Well, I wasn't about to pay $1000 or more for a phone, not even close to that !
So, I did what I usually do, I Googled for info. Searched for stuff like best budget smartphone. From what I could find, it appears that anything under $300 is considered low budget. But there are quite a few that get good ratings, which cost less than $200.
Now, many long time users probably wouldn't even consider anything but the very latest & greatest models, with the most up-to-date features.
But a decent low end model will do just fine for us beginners. Might be all we ever need.
The model that kept coming up as one of the very best low end phones is the Moto G Power. So, I checked out quite a few YouTube videos of that model.
Seems that the 2020 model is actually considered by several reviewers to be a better buy than the 2021 models. From what little I've learned, it seems to touch all the bases, for what we need.
So, I searched for the best deal on that model. The deal I decided on was from the same company we have our current plan with, TracPhone.
The phone, plus the cheapest 1-month plan, minus the 25% discount for signing up for their Email junk, resulted in a total price of just over $140. I can live with that. It's already been shipped & is on it's way. Should be here early next week. The lady I talked to said that after it arrives I can call back & they'll help me get it set up, switched over to AT&T, and get our current phone number switched over to it.
Was gonna post a link to it. But apparently I bought the last one they had in stock, since it is no longer listed. Here's a review of it.
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/motorola-moto-g-power