Frugal Travel

Holiday Escape Plan.

Your guide to skipping the insanity this year.

I was driving the other day and I saw a pumpkin patch sign up. It’s freaking Labor Day weekend! I know what that means. Halloween will quickly turn into Thanksgiving and the insanity of the spendy holiday season will begin instantly.

Have you ever thought about escaping the holidays? No last-minute trips to malls, hiding gifts in the trunk, wrapping oversized packages. Completely ignoring the news stories about people getting trampled on Black Friday. There’s really a reason it’s called Black Friday.

Choose Adventure over Stuff

What would happen if you could get the whole family to buy in on your secret holiday escape plan? Choosing adventure over stuff this holiday season. I know this is next to impossible if you have kids under 12 years old, but it’s never too early to start planting the seed. Our kids got a taste of it last year. We had a get together with family and friends in Mexico. We saw whales, visited small villages, took boat rides, sat on the beach.

The holiday escape plan is pretty simple. Instead of the traditional gift giving bonanza of material goods that are soon forgotten, we will put all of that money towards a family adventure. Last year we did a little of both which, looking back on it, is cheating. We also spent a bit too much once we got to Mexico.

I needed complete buy in on the plan this year. Our gifts to each other would be adventure and time with family and friends. To my surprise, I got very little pushback. Our youngest commented “Why wouldn’t we choose that?” Another comment was “I always have a hard time coming up with stuff to ask for anyway.” I’ll let you know how all this turns out after Christmas morning, at least they’ll be waking up at the beach.

Paying for your adventure

Now the hard part starts, but just think how much time you’re saving by skipping all those trips to the store and wrapping presents. The first thing I did was look back over the last couple years at what we spent on Christmas gifts, local travel, and all the other holiday related “stuff”. [Read more…] about Holiday Escape Plan.

Find Your Treehouse. My one year experiment using Airbnb.

04/14 by The Frug 2 Comments

Find Your Treehouse

When I was in third grade, my dad helped me build a treehouse. I should say, I helped him. It was a great treehouse, larger than most with a solid deck, walls, and a gable roof. It was built in a huge tree that could easily support its weight. We had windows with large screens and even ran power via a long extension cord. I could run a fan, a radio, and even a small tv.

My stock value went way up for coolness of sleepovers among my friends. I miss that treehouse. It was a great place. For me, it was my “other” place. There was home, school, and the treehouse.

I think Airbnb, the travel app juggernaut, had people like me in mind when they started featuring photos of all kinds of lodging alternatives including: Yurts, Houseboats, Airstream Trailers, exotic treehouses and even old trains. It’s now the most popular page on their website. You can find it on their website homepage just by clicking “popular.”

I mean, who wouldn’t want to sleep on a boat or on a train or in a rainforest treehouse. These are the type of places where people can really get a good night’s sleep. And you get to skip buying the boat or vacation house part. Oddly enough, I started experimenting with Airbnb a few years back for business travel, not personal. I was headed to New York and sick and tired of business hotels that charge over $300 a night with nothing much more than free WiFi. And don’t forget about the 15-23% lodging and misc. taxes most cities add on. I found something much better on Airbnb for $130 a night in the East Village.

One of my best finds was a one-bedroom apartment in the center of the old city in Barcelona for $70 a night. Yes, you read that correctly — $70 per night. Prime location with balconies that opened out to one of the nicest parts of the city. It had WiFi, full kitchen and a living room. In a pre-war building with 15 ft high doors. A comparable room in a hotel would be close to $300 a night. [Read more…] about Find Your Treehouse. My one year experiment using Airbnb.

A Salute to Digital Nomads.

02/14 by The Frug Leave a Comment

What we can all learn from the guy living in a van down by the river.

by Brad Beckstrom

It was around 2008 when I first started reading about digital nomads. The economy had tanked and a lot of people were out of jobs. The world had changed, and many were seriously questioning their commuter / cubicle / consumer lifestyles. They still are. Enter the digital nomad.

For the uninitiated, digital nomads are folks who leverage digital and wireless technology to work and create outside of the traditional work, school, office environment. A digital nomad can come in many flavors: The travel writer who travels globally on $50 a day, a suitcase entrepreneur running a cloud business from a laptop, a couple crisscrossing the globe in a sailboat.

