TV withdrawal

[Cypress]

For those that cut the cable and cut the TV watching, was there a period of withdrawal? The dang $30 per month eats at me as I only watch 1 PBS program each night. What did you replace it with to get past a life long habit?

I keep thinking instead of Telly I'll finally have no excuse for not: studying Italian, reading, meditation, learning about Opera (my new curiosity) and saving $360 a year.

[sweetana3]

Sometimes it is just the noise. You can listen to audio books (from library) and the radio to provide that background noise. We did without for about 6 years while husband was in school and we both were working. Got a lot more done. I am watching less and less tv as it is less and less interesting.

[Tiam]

would you be able to get pbs without cable? You can where I live through the local PBS channel.

[awakenedsoul]

I cut it out to reduce expenses. I used to watch Oprah every day. When she went off of regular t.v. I canceled my cable. I haven't really missed it. I listen to Suze Orman's podcast every Monday. I watch some of the free hour shows from OWN on youtube. I also knit, work an hour a day on my on line sight singing class, and swim. It's worth the savings to me. Plus, then I don't feel as guilty for spending time on line!

[razz]

I cancelled my satellite connection as I was watching about an hour a week. I really don't like the sound of the TV shows and ads but use the DVD player and TV to watch lectures I have bought and movies from the library occasionally.

[Miss Cellane]

I've had cable and not had cable off and on my entire adult life.

No withdrawal period, really. Once or twice a sort of wistful wondering about one or two shows I liked, but that didn't last long. It's surprising how TV can take over your life when it is always there, waiting to be turned on, and how very little you miss it when it is not there.

During my cable-less times, I found myself reading a lot more, cooking more--I always cook, but more complicated, time-consuming dishes, baking all my bread, sewing and crocheting more. And my house was a lot cleaner and neater.

[Dhiana]

I've been watching podcasts and/or youtube videos regarding subjects I like such as crochet/yarns/knitting, etc. Pick a subject, there's a podcast for it and they are out there at no charge. While I watch most of the podcasts through our Apple TV, most can also be viewed on youtube or the presenter's personal website.

As another poster mentioned, sometimes it really is just background noise to have in the house.

I'm sure there are many for learning Italian and Opera, etc. There really was so little on cable tv we watched that it was easy to cut it.

[bUU]

Our only comparable switch was when we turned off HBO and Showtime. There was one summer during which we were a little lean on choices for television (we watched shows like Wipeout! and other OTA broadcast trash) but by the next summer, our Netflix DVD subscription kept us flush with choices. Now, several years later, and with so many great new choices on both OTA broadcast and cable over the summer, we shut down our Netflix DVD subscription after just a month, with two dozen discs for just HBO and Showtime series in our queue, and we should have more than enough to watch through the summer without Netflix. If not, we can always turn it back on for a month and pick up another season of something.

As expensive as cable is, I just don't see going down the cord-cutting path. Just randomly looking at what we buy, there are few discretionary purchases that provide so much value per dollar as cable. I suppose if you're eliminating all discretionary purchases, living life only on the bare essentials, that would be one thing. But I just don't see the value in switching to other hobbies and leisure pursuits that cost money.

[pinkytoe]

We have never had cable. We do however get three network channels plus a movie channel and the three PBS stations. These are more than enough when we feel like vegging in front of the tube which is not very often. Free by using with a cheap little antenna that sits behind the TV.

[Packy]

I used to like certain shows on TV, especially when I was a kid--does that tell you something, right there? Okay, so a person, as an adult, in addition to other goals, needs to develop a perspective, based on reporting of current events, that will help them participate in a democracy & live their life right, by adhering to norms. TV, is supposed to be a tech advance, that is a source of information, concerning that stuff, but jeeez---it's all a bunch of brainwash! I run across people that I use to describe with my own term--that are "TV Educated". They, are dumber than if they were "Born Yesterday" I guess I made the mistake of going to college for awhile, and ran across the concept of "critical thinking", which eventually ended my interest in both a college degree AND Television. Newton Minow was right, when he coined the phrase "Vast Wasteland". I have to do other things, now. Later.