The first alarm clock could only ring at 4 a.m.

I use the alarms built into my phone when I have doctor appointments. I set one for an hour and a half before I need to be at the doctor's office. (That gives me time to shower and drive to the doctor's office. I tell Pretty the evening before an alarm is set to go off so she can get up before me and shower since she goes with me to every appointment.) I've never owned a radio alarm clock. When I was working at Walmart, I had a small traveling alarm clock that I used during my lunch time to get back to work on time. I always read my book and ate lunch during the first half an hour of lunch time and then slept the second half an hour. (That was before phones had built in alarms.)

We only use the alarm at the weekend when we have the Grandkids as we have to get them to football and dance. The Mister has an alarm on a Monday morning at home, which obviously wakes me too, but I go back to sleep.

I don't need an alarm clock although if I really have to get up I might set one anyway just for protection. I always wake up by myself when I have to do something. I only use the alarm to keep me from falling back to sleep once I am awake.