Why do they even need a $20/mo cellphone? They can just get basic metered service on a landline for $7-8/mo from the local telco. Of course, having a phone n

Why do they even need a $20/mo cellphone? They can just get basic metered service on a landline for $7-8/mo from the local telco. Of course, having a phone number is a luxury, too. There's certainly no mandate to have one, but let's say that $7-8/mo is allowable. They're in debt. They can get an answering machine from somewhere and take the calls at home. With that $12 they save, and directly applied as payments to principal, they should be able to save half a payment off a 20 year student loan. Not bad.