don’t have in your local store, just use the fantastic site-to-store option. Oh and don’t forget to purchase the one-time starter kit for your phone. It has your SIM card and your activation instructions.

Every store is different, but look for the "no-contract" section at your local Walmart's electronics department. In mine, it's an island in the middle of the department. You can also research your options in the store with the Family Mobile information center (I thought it was so much fun I had to take a picture).
Every store is different, but look for the “no-contract” section at your local Walmart’s electronics department. In mine, it’s an island in the middle of the department. You can also research your options in the store with the Family Mobile information center (I thought it was so much fun I had to take a picture).

 

So what are you waiting for? Go! Save money! Live better!

4 comments / Add your comment below

  1. I’m also self-employeed and it’s so hard to think of paying a lot for a monthly cell phone plan. I love how affordable this plan is! #client

    1. Me too! I thought my previous no-contract supplier was cheap. This beats them by $6 a month and the customer service is light years better!

  2. We’ve been looking into this quite a bit and we’re now thinking of switching the whole family over to WFM – and not just my husband and I, but also my mom, siblings, etc. Just think of all the money we’d save!

    1. Yes, it is a money saver! It’s “only” six bucks less a month than Straight Talk but the customer service is ten times more effective.

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