I’m feeling flash backy..
A few years back I loved tv. Tv was my thing. When people asked me what shows I watched, I would begin on Sunday and go down my list by every single day. I had a minimum of 4 shows a day I would watch and would average a good 5-7 hours of tv daily.
But at the beginning of this year, I had my Directv turned off for 6 months. I figured I was traveling so much, it was a waste of money to keep it on. Once I stopped traveling and got a job I found myself at home a lot more. I didn’t want to turn my tv back on, since money was so tight, so I let the 6 months continue.
To bide the beyond bored moments, I jumped on my parents netflix and hulu plus accounts through the PS3, (thanks mom) which kept me up to speed on the few shows I used to watch.
I noticed throughout the 6 months, I watched less and less tv. Especially with a full time day job. I barely had a moment in the evening, let alone to sit down and watch tv. I won’t say I did other more productive things, like take up knitting or anything fancy, because really, I was on my computer quite a bit…
But I liked not having cable anymore. It was nice. People talked about reality shows and commercials, and I was pretty ok not knowing what they were talking about.
The 6 months ended the middle of June and I figured I’d have it back on and see how it goes and I have to say. I hate it. I hate tv. There’s NOTHING good on. I’m actually pretty shocked at the raunchiness that’s on there. Women grinding on other women (and men)…in a commercial no less! I feel like that 6 months reset my brain to forget all the smut that’s out there, only to be smacked upside the head with a whole new dose of it.
Even House Hunters (which used to be one of my favorites) is annoying to me with how the couple is so aware and ‘camera ready’. Nothing is natural. Its like I can see all the fakeness now and I can’t look past it. Since having it turned back on, I hardly ever have it actually on. I’ll record cooking shows and that’s pretty much it.
I can’t decide if I want to completely cancel it now or wait for the Olympics to end before canceling it. {quite the conundrum} I feel it’s a major waste of my darn near $100 a month for only an hour a day that its on. I could put that toward clothes …or shoes!.. I kid. Ok, I don’t… I really need shoes!
Do you have cable? Do you think you could ever cancel your Directv or cable service permanently?
Have you ever gone an extended period without tv, only to turn it back on?
How did you feel once you did turn it back?
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Rotting the brain
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17 comments:
We didn't buy a TV when we got married and we've never had one since. I watch a few shows and quite a few films on our laptop but I'm not tempted to get a TV at all because we just end up sitting in front of rubbish that we're not interested in!
We don't have cable. We originally got rid of it to save money, but I was amazed at how quickly I got used to not having it. We just hardly watch t.v. anymore! Most of the shows I watch are on the non-cable channels anyway, so there was just no need for it. However, I think if I were living alone (which I have never done before, sadly), I would want cable just to keep me company sometimes :)
I need TV, I couldn't "work" without it lol.
Like last night literally the phone rang once. ugh.
xoxo
Our first year of marriage we had a dinosaur tv that got 2 channels in. We watched the news, NCIS and PBS. I didn't grow up with cable/satellite, but B did. The TV is ALWAYS on at his parents house. They sleep with it on, which I think is so unhealthy. Anyway, we still only have free stations. We have to use our rabbit ear antenna, but I'm appalled at how much JUNK is on "regular" tv, I can only imagine how magnified it is with hundreds of stations. We like to watch a few shows from time to time, but we don't keep up with them. Unless it's of course a BBC mini-series, and they I'm all over it. ;)
We have Roku box, which is actually kind of nice! We can get netflix on it (and through our Wii) as well as Amazon prime movies, Pandora, and a host of other free-channels. There's even an old cartoon channel that Q likes to watch with old Popeye's and such. And, so much can be watched online. Speaking of the Olympics you can watch everything online this year.
I seriously want to get rid of cable. I only watch re-runs, which are on hulu and netflix! So silly. But everytime I go to do it some award show is right around the corner and I forget about it.
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We have cable because it came free with our apartment (win!), but we really only use it when david wants to watch sports. I watch the bachelorette every once in a while, but that is about it. I never just turn it on to fill my time. If it were up to me, I would get rid of it all together.
