Almost 50 percent of old phones are kept stored away somewhere in the house, MarketWatch reported earlier this year. My own family employs a trickle-down approach where a new iPhone is brought into the house each year, and everyone ends up getting an upgrade. So by the time the oldest phone, which is presently an iPhone 4, is no longer in use by someone, it is only worth about $65 in good condition on gazelle. These phones still have their uses around the house and are can be worth more than their trade-in value if used properly. One idea is to create a tech survival kit when traveling. It could be used to replace a lost or stolen smart phone, kept in the car during a long drive, or stored securely in a family vacation house. This kit would include an iPhone, some means of calling for help, the ability to find yourself on a map as well as a means of maintaining a decent charge.