Cable TV and all that jazz
We don't have cable and never really have in our almost decade of marital bliss. At first, it was out of necessity- newly married and totally broke. We told ourselves one day, when college was behind us and we were rolling in the dough '(cuz that's a thing?) we would go back to the world of TLC, ESPN, and the art of channel surfing. But, as life often does, one thing rolled into another...undergrad degrees, first house, new to us vehicles, car repairs, masters degree, more car repairs, living on one income, and now this crazy whirlwind of a season called kids. And guess what?
Ten years later we are still rockin' the rabbit ears. This time not out of necessity, but by choice.
We have learned that Entertainment doesn't have to rule our life. If we miss a game we miss a game. If I can't get the latest DIY home inspiration because I don't have access to HGTV my home will survive. Not having TV at our fingertips has changed our attitude and we no longer feel a sense of entitlement to have our every whim met at the push of a button.... and we kind of like it that way.
Less has been more for us.
More money. The average American spends $64.41/month on a cable package. That's $772.92 a year or in our case $7,729.20 that we were able to keep in our pocket over the past 10 years.
More time. Let's face it. We can only spend so much time flipping through our 10 network stations before we give up and turn the TV off. It has opened up opportunity for conversation, laughter, and new hobbies to surface. (Turns out we both love to read, who knew?!)
More community. When it's game day and our favorite team is not on a network station we are forced to get out of the house and interact with people. Whether it's Applebees or inviting ourselves over to a friend's house watching WITH people is usually a lot more fun
Don't get me wrong, we still own a TV and use it daily. Like most Mom's, I need Dora the Explorer at my fingertips so I can function and stay sane. My husband and I also enjoy keeping up with our favorite shows and sports teams each season. But, we have found a way to live life in reverse, making TV work for our family and not the other way around. Here is how we do it:
Antenna- All of our shows, most sports games, and PBS kids (a lifesaver) can be found on network channels.
The Public Library- We LOVE our public library. We typically go weekly and stock up on kid's DVD's. (and often movies for ourselves) Our kids are always thrilled and gladly watch their "movies" all week long. The library has lots of new releases including TV series. It's totally worth checking out. You can reserve items online if dragging your kids around the library isn't your idea of fun.
Hulu- This is how we watch ALL of our current shows. We have found that as long as we stay within a few weeks of the time our program airs, we can watch for free. We hook our computer up to the TV with an HDMI cord so we can watch it on a "real" screen. BONUS for parents- when you get interrupted you can pause your shows!
Red Box- We do most of our movie renting from Redbox. We thought about netflix but realized we don't watch more than a movie a week (if that) and usually prefer new releases anyway so it didn't make sense for us.
Family Video- Free kids rentals. No purchase necessary.
The way we "do TV" now is working really well for our family but that's not to say it will always be this way. As our family grows and needs change, we may adjust accordingly. Our hope is that through the years we are able to maintain healthy perspective and a sense of contentment despite culture telling us that we NEED more. Like I said before, less is sometimes more.
Ten years later we are still rockin' the rabbit ears. This time not out of necessity, but by choice.
We have learned that Entertainment doesn't have to rule our life. If we miss a game we miss a game. If I can't get the latest DIY home inspiration because I don't have access to HGTV my home will survive. Not having TV at our fingertips has changed our attitude and we no longer feel a sense of entitlement to have our every whim met at the push of a button.... and we kind of like it that way.
Less has been more for us.
More money. The average American spends $64.41/month on a cable package. That's $772.92 a year or in our case $7,729.20 that we were able to keep in our pocket over the past 10 years.
More time. Let's face it. We can only spend so much time flipping through our 10 network stations before we give up and turn the TV off. It has opened up opportunity for conversation, laughter, and new hobbies to surface. (Turns out we both love to read, who knew?!)
More community. When it's game day and our favorite team is not on a network station we are forced to get out of the house and interact with people. Whether it's Applebees or inviting ourselves over to a friend's house watching WITH people is usually a lot more fun
Don't get me wrong, we still own a TV and use it daily. Like most Mom's, I need Dora the Explorer at my fingertips so I can function and stay sane. My husband and I also enjoy keeping up with our favorite shows and sports teams each season. But, we have found a way to live life in reverse, making TV work for our family and not the other way around. Here is how we do it:
Antenna- All of our shows, most sports games, and PBS kids (a lifesaver) can be found on network channels.
The Public Library- We LOVE our public library. We typically go weekly and stock up on kid's DVD's. (and often movies for ourselves) Our kids are always thrilled and gladly watch their "movies" all week long. The library has lots of new releases including TV series. It's totally worth checking out. You can reserve items online if dragging your kids around the library isn't your idea of fun.
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| Our library collection for the week. |
Hulu- This is how we watch ALL of our current shows. We have found that as long as we stay within a few weeks of the time our program airs, we can watch for free. We hook our computer up to the TV with an HDMI cord so we can watch it on a "real" screen. BONUS for parents- when you get interrupted you can pause your shows!
Red Box- We do most of our movie renting from Redbox. We thought about netflix but realized we don't watch more than a movie a week (if that) and usually prefer new releases anyway so it didn't make sense for us.
Family Video- Free kids rentals. No purchase necessary.
The way we "do TV" now is working really well for our family but that's not to say it will always be this way. As our family grows and needs change, we may adjust accordingly. Our hope is that through the years we are able to maintain healthy perspective and a sense of contentment despite culture telling us that we NEED more. Like I said before, less is sometimes more.
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