We had two DVRs and a growing list of programs and movies at our disposal any given moment. I loved being able to turn on Sirius radio channels and play them with B's fancy little Bose TV speakers. I enjoyed having meaningless reality TV shows at my fingertips whenever I wanted them; it was a nice mental vacation after a hectic day.
The problem? Our TV was on frequently, but we were never really watching. It was an everpresent hum in the background, snatching our attention at inopportune moments and keeping us from more important tasks at hand. Nothing we were dying to see ever seemed to be on and we just weren't getting much entertainment from our 200+ channels of nonstop nothing.
After some time talking about it, we heard from friends in our small group that life without TV was totally doable. (Not to mention it'd make Dave Ramsey proud!) Between our Netflix subscription by mail and online, as well as the shows available on Hulu and network websites, we're pretty much set. I'm amazed at how much we don't miss it.
Currently we're watching past seasons of Mad Men and Damages on DVD and current seasons of our favorite shows (30 Rock, the Office, Grey's, Parenthood, Gossip Girl, 90210 SNL occasionally, even RHONY) on Hulu. Bet you can't guess which shows on that list are only watched by one of us!
With the ability to hook our laptop up to the big living room TV and sound system, I don't feel we're missing much. I have, however, worked some books into my rotation, more dinner cooking time and longer evening conversations. Not to mention some spring strolls with my three favorite boys when B gets home early enough.
So far it's been a big win! Though our services were a sizable bill, I now wish we'd paid $400 a month for our cable, just so we could be seeing that much in savings every month. Still, I'll take "free" money where I can get it. Thanks to my Twitter friends for your encouragement; I couldn't have done it without the promise that there is life on the other side of digital cable.
Have you ever gone TV-less? Is it even fair to say we don't have TV when we all we've really lost is our monthly D!sh Network bill?
Are you, like some people we've told, floored that we've cut the cord?
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3 comments:
We haven't had cable since we got married in July 08. I don't regret it one bit! With hulu and netflix, you can still enjoy good tv without cable!
That is great Anne! We did the same thing when we moved into our house. You can also get a digital antenna ($20 at Walmart) that picks up all your local networks in HD for FREE! That is what we do. It depends on where you live as to what you get, but we get ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, a local weather station and some local movie stations all for FREE! The only cable we (Brad) misses is ESPN in the fall.
I tell you what - I got rid of mine in December and haven't turned on my tv since January. I spend my time doing much more important things, at least to me. Cooking, reading, exercising...It's great!
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