We’re moving soon and our monthly payments are about to go up significantly. I’m looking at ways to cut corners and I think cable TV is about to get the ax. 
Apparently I’m not alone. We spend about $100 a month for internet/cable/phone service (which isn’t bad, I guess) but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if I really need cable in my life.
I have a Netflix subscription and that pretty much takes care of all my movie needs. My husband primarily watches football, SportsCenter and LOST. The kids watch the Disney channel.
Plus, wouldn’t be better if our kids grew up in a house where all they saw was people reading lesiurely, for fun? Wouldn’t they learn to appreciate how easy and accessible books are? Point blank: Would they be smarter?
But as a young mom, reading books for fun, doesn’t quite fit into our lifestyle. TV is passive entertainment, something that plays in the background while I’m chasing kids, wiping noses, pouring juice. Changing a diaper while reading Their Eyes Were Watching God just doesn’t seem likely.
I don’t want my kids to become TV junkies, but if their parents can’t kick the habit, how can I expect them to become anything but?
Do you all have cable? Did you get rid of it? Does it work for you?
Hey youngmommy,
I used to have cable but when I moved, I decided that cable was a luxury that I could do without. At first, I thought that I would miss it terribly and not have anything to watch on tv. That turned out not to be the case. I pay more attention to the shows that come on the stations that I have, plus it gives me the opportunity to do more things around the house like home improvement, reading, praying, etc. Now if there is something on cable that I absolutely have to see, I go to my mom’s house.
I’d love to get rid of cable- but since its the one luxury my husband really desires (and he works so hard without asking for much of anything in the tight monthly budget we currently have) I’ve conceded thus far. We also have netflix plus an XBox360 which allows us to literally watch any and every movie on demand without even needing cable(the XBox downloads netflix movies through an internet connection right to your tv), but again we’ve made allowances for cable. I wish my cable/tv/phone bill was $100, we do stay on top of our cable company and get regular discounts but cutting cable would reduce things very nicely to allow for more savings.
I was just thinking about this myself… We have cable, but we honestly do not need it. My s.o. watches it, but we can probably just get a reduced package with our favorites to save money. Most of the shows I watch are on network channels and now that we have a converter box, we can get a PBS Learn channel that my little one can enjoy all night and day. I think we could probably get really creative as a family without cable, too, if we give ourselves the chance.
I haven’t had cable since college, and I don’t miss it one bit. But what are you going to do about the analog-to-digital switch, now apparently happening in June? Do you have a digital TV or a converter box? We were going to sign up for cable for that reason, but then we decided we don’t care if we don’t have TV at all. We’re just not home enough to watch it a lot
We don’t have it and I don’t miss it. We also have the xbox360/netflix setup and we catch any shows we want to watch online at network sites and hulu.com.
@Everyone – So what about sports? The YoungDaddy would die without football and basketball games. What do I do about that?
Beg your friends to invite him over to watch the big games? LOL. My husband said as long as he has some way to watch TV by the time football season rolls around again, he’ll be fine. That gives me until this fall to figure out that question…
I love this! We don’t have TV at all in our house. Not even regular TV. We have a TV that is used for DVDs, but we are very strict about what they watch and when. Except when someone is sick. But it makes us be more creative, read more and spend more time outside.
When my friend bought a house, she cut the cable.