I pay somewhere between $7 - $10 / month for my pre-paid cell. Coverage ain't the greatest. But then, I can't stand cell phones, and the only reason I have one is that they do prove useful in certain situations.
Camera Phones also have a benefit. Suppose you are in a car accident. Provided your phone didn't get damaged/destroyed or flew out the window in the impact, immediately hop out and start capturing images, especially the other vehicle's tag, in case they run.
I rarely text on my phone. I have found that when I'm out fishing (usually in some hole that's a dead zone), I can get a text message through before I'll actually get a call. I've been trying to convince PeppA that is she calls me and doesn't get an answer when I'm fishing, try a text. I'll reply when I can. Unfortunately it seems like she thinks EVERYTHING is an EMERGENCY that needs MY attention RIGHT THEN AND THERE, so she comes out looking for me.