When I moved into my new house after separating from my husband, I didn’t sign up for cable or satellite TV because I decided that I had spent way too many hours in front of the TV literally watching nothing. We had satellite TV and I wasn’t willing to fork out over one hundred dollars a month or more for something I could literally do without. Do you know how many pair of shoes you can buy for $100? At least one really good pair, anyway.
Besides, I usually always end up watching the same shows. You know the ones: any version of Star Trek, M*A*S*H (I can never get enough M*A*S*H), Triple-D (admit it, you know what that means), American Pickers, and, this pains me to admit it, Ice Road Truckers. I would sit for hours upon hours feeling the IQ points seeping out my ears and thinking I could probably be doing something more constructive but can’t wait to see if they make it across that frozen lake without falling in, truck and all. Plus most of the shows I watch are available on the internet or through some service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime and a slew more on Hulu. So with a high speed internet connection, a Roku box and an iPad or computer I get all the TV I need, which has been averaging about 20 minutes a day.
There are a few shows that are, remarkably, not available through any of the aforementioned venues, and those I can record on the DVR at work and watch during my lunch hour. The other ones, like M*A*S*H, I just purchased the DVD’s and pop them in my player to get my fix.
I’m not completely cut off from the world, though. After a browse through Amazon’s website, I found an inexpensive over-the-air TV antenna and hooked it up to my TV in my living room and bedroom and that serves as my backup in case there is severe weather in the area or my go-to when the football games are on (Go Pack!). I get 30+ channels over the air … all for free! Not to mention the picture quality is sharper than over cable or satellite.
Admittedly, when I’m cooking in the kitchen I do like to have a TV on just to have some noise in the house. Usually it’s Captain Janeway and crew of the Starship Voyager keeping me company. Otherwise, I tune the TV to the local PBS station and get to watch an afternoon full of cooking shows.
So what do I do instead of watching TV? Take my dog for a longer walks, workout, play the piano, sew, garden, read, study the bible, clean the house, or do any little projects that you never seem to have time to get done.
I have discovered that there is life after cutting the cord to cable TV. There’s so much more to do than to keep our butts parked on the couch. Give it a try. Your mind and body will thank you.
Sharon--appreciated your blog. You are so right that there are many other activities to do rather than watch T.V. Although we did not get rid of cable, I called to "right size" our package yesterday. That was a challenge as the rep tried to coax me into a great deal. Mission finally accomplished and bill reduced 33% (we couldn't give up the internet service). I'm betting that K and T will not even notice.
ReplyDeleteHi Ella! I know that if you really manage your cable subscription you can get it to be less expensive. Thirty-three percent is a lot to save. I have a high speed cable internet connection so I can stream movies and Netflix and stuff. Costs me $35 per month and that's enough for me. If I had kids I don't think they would be too happy. I have also discovered that I can get over-the-air channels through my cable that supplies my internet. Don't have to worry about pointing an antenna or fuzzy signals. Thanks again for reading!
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