I've been threatening to do it for a long time. Today, I signed up for cable modem service at the little house. Without the TV part of it.
In the past week, I've read online, seen on TV and even heard on the radio about kids watching too much TV. I was like no way, not MY kid.
Um well, ya, it is my kid. She loves it. I won't lie, I've used the electronic babysitter while I've caught up on stuff. She'd watch it all day if I'd let her.
But you know what? You get a LOT done when you don't have a tv around. I can't tell you how often I hear "Oh I have to get home by so and so time so I can watch this or that". Yikes. I can't say there are any shows out there that I'm disapointed when I miss them. So why am I paying an extra $60 a month for channels I don't care about? I can tell you, Kim = sucker. Natalie loves the Disney channel and that is pretty much what our TV is set on. So the easy fix? Plug up the new handy dandy dvd recorder and record from 4:30am to noon. In the next two weeks, I'll be recording over 100 hours of toons and movies (Return to Neverland, the old Tinkerbell and the new one show all three in a row on one day alone). They'll have commercials in them, but really, does it matter?
Another thing that swayed me, was the actual charter commercial. You can go to concerts, sporting events or travel the world - why do that when you can sit on your fat a$$ and watch it on tv! (ok, that isn't what it says, but I really really dislike that commercial). I don't want to watch other people do stuff, I want to do stuff.
I'll save $720+ a year by ditching cable. Crazy huh?
I am looking into the converter box option too. I would like to get the news in the morning while I'm getting ready. But I think I can go cold turkey with cable. Wish me luck!
4 comments:
Good for you! I have the converter box sitting in the basement waiting for me to get the courage to cancel cable! Eliza could (and has) watch from sun up until sun down. She lost T.V. privileges tomorrow for making a bad choice. I'm dreading it...I need an intervention as bad as she does. My goal is to be using the converter box by summer...I'll miss the DVR more than anything!
Way to go! I canceled my cable(other than internet access) about 6 months ago. Don't miss it, don't know how I ever had time for it.
My daughter Ava gets the occasional disney dvd on a rainy day at daycare or in the car on our 4 hour drive to the cottage...but other than that there's no TV.
Good for you!
When I got my apartment in June of 1993 I didn't have a TV and I didn't want one. My brother, an avid TV watcher, couldn't fathom this so he arranged to give me a small set that had been my grandfather's and a VCR. I bought TV guides and stuck post its on the TV to remind me, but I still forgot to look at the screen to see the notes so I moved them to my front door. I became a fan of Star Trek TNG when it was in reruns and that's all I watched. When that set died, I think in 2004 or 2005, I never replaced it.
Forward to the China Olympics. I really wanted to see the opening ceremonies and the gymnastics and swimming so I went to a friend's house. He had an antenna but not cable. After the first day, he said, "You know, I have my mom's set that is pretty new, but when she had her stroke and went into the home, she couldn't take the TV. You can have it." So I got a huge TV set and ordered the converter box when the coupon was offered.
Here in my new house, I only watch DVDs, no programs, though the converter box works great. I can't stand commercials or the programs that are one. I simply can't stand them!
But...I was wishing I had the TV upstairs in my "little room," the sun porch room, so that I could sit and knit and listen to a DVD and not be downstairs and see my work area on the weekends. The closet is deep and would work like a TV cabinet. I was thinking this over last week and then last weekend, while driving down my street, there was a large TV, Sony Triniton model, for free with a remote! The guys giving it away put it in my car and my neighbor helped get it inside and it's been great, very cozy in my little knitting room.
Side note: My daycare moms let their kids watch videos and one in particular, who turned three last August, has nightmares and dreams all the time about them. After watching Nemo she called out in her sleep, distressed, "I want to go home!" for several nights. I told her mom not to put the movie on before bed and it stopped.
My aunt has "fancy" TV with all the channels and I do like watching the home/design network and the surgeries, but I really feel like it's wasting my time every time a commercial comes on. Truly, I cannot sit through them.
I think that you've discovered how great life is without TV, there is more time for life and the savings is increble!
You will not miss much without the TV. News is in RSS feeds (including your Blog ;)), and the DVD player is just fine. You have actually given me a great way to save a bundle. I'm going to cancel my TV.
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