I'm largely in the same boat. Have you considered a pay-as-you-go plan with an MVNO? I use H20 wireless [0], with an iPhone SE, and it can be pretty cheap.
I live in a remote area, and so far have found the only carrier that has any signal at all at my house is Verizon. So I am pretty much stuck with them, unless I get at network extender/signal booster for another carrier and install it in my house, which I am not too keen on doing.