$25 a month, US, MVNO on Verizon network.
Had to bring my own phone, which is in bad shape and I’ll have to replace eventually, but I basically don’t think about my service at all.
That MVNO also has a program to heavily discount service for up to three months due to loss of job or temp disability, because, yknow, you need a phone number to look for a job.
That discount was damn nice when I had a couple of surgeries this year.
Make sure that it can be backed up, somehow.
Save your recovery codes in an organized and secure fashion.
Offhand, Ente does backup I believe.
Bitwarden does export (save on encrypted drive, or print and put in safe deposit box)
While we can’t say for sure, I’d certainly be wargaming some possible outcomes and how to respond to them.
Wouldn’t surprise me if disability for mental health reasons was high on the list of things to cut. It’s effectively an “invisible” disability, which makes it somewhat easier to cut while limiting loss of political capital.
I wish you all the best getting through the upcoming difficult years. You’re a genuinely good person for caring and thinking far enough ahead to realize the question needs to be asked.
For other folks reading this, now is an excellent time to review your payroll deductions and ensure you’re paying for private disability coverage - both short and long term. It’s one of the least expensive ways to hedge against the crazy of the next four years.
I’ve been remote since 2014. Plenty of friends made. Wouldn’t date at work as a general rule, it creates unnecessary risk IMO.
Certainly wouldn’t eg move in with someone I worked with, etc.
Then again, being poly and happily married, risk calculus is part of my mental process before attempting to date a particular person. If it goes south, will they show up naked and screaming on my front lawn in the middle of the night?
Since an angry ex doesn’t have the option of along me look bad to my wife (who also dates), any serious crazy could escalate quickly and creatively. I want nothing to do with that.