I once considered the sailboat option, but quickly realized that someone who loves spending time on the water doesn’t necessarily translate to someone who wants to live on the water full time. Often, digital nomads are just locals working in a library or coffee shop or at home, while doing what they love: writing, surfing, cycling, creating, hanging out with their kids. You might even find them in a (kick ass camper) van down by the river, publishing books on kickstarter, creating photography about a movement.

What I’ve found is that actively pursuing dreams often leads you down unknown paths. Researching life on a boat, writing this blog, led me to discover many of the digital nomads I’ll share here. The journey often begins by looking in, before you look out. I’ve also discovered the many distinguishing traits these nomads share. Traits that anyone regardless of age or station in life can aspire to.

These are real examples and I’ve included links to their stories at the end of this blog post with hopes you’ll read that far.

They are frugal. Make no doubt about it, if you’re going to travel around the world on $50 a day or semi-retire to do your own thing at 30, you’re probably pretty frugal and have been working at it for a while.
They are minimalists. If you’re going to run a business out of a suitcase or travel around the world owning less than 50 things, there’s a pretty good chance you learned how to live with a lot less stuff quite some time ago.
Wanderlust. They’ve got it. This doesn’t necessarily mean full-time world travel, it can be something as simple as someone who works from home so they can bike, surf, hike or disappear in the mountains for a few days.
They have plans. They may not know exactly where they’re going next, but they know how to take the crucial first steps and START.
They think differently. They don’t wait till retirement to do amazing things like quitting a job on Wall Street to build windmills in Africa and inspire others to do the same.
They have what I call “creative ambition.” The powerful desire to create something everyday and put it out into the world without the concern of always getting paid.
They are misfits, living anything but average lives in exhilarating and unconventional ways.

So here is my list of a few Digital Nomads I’ve discovered. They’re Vagabonds, Dreamers, Entrepreneurs, Minimalists, and Misfits with a passion for the frugal lifestyle on the road and around the globe. This list is just getting started. You can find it and add to it on list.ly

Digital Nomads

Listly by Brad Beckstrom

A List of Digital Nomads, Vagabonds, Dreamers, Entrepreneurs, Minimalists, and Misfits with a passion for the frugal lifestyle on the road and around the globe.

Pursuit of Everything

Feb 13, 2014 - aj-leon.com - 452

The Pursuit of Everything (POE) project is a website I launched on August 16, 2012 (my 30th birthday) to publish my writing about living life deliberately, doing work that truly matters, and changing the world.

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Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Feb 13, 2014 - nomadicmatt.com - 407

My name is Nomadic Matt and I’ve been traveling the world since 2006. Growing up in Boston, I was never a big traveler. I didn’t take my first trip overseas until I was 23. Outside a cruise and college trip to Montreal, I had no travel experience. After college, I got a job and the standard American two weeks a year vacation. I wanted to use that time to travel. After all, it was vacation time, right? So for my first trip overseas, I went on a tour to Costa Rica.

That trip changed my life.

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The Art of Non-Conformity

Feb 13, 2014 - chrisguillebeau.com - 400

I write, travel, and help people take over the world. This site hosts The Art of Non-Conformity blog and the diary of my travel adventures in every country in the world. If you're dissatisfied with conventional beliefs and want to do something remarkable with your life, I'd love to welcome you to the revolution.

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Go Curry Cracker!

Feb 13, 2014 - gocurrycracker.com - 406

Go to school. Get good grades. Get a good job. Buy a house. Work for 30+ years. Be a consumer. Retire on a golf course.

For many, this is the recipe for success. But life has more to offer those willing to change the ingredients.

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The Minimalists

Feb 13, 2014 - theminimalists.com - 511

Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus write about living a meaningful life with less stuff for 2 million readers.

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Live and Work Awesomely - The Perpetual Vacation

Feb 13, 2014 - theperpetualvacation.com - 440

Life is better when you enjoy your work. Our time here is precious, so why live it in fear and devoid of meaning? Join our quest to live and work awesomely.

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The Suitcase Entrepreneur

Feb 13, 2014 - suitcaseentrepreneur.com - 542

Have you’ve always known you shouldn’t be working for someone else? You know, doing something that doesn’t really float your boat in the 9-5 world? Do you rebel against conforming, against authority and believe things can be different and you can set your own rules and create your own lifestyle choices?

