Abstract: A user configurable telephone station receives telephone calls in a normal manner and also provides a user settable alarm for alerting a user at prescribed times. At each prescribed time, an alerting signal is provided by actuating the telephone ringer either with a distinctive ring or a normal ring, such configuration being selectable by the user. The telephone station optionally also includes a recorder with which the user may record a spoken announcements for associating with the alerting signal. When the switch-hook in the telephone station is actuated in response to the alerting signal, any associated, recorded announcements is played through an acoustic device, such as a speaker, in the telephone station.