The iPhone 5 has been out for about a month now. That’s enough time to scratch your screen, scuff the back and  drop it on concrete a few times. If you’re anything like me, your phone has probably been through more than a few accidents already.

My last iPhone lasted me two and a half years. I shattered the screen about two years in, and chunks of glass started falling off it a few months later. My phone essentially worked, despite the occasional refusal to charge.

(Andrew Tawil/CU Independent)

Two years is a pretty decent lifespan for a smart phone, but it’s not exactly easy to manage, especially if you’re clumsy. Here are a few tips to buying a case and handling a smart phone to stretch out its life.

Make sure the case has a lip on the front.

I like my phone case to be as minimal as possible, but you really can’t sacrifice that millimeter or two just to have a smaller case. If you drop your phone, the lip on the front will keep your phone screen from shattering, because the lip will absorb the impact rather than the glass. You never want the glass to fall straight down onto the ground and take all that impact. Trash your phone case, not your phone. Of course, this isn’t 100 percent; it’s always possible for the screen to shatter, but it’s a lot less likely.

Go for the more expensive, heavy-duty cases over the more aesthetically-pleasing ones.

You get what you pay for, and smart phone cases are an area where this is especially true. Spend the few extra dollars, and buy the more expensive case. The sturdier material will keep your phone safer, and it’ll last longer. It sucks to throw a $50 phone case into your shopping cart, especially on top of your actual phone, but in the end it’ll save you money.

I’ve bought a few $10 phone cases, and while they’ve actually protected my phone adequately, I went through them pretty quickly. They were cute, but they fall apart, ultimately costing you more money and potentially more damage to your phone.

On that note, you should probably suck it up and buy an Otter box. They are expensive, big and bulky, but they’ll protect your phone. Plus, Otter boxes are under warranty – if your case breaks within a year, the company will repair the case or replace it with a new one.

Put on a screen protector.

I know, I know, screen protectors bubble up and get annoying. But when it comes down to it, they’re worth it. They’ll protect your screen from scratches and nicks and other tiny, inevitable marks.

Screen protectors are pretty cheap, and they pay off by keeping your screen flawless and looking nice. It’s a little addition that goes a long way.

Be careful with your phone.

This is one of those easier-said-than-done things and is kind of a no brainer, but try not to get careless with your phone. That first week, you treat your phone like a newborn baby. Eventually, that brand-newness and your anxiety start to wear off, and you get careless. Your phone slips out of your hand a little more easily. You toss it around a little bit more. You pay a little less attention to it when you’re drunk. These are little things, but eventually they add up. You never know which fall onto concrete is going to be the demise of your new phone.

Every once and a while, step back and remember that your phone is a $200 to $700 investment, and for those of you with iPhones, cracked screens aren’t covered by Apple Care. Living with a cracked screen isn’t ideal and leads to headaches and glass in your fingers. Drop it on your kitchen floor, and you might even end up with glass in your feet – trust me, it’s not fun.

Contact CU Independent Copy Editor Ainslee Mac Naughton at Aislee.macnaughton@colorado.edu.