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Israel Smith

Feb 13, 2014 - israelsmith.com - 483

After a brief, dissatisfying career as an IT Consultant, I opted-out of the corporate world in early 2004 and became a portrait photographer.......see much more

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A Restless Transplant

Feb 13, 2014 - arestlesstransplant.com - 461

My truck slid off a road in Central Baja, and a Subaru Brat saved my ass.

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Exile Lifestyle

Feb 13, 2014 - exilelifestyle.com - 430

A professional author who starts and runs businesses and travels full-time. Well known for his writing, travels, and his goal of only owning 50 things.

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Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog

Sep 08, 2015 - vagablogging.net - 451

American anthropologist Ralph Linton wrote the following essay, which appeared in the American Mercury in 1937. Published half a decade before "globalization" became a buzz-word, it humorously illustrates how everyday routine in modern America is the sum of years of global human ingenuity.

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A Digital Nomad Couple Who Sold Everything to Travel Forever

Sep 08, 2015 - neverendingvoyage.com - 407

Because Life is Short and the World is Large

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You can also find a few of their books on my Amazon bookshelf.

Digital Nomad Photo credits

Andrew Waits

Foster Huntington

Simplicity is the whole secret of well being.

01/14 by The Frug 2 Comments

I said more cowbell, not more cowbells.

The holidays are hard for the Frug. Christmas shopping gives everyone a fantastic excuse for buying more stuff. You know the whole gifts and holiday traditions thing going on. Our friends, family, and our extended family fully embrace the holidays. Multiple family get-togethers and other holiday parties take their toll on the wallet. There are also 9 plastic tubs of holiday stuff that emerge from the deepest corners of the storage room shortly after Thanksgiving. Lots of festive pinecones, cowbells, singing Santas, ornaments and knickknacks.

I said more cowbell, not more cowbells!

I can just feel the surge of stuff rolling into the house from all directions. Just thinking about my required half day of frantic holiday shopping also gives me hives.

This holiday season we made an effort as a family to see more stuff instead of buy more stuff.

So here’s the idea. SuperK and I hatched a plan in June to join some other family members on a trip to Mexico for Christmas. This would require some saving, airfare hacks, and creative scheduling as far as the traditional holiday get-togethers are concerned. We also had a goal of scaling back on gifts and having a more traditional utilitarian (I love that word) Christmas celebration.

We would make this holiday season all about family experiences versus stuff. Sure the kids would be disappointed but to be honest they are generally disappointed with most gifts. You can see SuperK’s thoughts on this here. Plus, it would be hard for them to complain while sitting on a beach in Mexico hearing about the icy temperatures at home. So, instead of making the trip a surprise we let them in on it early on. We built excitement with countdown calendars, savings thermometers and photos. We also talked about some of the adventures we would have in Mexico with friends and family.

I am also always playing up the idea that less stuff equals more. Less stuff to shop for, put together, store, repair get rid of, equals more time for adventure. In a year, I’d like to say we are traveling light not just on our adventures but at home, lightening the load that excess stuff puts on you.

Okay so this was a big experiment. Did it work? Here is some of the stuff we saw this holiday season in Mexico.

Family and friends from Baltimore MD, Amherst MA, Minneapolis MN, Los Angeles CA, Brooklyn NY.
A school of gray whales about 30 yards from a boat that was significantly smaller than each of the whales.
Went to Spanish Christmas Mass in a small neighborhood church in Puerto Vallarta.
The Greatest Mariachi Band in the World, as touted by family and friends that had seen them before. I must agree.
Several beach towns including Yelapa Mexico, only accessible by boat.
A taste of some small village life in Mexico by hiking up a trail of crumbling rocks and ancient steps.
Peluchelandia.
Six fantastic sunsets.
A dose of reality for the boys, seeing many kids working selling trinkets on Christmas Day
The famous pie ladies of Yelapa, and some coconut pecan pie on the beach, why not.
Some of the best food Mexico has to offer including a great Fish and Chips place Joe Jacks

So here are a few tips for lightening the load so you can see more stuff next holiday season.

