We got a talking answering machine that reads the caller id out. Had it for years. Haven’t actually answered that phone in years, either, unless it was someone we knew. If you want to talk to me, start talking to the machine, and if I care, I will pick up.
If the phone wasn’t only $10 a month we would have gotten rid of it ages ago. But it is nice to have a powered phone for those long work calls - those eat my cell phone battery.
Yes, cheap at almost any price.
We use our landline number whenever we need to give a phone and don’t want to answer any calls.
Over the last 4 years our calls have gone from several a day to one every week or two.