im 16 almost 17, will pay for it myself......like 100 bucks a month...texting...all the good stuff and a nice phone with camera etc

The cheapest is going to be one of those "pay as you go" type phones that you can buy at almost any retail store like a "Wal-Mart", but I doubt you can text or take a photo on those.

I like Verizon. The price of the phones and features will vary. You want to get a reliable service, otherwise why bother.
Just shop around and compare.
Go shopping the day after Thanksgiving when all the big sales start. And hint around to Santa Claus what you want for Christmas!

yeah if i were you i would just get a pre paid phone with virgin mobile or something they have that penny texting thing. since you're only 16 most major carriers will charge you a $150 deposit fee since you probably don't have any credit built toward your name. so wait till you're about 18 to get with a major carrier.

You can get just about any plan for 100 a month.
Verizon is good and have good phones.