How do you keep the wife from washing her cell phone?

[Perd Hapley]

Third time, second phone.  Luckily, they've been fairly cheap phones, and the first one lived through the first washing.  And they will continue to be cheap phones. 

I suggested that she make a habit of charging her phone every night, on the theory that she would be less likely to leave it in her pocket and throw it down the laundry chute.  This has clearly failed.

The only other thing I can think of is to tie it off to her purse(s).  Or get her one of those little pelican water-proof cases.

I've seen those prepaid phones they sell at Target.  Would it be cheaper to just buy one of those every time she does this?  


Between the two of us, you'd think I would be the one to wash my phone.  I carry it in my pocket at all times.  Hers lives in the purse, mostly. 

[Ben]

Either $5 / month insurance, or a Motorola i580.  :)

[Harold Tuttle]

glue it into the bananaphone skin
http://www.perpetualkid.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1669&dc=froogle0227

[MechAg94]

I was looking for the picture of the guy with the rubber bands holding the phone to his head.

[AJ Dual]

If it were my wife, I'd just let her keep on destroying phones, and use the fact to shame her into gun collection, ammo, accessory, and shooting school concessions from the family budget.

[Gewehr98]

I got my wife to stop washing hers by refusing to buy a replacement.

She's been cell phone free now for a couple years. 

Then again, I'm not surgically attached to my cell phone, and I think it's buried in the truck seat somewhere, last I knew... 

[MicroBalrog]

Damn you, Gewehr98! I was about to point that out!

Does your wife really, really, really have to have a cell-phone?

[coppertales]

AJ Dual has the right idea...............................I have used that before......chris3

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Will she carry the phone on her belt?

[Brad Johnson]

I'm with AJ, but don't go into all the shame stuff.  Tell her, very sweetly and nicely, that every time she washes a phone you get to go buy the gun of your choice.

Brad

[grampster]

If you're really smart, you'll shut your mouth and quietly buy her a new phone whenever she needs one.

[Balog]

Do a strict zero base budget. Every time she trashes a phone, it get replaced outta her "having fun/eating out with friends" etc money. Gotta make the consequences painful or the behaviour won't be corrected.

[Tuco]

If you're really smart, you'll shut your mouth and quietly buy her a new phone whenever she needs one.

As much as it pains me to keep my mouth shut at such most times, I believe Grampster nailed it.

I just got done with an hour session with my wife (home, lunch hour) about what she does wrong blah blah blah .....  She agreed, I was exhausted, and nothing will change.  Not everyone possesses the same core priorities.

I suppose the key is to be non-accusatory and look for specific, concrete alternatives and solutions.    Mr TP, I say that for me as much as anyone.

Good Luck.

[280plus]

Tape it to her,,, uh, never mind... 

[Balog]

As much as it pains me to keep my mouth shut at such most times, I believe Grampster nailed it.

I just got done with an hour session with my wife (home, lunch hour) about what she does wrong blah blah blah .....  She agreed, I was exhausted, and nothing will change.  Not everyone possesses the same core priorities.

I suppose the key is to be non-accusatory and look for specific, concrete alternatives and solutions.    Mr TP, I say that for me as much as anyone.

Good Luck.

Depends on your wife. I feel sorry for you if your wife is unable to adjust her behaviour like that; and sorry for her that she has a husband who'll spend an hour listing her faults to her.

[taurusowner]

Sensitive item shakedowns at your evening formation.

[crt360]

Easy solution:  call her every night before she goes to bed (or right when she's about to fall asleep).

You have a laundry chute?  Sweet.

[seeker_two]

Buy her a Samsung Rugby.... http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=mobilephones&type=mobilephones&subtype=att&model_cd=SGH-A837DKAATT

Do a search on YouTube for video of the Rugby torture tests....the Renaissance Faire video convinced me to buy mine... 

...and I fully support making your wife buy her own phone....my wife buys hers....I just pay the service bill...

[Jamisjockey]

Yeah....don't give her another one.....
 

[bmitchell]

My parents both accidentally dropped our cordless phones into tea.
The funny thing is that we had just gotten a new one after Mom did it, and a week or so later Dad went to hang it up and plunk, right into another pitcher of tea.
I never got blamed for drinking tea but they sure didn't drop any phones in it after that.

Ben

[Gewehr98]

When Mrs. G-98 washed her second-to-last cell phone, she was afraid I'd find out. 

She called Sprint, and they told her to take the back cover off, remove the battery, and let it air dry for a week or so.

At the time, it was weird for her not to have a cell phone present, and the lack of the ringtone told me something was up.

She showed me, and after a week, tried it.

It worked.

Unfortunately, it didn't survive the next washing, nor did its replacement.   

[Tuco]

Depends on your wife. I feel sorry for you if your wife is unable to adjust her behaviour like that; and sorry for her that she has a husband who'll spend an hour listing her faults to her.

Do you feel sorry for those who have to have to read your posts pointing out their faults?

The point of my post was not to foster sympathy.  It was to point out the tendency for some (not all, some, which, by my example includes ME) of some husbands to come down a little too hard on the irresponsibility of wives.  I attempted to point out that such harshness is generally ineffective and rarely rewarding.  It was my intention (lost, evidently behind the pointing Balogian finger) to illustrate the potential wisdom of Grampster's suggestion.

She doesn't need you to feel sorry for her, nor do I.  I can understand how you might need to step up and take that responsibility, however, I do not welcome that sarcastic emotional neediness on an open forum.  If you really don't have anything more interesting to do than feel sorry for all the victimization you read into my post, feel free to drop me a pm or an email and, depending on your demeanor, I might tell you about the last 2 years of our marriage, which has included levels of victimization going in various directions, complete with links to news stories, that will really turn you on.

Thanks.

[BridgeRunner]

The problem is not the wife or the phone, it is the laundry.

Clearly, you need to take over all laundry duties in the future, thus avoiding accidental washings of pocket contents.

[Gewehr98]

Simmer down children.

FWIW, I see a couple rules broken here.

Rule #1 - Never let Balog see what's going on in your spousal or family relationship.

Rule #2 - See Rule #1.

Even I learned those rules, fairly quickly.   

[MechAg94]

The problem is not the wife or the phone, it is the laundry.

Clearly, you need to take over all laundry duties in the future, thus avoiding accidental washings of pocket contents.