TextHack

I spent this morning trying to figure out free alternatives to my current texting plan, which is at&t's unlimited plan at $30/month. The other option is to not have a texting plan, but be charged $.20/text message received or sent, but this would only make sense if I receive fewer than 150 texts per month! I didn't have a text plan till 2010, and now that I have one, it seems like I could never live without it...which is totally UNTRUE! Fortunately, I have an iphone, which covers free texting between me and like 80% of my contacts. Things that aren't covered:

1)Group Messaging with GroupMe
Solution: Just download the app!

2)Friends without iphones
Solution: Google's SMS function which allows you to text other people from your computer as well as receive SMS when they text you back. But What if you're not online?In case someone texts you while you're offline, it stores the text like it would an offline chat message (I tested it this morning--you just have to be OK with a slight time lag). What if there is an emergency?In case of emergencies, they should call, not text. I also downloaded the gmail app to my phone (testing it out, but I can see how it could get annoying if my phone buzzed every time I got an email) so if I miss an SMS because I'm offline, I'll be notified immediately on my phone.