remember cable tv?
I can still remember when my family first got cable. All the sudden we had a little box on top of our TV that served as the gateway to a mysterious beyond no one really understood.
Instead of eight channels, we had thirty; and there were more popping up all the time!
If it wasn’t for cable TV, I wouldn’t know all the words to the “Green Acres” theme song (with Eva Gabor’s accent lilting forth about Park Avenue). Nor would I know that Don Adams – of iconic “Get Smart” fame – also loaned his voice to “Inspector Gadget.” My hat’s off to TV Land for giving me access to great shows of yesteryear.
Nowadays, in the world of DVRs and Tivos, we can enjoy a self-serve approach to television. Just hit record, set it and forget it.
Want to watch Billy the Exterminator over your Rice Krispies tomorrow morning? You can.
How about the latest iteration of a series all about the majesty of our planet? Go for it.
One of the best lifestyle changes I experienced after marrying Elisa was limiting the amount of time we spent watching TV. I used to watch a lot of TV. The average household in America has a television on for around six hours every day and I probably wasn’t too far off of that figure. (That average is of time the television is on; doesn’t mean anyone is watching it.)
For Elisa, TV was never really a focal point. It was used as entertainment in a pinch if there wasn’t a family game to play or it wasn’t nice enough to go for a walk outside. Even though we did allow ourselves the luxury of a cable package while we worked our way out of debt, we ultimately decided it wasn’t in our best interest to keep it.
I thought it was too expensive. She thought it was a waste of time. Dumping it was a win-win.
The only escape I really miss from the cable days is ESPN and access to sports. But, because of my die-hard devotion to certain teams, I found that even watching their games on TV put me in a compromising position. I would yell, get anxious, and not be very much fun for Elisa (or anyone else, for that matter) to be around.
There are two shows we watch via Hulu now and we’re spending a lot more time reading. We’re working hard on our 10K training program and, frankly, don’t have the time to watch TV because of everything else we’ve begun to value more.
Here are two thoughts on cable:
1) Cable is a luxury.
Are you paying for cable when you should be saving more money or getting out of debt? I’ve seen couples spending upwards of $200 each month for cable. That’s $2,400 every year. What matters more: Seeing the latest on a TV show, or experiencing peace with savings and progress toward debt freedom?
2) Cable can be a time drain.
Are there underdeveloped areas of your life you could devote time to if you didn’t watch TV? We love watching “The Biggest Loser.” What boggles my mind is how many contestants share that they decided to apply for the show while watching a previous season, eating the foods that caused their weight problem. If they turned off the TV and went for a walk, what would happen? What about turning off the TV in favor of connecting with our family members after a day of being apart?
Now, I’m not a belligerent anti-cable-ist. Actually, sometimes we really enjoy meeting with friends and watching TV together, laughing and having a good ol’ time. I’m not even frustrated if you have cable and you can’t effectively answer the questions I posed above.
All I know is that when we had cable we “missed it by that much.” And now we don’t.
We have rabbit ears and love it!!
Hey Carol – thanks for the comment! I’m a big fan of rabbit ears, mainly because you don’t have to deal with the cable company.
I’m curious: did you build your rabbit ears from scratch (like some penny-pinchers) when the digital conversion occurred, or did you buy yours?
Either way, free TV is great TV! Thanks for sharing!
About a year before I got married…. I cancelled my cable bill. For the first couple of weeks, I didn’t know what to do with myself! Once I got married, I continued to go without TV and just rented through blockbuster. As a treat for my wife… who love’s watching tv… we signed up for basic cable for $17 after we paid off our debt and was well on our way with our emergency fund. I have recently fell off the wagon, but then realized that I am only using it to escape from the life I am meant to live. I guess that is the first step in overcoming the addiction…. realizing there is a problem
Hey Brett – excellent comment! Thanks for contributing to the conversation.
You’re right – the first step to recovery IS admitting you have a problem. I don’t think there’s a problem with having cable at all. The problem arises when it invades our lives and we become poor stewards of time. Sounds like that’s where you’re standing today. But hey, at least you know.
I love the idea of using a basic cable package to provide just enough entertainment for your wife, but not so much that you miss out on other forms of entertainment and relationship building (i.e. taking a walk, playing a game, reading a book, etc). We have a saying around my house: “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” (Within reason, of course.)
Good stuff! By the way, Brett, thanks for ordering a copy of Get Naked – it begins the journey across the country to you tomorrow!
Derek, great post! My wife and I got rid of our cable last December. It was not so much of a financial decision but more of a lifestyle decision. So far it is going great and we are not wasting as much time sitting at home watching TV, but instead we are interacting with each other and our friends more!
Between Hulu and ESPN3 I can watch pretty much watch any of the old shows I used to get on cable. But to be honest though, I really don’t watch them as much as I thought I would. To be honest I do not miss cable one bit. I miss the DVR sometimes, but overall cutting the chord on cable was one of the best decisions we made!
Jonathan White recently posted..Why does FrugalCheap
Hey Jonathan, thanks for weighing in. I’m with you on cutting the cord and not missing it too much.
I love movies and I quickly replaced some of the time I would watch TV with watching movies. I made it a point to watch many of the classics and those that won Academy Awards – basically those that had some artistic merit. After a while, I watched everything I wanted to watch. Now, I’m tackling that huge stack of books that’s been growing for some time!
Glad to know you’re able to focus more on real people that matter to you than fictitious characters it’s impossible to meet!
I appreciate your thoughts!