Before the “data wars” started, I’ve always felt that 2GB of data was more than sufficient. After all, I was in a Wi-Fi network most of the time. 8 months and a baby later, I found out how wrong I was.

When it was enough.

In 2014, videos were getting richer. Internet speed was still acceptable. Stuff would load, or take time to buffer, but I didn’t care. I had more than enough to use. I Wazed less, and I Facebooked less. I certainly didn’t have time or cared enough to Instagram pictures while I was out. Nothing was exactly, urgent to me. For that period of time, 2GB was an enormous allocation. Even if I wanted to watch a video for 30 minutes while I was out, it seemed never ending.

When it was “enough.”

Then, all a sudden, everything started to become HD. I blame the advent of great content and the push for better technology being the succubus of data to my limited allocation. I started to feel that I needed to conserve, or be more mindful every time I felt like opening an app.

“Just how much data is this gonna take up?”

“How many videos before I’m sent back in time with prehistoric slow-internet speeds?”

These things played in my mind. I was careful. And I had “enough.” At least that was what I thought.

Then there’s video with auto-play. They are the ninjas wiping out your data allocation without you knowing.

Facebook wanted you to see more videos, so they just auto-played them for you. Sometimes it gets you. So sneaky.

Pics like these load fast these days, but they range from 50kb-300kb per picture. Seeing over 50 to a hundred of these each day really adds up.

From cat pics, to Instagram, and more, they can add up to a whopping 500-600mb a month if you’re some really serious surfer.

Then it happened. It wasn’t enough.

Life happened. I got married. Had a kid. Now I’m a parent. And we go out a lot together. And admittedly, I use YouTube quite a bit as a surrogate parent for when we’re out having lunches or dinners. I simply do not have the parenting skills of my parents.

I certainly don’t even remember what I was doing at such a young age. Was I running about? Was I giving my parents their version of hell by yelling, kicking, and causing a storm in a public place?

…. Did they even bring me out?

While I do know it’s best to limit screen time for a yougling, which I do, the best is probably not showing them a video, but instead, giving them a toy or something else. Videos are definitely the last resort, and while there are a lot of times I’ve managed to avoid to this solution, there are plenty more where I’ve failed and succumbed to the easy way out.

Unsurprisingly, those 2gigs of data can really disappear in two-three outings if you’re not smart about it. I didn’t save any nursery rhymes on my phone, hence, data to the rescue - momentarily.

And then it’s finished. You’re now relegated to EDGE.

Everything loads slower. Or doesn’t at all. How did we all used to rejoice at the speed of EDGE seems like a blurry memory, or urban legend.

You definitely can’t survive on a 2GB plan. Don’t kid yourself. It’s not enough.

Today, I’m out of that jam. And with 10GB of data and unlimited calls to any network now, I’m paying only RM80/month, which is at least 20% cheaper from what I was paying before and 500% more than what I was previously getting in data allocation. The struggle has ended.