I Quit Cable

Swamp TV.
Originally uploaded by James Good

I know this tile may be shocking to some people. In fact the cable guy who disconnected us said, with a mixture of pity and shock, “ I don’t know what I would do without my cable”. I used to think that way too. What on earth would I do without my ever-present source of entertainment? Without my Food Network, my Bravo, or my HGTV (or as we liked to call it, H Gay TV.) Could I survive without my cable?

We made the choice to disconnect when my BF took an internship in Milwaukee. He was going to have to get a place up there while I stayed here in our place in Chicago, therefore requiring us to support two households on an income that previously only supported one. Some tough choices had to be made, and Cable did not make the cut.

It has been almost 2 months now since disconnection day and after the initial shock wore off, I was surprised to find that I could survive without cable! Not only can I live without it, but I really don’t miss it at all! It used to be that whenever I would have a free moment, I would plop down in front of the TV and just turn on whatever it was I could find. I would then be caught up in the boob tube’s evil glow and not move for several hours, therefore zapping any ounce of productivity I may have had. Hours, and sometimes days of my life would be spent this way. Now, however, since I don’t have the simplicity of just clicking to wherever the remote might take me, I have to actively think about how I want to fill my free time. Instead of the panic that I thought this would induce, I found myself being excited about the options opened up to me. I could read a book, or I could watch that movie I have been meaning to, or I start a blog!

Because I now have an active part in my entertainment, I find that I am enjoying myself a whole lot more. I am watching things that I actually want to watch instead of just whatever was on. I have an amazing relationship now with my local video store where, for much less than the price of cable, I am renting those movies that I have been meaning to see and discovering TV shows I never would have seen if I had not sought them out. I am reading books again, finishing projects that have been piling up and just all around more relaxed with my free time.

So to those people out there that must have your 250 channels of high def sports, or your 10 channels of HBO, and your DVR; take a look at what you are actually watching, and if you are actually enjoying it. Then think about what you could be doing instead. If you are bold, then take the leap. Disconnect, and not only save hundreds of dollars a month, but regain control of your entertainment. You might surprise yourself.