Data Abuse – How to cope when your loved ones have a usage problem

In honor of our -1 month wedding anniversary today, I’ve been reflecting on some of the major milestones in our relationship (see below).

Relationship Timeline

Arguably, the most significant date on this timeline, 11/15/13, has also proven to be one of the most bewildering. Little did I know, when considering the (mediocre) cost savings that only a “family” plan could provide, that I was entering into an inequitable relationship. I’m now a firm believer that cell phone companies should be required to provide historical data usage to potential family plan members.

We started with what seemed to be a very sufficient 4 GB of data. Thinking back to my early Napster days, this would have put me somewhere in the ballpark of downloading 1,000–1,600 Dispatch songs/month. A few months ago, I added a GB and now it appears we need another one. I was discussing this conundrum with Greg a few weeks ago and, after comparing my usage versus hers, he requested a blog post on the topic.

Cell Data Usage
Cellular Data Usage by Month

I’ve tried a lot of interventions – forcing her to connect to wifi in public places, changing her facebook settings to not automatically play videos unless connected to wifi, turning off her cellular data altogether – and it doesn’t seem to curb the usage. I have so many unanswered questions… What is she doing all day? How much data could liking an Instagram post possibly use? How many things can one person possibly pin to their Pinterest board in one month? How many pictures does she send to her sister per day (a lot for the record)?

If anyone would like to join our framily plan, let me know.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. David

    Seems like you might need to update this article with the most recent usage happenings?

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