Yes, in true late bloomer fashion, its 2014 and I am still using dial up internet. I’m talking the ridiculously slow 45 kbps type of dial up. The one that makes that awful nail screeching connection sound. And to top it off, I don’t live in BFE where dial up is my only option, it’s purely my choice.

You are probably wondering why would I choose to live in the dark ages, well there are 4 specific reasons.

1. I’m Too Cheap to Upgrade
It would probably make life easier to upgrade to a faster service, but that would also mean I have to spend more money. Until high speed internet becomes competitive with my current monthly $10.99 internet bill, I just don’t see myself doling out more dough. I mean there is free wifi almost every where I go, so what’s the point.

2. I Have Commitment Issues
Almost every high speed ISP requires some sort of contract, especially if you want an affordable rate. I feel like right now my life is to unpredictable to be tied down by an internet contract. I have heard horror stories of people that relocated and had tons of trouble trying to transfer or cancel service. Let’s not even talk about the number of fees that comes with a change in service. Sometimes you are better off just continuing to pay for a service you’re no longer using.

3. I Use The Internet on My Phone 95% of the Time
This is the real reason I still have dial-up internet. I use my phone for everything. Most of my browsing happens on my phone. Pretty much all of my social media activity happens on my phone. All of my Youtube and Netflix watching happens on my phone. Plus my phone is 5.6 pounds lighter than my laptop. Not to mention wayyyy more portable. There is no reason to pay for high speed internet at home when I’m already paying for unlimited data on my phone. Whenever I need to do something on my laptop at home that requires high speed internet I just turn on my phone’s trusty hotspot. For everything else dial-up works just fine.

4. Dial-Up is Dependable
Yes, dial-up is slow but it’s also dependable. I remember my senior year in college there was a nasty storm with tornado warnings that knocked the cable & internet service on campus the entire night and I had a major strategic management assignment due to blackboard by midnight. While some other students risked their lives to travel down the street to Panera for internet, my lack of a vehicle and a M.I.A roommate saved me from a desperate act of stupidity. This was a time before cell phone hotspots were a thing. I was pretty much S.O.L until I remembered all I needed was a telephone line to have the world wide web would at my fingertips. I unhooked the telephone cord from the phone we never used and plugged it into my computer. Within minutes I was able to upload my assignment to blackboard.