Use the stuff in, stuff out formula. For every new item that comes in the house two items need to leave. This can include toys your kids no longer play with, clothing they’ve outgrown (or I’ve outgrown), items you no longer use, knickknacks you’re just tired of looking at.
Start planning your adventures now. To make this happen, it really does require some thinking in February once you’ve recovered from your holiday $ hangover.
Add up everything you spent this holiday season and take a hard look at what you can move out of the category labeled stuff.
Give things away, It’s easier to part with anything when you believe someone may get some use out of it. We keep a large donation box in the hallway to always remind us of this. Last year we filled about 20 of these.
Keep a record of what you give away, Goodwill, Purple Heart receipts etc. you may be able to write off $500 or more on your taxes.
Make sure you’re using a credit card that produces from 2 to 5 points for each dollar spent. Check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Fidelity American Express that include 2% cash back or points on every purchase.

I’ll be working on the stuff out formula and who knows we may end up in Mexico again next Christmas.

Dial up adventure, Dial costs down with TripTuner

09/13 by The Frug Leave a Comment

Dial your vacation costs down, and crank adventure all the way up, with this great new travel tool. Recently I’ve been sharing some of my favorite travel hacks like kayak/explore. I have found a new travel tool that’s a lot of fun to use.

On Tuesday night, I met Ted Devers at a DC Lean Startup Circle event in Arlington, VA. Ted used his experience as a DJ, and in the online travel industry, to create an equalizer for your travel experience. It’s called Triptuner. Old guys from the 80s like me are very familiar with equalizers. Every boom box and home theater system had to sport one. You can still find them on iTunes and with most music software.

This equalizer is different. I call it an “experience equalizer.” So, instead of cranking up the bass, like I used to, I can crank up “active”, or “beach” or “urban” so this great tool can help me find the location I am in the mood for.

Of course, the Frug wants to push things to the limit by turning the “high end” button all the way down to the “thrifty” setting and the “active” button all the way up. Once I did that, a lot of my favorite destinations started to show up, including Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and great cities like Barcelona, Spain and Corfu, Greece.

Based on your Triptuner Equalizer settings, you get a quick match percentage on your ideal destination. For the Frug, The Dominican Republic came up as a 98% match. This could explain why we’ve vacationed there three of the last four years.

Let me know where it takes you. Enjoy.

21 Things My iPhone Replaced

08/13 by The Frug 2 Comments

Most people would think one of the worst money-saving tips I could offer would be to purchase an iPhone. We constantly hear about expensive Apple products, overpriced data plans, unnecessary upgrades, monthly overages, wasteful app store purchases and how overpriced smartphone plans are in the US versus Europe and Asia.

Yes, the Frug family has 4 Apple devices on an AT&T family plan, three iPhones and an iPad. True, the bill does make me cringe, especially the three different types of telecom tax. The phone and the taxes add up to about $55 per device per month. That’s not really what this post is about.

I was recently trying out Listly and created a list of all the things my iPhone replaced. I have dropped in the list below. Basically the iPhone since its introduction in 2007 has allowed me to get rid of a lot of stuff including some of the worst kind of stuff that has monthly recurring fees.

You’ll be able to tell from the list that I’ve always been a bit of a gadget addict. The iPhone is really helping me with that, replacing 20+ gadgets with just one and using free apps to do all the work. I mention a few of these apps below.

Here are some big items right off the bat.

Landlines – I was going through some old files the other day and came across some of our old phone bills. $65, $120, $85. This was back in 2006 when we were still using a landline and then later digital on Comcast, Vonage etc. My home number is now my iPhone and I give out a Google voice number to solicitors, websites, banks, etc. My wife does the same and we list each other as emergency contacts. If someone leaves a message on our Google voice number we get a nice transcribed email we can delete. We used to get calls at 6 PM every evening like everyone else. Now silence.

International long distance – We travel a good amount and I remember international long distance charges anywhere from $120-$350 per trip. That quickly added up to over $1000 per year. True, some of this was business-related, but as a business owner it was still my expense. I now use the Skype app or Facetime via hotel or restaurant Wi-Fi. It’s gotten a lot easier since I first tried this out in a Starbucks in Mexico. On a recent trip to Barcelona, I had daily FaceTime calls with the family, total international long distance cost $0.00. Only problem with FaceTime is that even my youngest can tell when I’ve had a few beers.

