Look around and see something many have in common. Check out Action Twentysomething with baseball cap at a funky angle, intermittent tattoos and piercings, and cellphone dangling casually from a belt loop. Look at Action Mom and Action Dad, shoveling snow to clear out the driveway, stopping thankfully now to take a cell call. Action Dermatologist, Action Business Strategist, Action Landscape Artist, they all probably have one thing in common: Easy access to a cellphone.

For many, cellphones are important as a home phone.  If you have a home phone and a cellphone, why not consolidate? There are many reasons to drop that landline phone, and the low cost of cellphone plans is just one.

Many cellular plans give you free phones. The initial costs might be more expensive if you purchase a whiz-bang even-does-the-laundry cellphone, but the balance will soon shift. Not having to pay for both a landline and cellphone means cheaper bills.

In my list of reasons for carrying a cellphone, safety is near the top. I feel better knowing my wife and I can get help if our car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. And if we get lost and need directions, no problem.

If you travel often or spend lots of time outside the house, great. All cellphones come with caller ID and voicemail, so screening or ignoring calls to concentrate on driving is easy.

You'll receive fewer spam calls, as cellphones are currently immune to telemarketing.

Transferring your home phone number to a cellphone (or "local number portability") is easily done. Verify with your cellphone provider first, but most (including Sprint, Verizon, Nextel and T-Mobile) support this feature. In this way, you can change addresses or change phone companies, and still retain your old phone number.

Lest you think this is a perfect solution, permit me to shatter the illusion with potential drawbacks.

Your reception will vary, depending on where you live and where you take your phone. Due to location and structure, my own house gets poor cellular reception. I'm stuck with a landline phone. Test a cellphone at your home (outside and inside). Make sure the annoying "Can you hear me now?" question is answered with "Yup".

You can't "let your fingers do the walking" anymore. Phone books don't print mobile numbers. You'll be unlisted, whether you want that or not.

I make no guarantee about what you or the social life of any children will do to a limited-minute phone plan. If needed, you may have to purchase a more expensive plan with unlimited minutes, or get ready to restrict calls more than you normally would with a landline phone.

You don't need to be Action Anybody to have the most conspicuous techie gear of the decade. Any human (Action-prefixed or not) can benefit. Cellphones are everywhere and are affordable. What once seemed like a passing fad has fast become something we may want to catch.