Sometimes our tempers get the best of us. Some handle it by counting to 10 and walking away while others get blind with frustration and punch the wall. I, like many, tend to abuse my delicate and expensive cell phone.

I don't know why. It's a common phenomenon; if you're angry and the phone is close it ends up being hurled with no destination. Senseless, I know, but this was my reality three weeks ago.

I honestly don't remember why I threw my phone, because a moment later my anger switched focus. I was mad at myself for breaking it. Plus, the thought of my dad's lecture on "how I'm so disappointed in you" kept ringing in my head.

So, what is the first question my friends asked? "So, don't you have phone insurance?" Um… no; they actually have that? The other common response was, "Oh, I've done that before." See, I'm not the only one. I don't need anger management and I'm not a psycho head case. It was just a costly moment of stupidity.

I did enjoy the liberating three weeks with no cell phone. It's nice to get a break from the constant ringing. But that can only last so long.

So, I did some research and the same sleek flip-phone cost $150. EBay didn't even offer a money-saving solution, because of competitive bidding and outrageous shipping fees.

The only way phones are free or discounted is by signing a two-year contract. And I was only nine months into my plan, so that wasn't an option. I miss the days when one-year contracts were the norm.

Luckily, I was able to find a life-saving store in the Chicagoland area that fixed my phone for $45. But they're a rare find. The tiny store was jammed with people needing repairs, proving to me that cell phone malfunctions are an all too common inconvenience.

I decided to look into phone insurance. I won't recklessly destroy my phone again (I swear), but there is always the possibility of accidental breakage.

Cingular, similar to most phone companies, charges $3.99 a month for the insurance, or $48 a year. Plus, there's a $50 yearly deductible if you request a new phone, which covers two replacements.

Here's my issue with it, though. The replacement reflects your original phone's value. So, a cheap $150 phone like mine has the same insurance rates and deductible as an expensive $1,000 phone. How is that fair? Phone insurance should work like car insurance, where the cost correlates with the product's value.

After weighing the options, it's more financially reasonable for me to live without phone insurance than pay the rip-off yearly charge even if I don't damage my phone. I mean, this was the first time I broke my phone in five-plus years.

The cell phone companies got us. Everyone has/needs a cell phone in modern times. If you break it, you have to find a way to mend the problem. Just don't let the phone companies sucker you into adding phone insurance without doing the research. And don't be stupid like me and throw your phone.

This viewpoint was published in The Marquette Tribune on October 27, 2005.