SiriusXM Satellite Radio – Satellite radio had ratcheted up to about 19 bucks a month before I discovered Pandora on my iPhone. Now can I can listen to truly commercial free music via Bluetooth. The iPhone automatically connects when I get in the car and any calls that come through pause the music. The music and calls are delivered via Bluetooth over the cars sound system. I just needed an adapter installed for my radio. The quality of Pandora and iTunes over Bluetooth to my car stereo really surprised me. I find it to be better than CDs or HD FM radio. Savings of about $200 a year after the annual pandora fee is subtracted.
Garmin GPS – The iPhone replaced my handheld GPS unit. I really enjoyed it for hiking, finding my way around strange cities, even on the water. Problem was it required CDs, expensive downloads that only worked on a PC, international city packs etc. etc. I understand that some GPS units even had a monthly fee. That’s all gone now. Not only is the iPhone a fantastic GPS device, it’s apps integrate information sharing like speeding cam locations on WAZE. WAZE should save even the most conservative driver a ticket every few years or find you a great local diner with low prices. Google maps free GPS is the best I found and, most importantly, covers walking and cycling directions that the others don’t. For hiking the everytrail app is awesome as you can share and discover great walks.There are a ton of options for hiking and running these are just a few.

When I add all this up and multiply it by several family members, I really believe the iPhone allows us to get rid of a lot of stuff. See the full list below and save a lot of money on unnecessary monthly fees that creep onto your credit card bill every month.

As I look at the list below I also realized all the time that was necessary to deal with all this stuff, racks of CDs, busted digital cameras and video recorders (now we just bust the iPhones) annual BS increases in satellite radio fees, and landline or digital long-distance fees. Lots of extra crap to pack when traveling like headphones, books, magazines, cameras extra batteries, etc. All replaced by an iPhone.

The message here was that the iPhone is worth every penny of the costs as it is something I use every day. And as a bonus it actually saves me time and money every month.

Live Lean. Work Lean. Travel Lean.

20+ Things my iPhone Replaced

Listly by Brad Beckstrom

I've been using iPhones since 2008. At first I thought it was just a cool smartphone until I look back at all the stuff it's replaced. The Frug
https://www.thefrug.com/

Treo 600

Aug 01, 2013

This was a great phone, But it was four years old when the iPhone came out. It was the first smart phone that I had that used apps. It had replaced a palm pilot so it made a lot of sense to have a phone integrated with calendars and other apps.

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Digital Cameras - Canon PowerShot SD450 Digital ELPH Digital Camera Review, Information, Specifications

Aug 01, 2013

I purchased this camera as it was easy to carry in my pocket. It became redundant once the camera arrived on the iPhone. It became even more redundant when Instagram launched.

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GPSMAP 60CS

Aug 01, 2013

My iPhone replaced this handheld extremely versatile color GPS unit .I was able to use it for both marine navigation, hiking and driving directions. The iPhone handles all of that nicely. With lots of hiking apps, GPS driving directions and navigation options.

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Sony DCR-TRV10

Aug 01, 2013

This camera was pre-flip, pre-iPhone. Used to be required equipment for a new dad. I think this one was $1100 bucks back in the day. Ouch.

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iPod Photo

Aug 01, 2013

The iPod Photo was my first iPod. It had a color screen and 60 gigs of storage for photos. I still haven't finished burning all my old CDs into iTunes. But now with Pandora on my iPhone I don't really need to. This was a great iPod really added music back into my workouts.

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Daytimer

Aug 01, 2013

I was a big daytimer user. Always had one open on my desk or in the car for quick notes and to do lists. Later switched to a digital version. I would print out the pages and then put them in the binder. Seems sort of funny looking back on that now. The iPhone is great for calendars and to do lists and completely syncs with my laptop.

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Programmable Remote Controls

Aug 01, 2013

As a music nut I always had hi-fi equipment around the house and I would constantly try to operate all of the different hi-fi components with one programmable remote control. These things were a pain in the ass and we seem to be dying or running down batteries. I'd usually end up with a carousel of the original remotes rather than dealing with these. The iPhone has a great remote for both Apple TV and a Roku app which may eventually replace all remote controls not just programmables.

