I second the straight talk. For $45/month/line and no contract, you should at least see if it works for you. If not, go verizon and pay through the nose.
Sorry, just can't bring myself to paying more than 40-50 $ a month for a cell phone. If my only vice, with internet, well maybe. We have 3 Trackphones, with double and triple minutes and costs around $75.00 for all. Great reception in my area(NW Ind), not bad for my son in Indy(college). On a thin dime, our best deal so far. My son's phone has the most options, wifey and mine are simple mods basic function. Had all those others, and drove my budget too high. Trying to stay ahead of technology, we do upgrade phones maybe after 3-4 years. Of course the old ones show the age, been dropped, batteries dying, etc. Lots of new stuff popping up to grab your "bucks".
Good luck.
I have Sprint personally, it is ok. I have Verizon for my work phone and it does get better service, but for the price I will stick with Sprint. My sister has AT&T, her service in the Indy area is terrible.