I was the exact same way, I watched TV all the time before I was married and now we don't even have a TV. There are times where I miss it but to be honest I'm better without it. I didn't realize how much time it took up and how much it affected me. Now I'm free to do a lot more without it.
I did one of those TV fasts a few years back, and honestly I've never been the same since when it comes to TV. I agree. There's hardly anything worth watching, and in my opinion reality shows are out of control. My parents are the only one who really watch TV. My sister and I get bored with it too easily, and the few shows we do like can be watch online with less commercials. In fact the only channel I watch if I have the time is Food Network, and shows like Downtown Abby. When I get my own place, I'm fairly certain I'll not get a TV and I'll just watch DVD's and the select few shows via the internet.
In the 17 years of our marriage, we have never had cable/satellite. Mainly because we're cheap & refuse to pay for TV. ;) When TV stations went to HD a few years ago, we never got the box or special antenna, so we don't even have regular TV, anymore. It's been about 3 years, & truthfully, we don't even miss it. We do have Netflix streaming thru our Wii, so we aren't completely without... But, we may even be giving that up in August. StudMuffin & I just feel the kids spend WAY too much time on it, & we want them to, you know, go outside & play or something. You'd think we were threatening their lives or something by the way they react to that piece of parenting. Sigh... ;)
Hello, my name is Erin and I am a tv-aholic. I am exactly like you used to be. I have gone through periods where I have watched less tv and didn't feel like I was missing out on anything either. I know that one day when I have a child I will not be able to watch anything, so I figure I might as well watch now while I have the opportunity. I am usually multi-tasking when I am watching tv, so does that count as being productive?
*Erin
First of all, hello! I just found your blog and I love it. I browsed for awhile and really enjoy some of your past posts (read the love story...I was in a long distance relationship for a year so I can relate) and am now following you on bloglovin'. In response to this post...totally been there. I was struggling to pay bills when I was living alone and decided to cancel my cable. It was a great experience to have and forced me to do more valuable things with my time. Although I have cable again now, I do find I'm watching less TV overall as a result. I honestly don't even have the time to watch TV anymore (besides a few of my trashy tv guilty pleasures). I enjoyed reading this and can't wait to see more here!
Stephanie
I could live without the tv. I like having netflix, but I am even getting tired of it. My husband is a different story. He doesn't believe he can go without tv.
I don't watch a ton of TV, especially during the summer (I only watch So You Think You Can Dance) and I record it and watch it after everyone is in bed. However, with the kiddos it's nice to record their shows so we have them whenever we want. I love my DVR though....not sure if I could give it up, especially when fall comes around and my shows are back on.
we only have the basic package. sports is our thing ~ nfl, college basketball (the best sport ever) tennis, golf ~ and you just cannot get that without a basic package. we refuse to pay more. the kids don't watch much, even in the summer. when they do it's pretty much curious george or clifford the big red dog. where we get into trouble is commercials! commercials during sporting events are the worst! either my hubby or i have the clicker on standby ready to flip the channel should an inappropriate image come one. sometimes we start watching about 30 minutes after start time and then fast forward during the commercials. and reality tv... i feel like i have to take a shower after watching some of the preview. gross.
We got rid of our cable and never looked back. I haven't missed it a day since. We do have Netflix by mail, so we order the good shows (like Fringe or BSG or Community) on there, or rent them from the library. We feel like we can still join in the "water cooler" talk - but we only watch quality stuff and with no commercials.
Happy birthday month gorgeous!!
I have to admit, it has REALLY been on my mind for the past couple of years at just how much tv we DO watch. It's crazy! Even when we're not watching it, it's still on so we can hear it! And to top it off, We have a tv in every room of the house. I even asked the hubby to get me one of those tv's that can mount under the cabinet in the kitchen so I can watch it while cleaning or cooking in there. I've gone so far as to take the laptop in there with me and turn it on to something like netflix or a dvd. Soooo unhealthy! And I know it. And I still do it - every day. Thanks Em, maybe this little confessional is just what I needed to make some changes. Or not.... ;)
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