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SiriusXM Satellite Radio

Aug 01, 2013

I think satellite radio got up to about 19 bucks a month before I discovered Pandora on my iPhone. Now can I can listen to truly commercial free radio via Bluetooth. The iPhone automatically connects when I get in the car and any calls that come through pause the music. The calls are also delivered via Bluetooth. Just needed an adapter installed for my radio.

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Home Phone Number

Aug 01, 2013

I was going through some old files the other day and came across some of our old landline phone bills. $65, $120, $85. And this was back in 2006 when we were still using a landline. My home number is my iPhone and I give out a Google voice number to solicitors etc. my wife does the same and we list each other as emergency contacts.

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Digital tape recorder

Aug 01, 2013

Can't really say I used this much, but I had one for those momentous brainstorms that would hit me driving down the highway. Now I use voice recorder on the iPhone. Most of time just to remember where I parked.

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Books on cassette tape

Aug 01, 2013

Remember these? Books on cassette I would play them in the car and had a whole box of them in the back seat. They were usually much more interesting than any talk radio. I feel like I got a lot of my business education behind the wheel of my car. I listened to these for years right up to the time they stop putting cassette players in cars. Audiobooks are still popular and they load right into my iPhone which I can play via Bluetooth on my car radio or just listen on a walk.

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Car Cassette Player

Aug 01, 2013

I remember installing a pioneer stereo cassette player in my first car. Later I even installed one in my company car telling my boss it was for books on tape. I was more likely blasting U2, The Who or The Clash. I can tap into all these bands now via Bluetooth and Pandora on my iPhone. I also have access to all of my music from iTunes and my old iPod about 800 songs more than enough for a nice drive.

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Flip Video

Aug 01, 2013

This camera was a blast. My son probably posted 50 videos on YouTube with it. Those videos will probably be floating around when his grandchildren come across them. Once video came to the iPhone I didn't have much use for it but it was fun while it lasted.

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Portable Headphones

Aug 01, 2013

I think this one counts. earbuds replaced my old headphones. A lot of people didn't like the original white earbuds that came with the iPhone. But they've always fit and sounded great to me. The new ones fit even better. If they could just figure out a way to keep the cords from tangling.

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Mini Breathalizer

Aug 01, 2013

These were popular a few years back. Funny though I was always lighting up the yellow light borderline drunk. But not over the limit red. I use a great app now that is much more accurate and takes all kinds of data into account including types of drinks time consumed , weight etc. The app is called intellidrink.

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Hotel Wake Up Calls

Aug 01, 2013

Remember these. Since I usually wake up at early anyway the iPhone is more than sufficient to avoid having that robotic hotel wake-up call interrupt any morning peace and quiet.

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Music CDs

Aug 01, 2013

I'm including these here as I was still buying CDs when I got my first iPod in 2004. I would dump them into iTunes and move the best music onto the iPod. Once wireless was added to the equation and apps like itunes, Pandora, LastFM, Spotlfy came along. I found no need for CDs at all. the crazy thing is that iTunes or the iPhone over Wi-Fi sounds better than the CDs.

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USB Thumb Drives

Aug 01, 2013

I present a lot and always would carry a thumb drive around with a backup copy of presentations. Now the presentations are available on dropbox or in iTunes and I have an adapter so I can play them right for my iPhone. One less thing to carry around

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mini flashlights

Aug 01, 2013

You have one of these I know it. there's probably a few laying around their house but I got rid of the one I carried around in my car. The iPhone even has a dance strobe you can light up a whole room with. For flashlight I like the app called Light.

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PC Games

Aug 01, 2013

I was never a huge PC gamer but I must say I am an iPhone gamer. I love the quick access to games like jet pack, pinball HD, asphalt 4 very handy if am stuck waiting somewhere. . Definitely replaced PC games for me or any games on my Mac laptop.

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Panoramic Camera

Aug 01, 2013 - flickr.com - 270

This camera took great panoramic shots. But used traditional film which sometimes I rarely got around to ever getting processed. I love photography and the idea of film but I found the best camera is the one you always have with you. iPhone. And I can also get a great panoramic shot as well.

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If the full list doesn’t show up in this post you can see it here. http://goo.gl/65hced

Let me know if I missed anything. What has your smartphone replaced lately? Please add your comments here.