Cut the cord

It is hard to believe, but this month marks one year of living without cable. As somebody who grew up as an avid television viewer, it is hard to believe that I managed to survive. Like many people watching their expenses increase while the paycheck remain stagnant, I was looking for ways to cut back on living expenses. One of the largest bills we had was from the blasted cable company. It angered me, because we always complained there was nothing good on, we hear various reports about how watching too much T.V. is not good for you, and it provided very little for amount it cost. Yet, we kept it month after month. When we moved, the cable bill did not come with us. We cut the cable! It wasn't easy at first as we transitioned to finding other forms of entertainment to fill the void but here are some things that we did.

Library Patron. We visit our local public library to not only checkout books, but videos, video games, and other multi-media as well. Our library rotates their videos and games with other libraries in the region, so the selection is never stale. We get to borrow from their selection for free. Yes, FREE! Of course, you have to watch out for late fees from some libraries, but it is still significantly cheaper than cable, and it is something you can easily avoid.

Games. We play games together. Okay, we're not gathered around a board game having family game night. It is primarily video games. My kids are using their brains trying to solve the puzzle and challenges presented by the game, which is a step up from just staring at the T.V. Plus, I don't have a reoccurring bill for the gaming console. With the ability to checkout games from the library, you can easily refresh your entertainment selection.

Internet. Some households consider the Internet as a luxury, while they still keep the cable bill. If I had to choose Internet or cable, I would keep the Internet. The Internet can help with homework, provide entertainment, help me stay in touch (hello Skype! and Facebook), help me with finding new recipes and provide a wealth of knowledge. Cable? Not so much. We kept the Internet to stream videos, allow me to complete online classes, read news, and to video chat with family members in different timezones. Fox, ABC and CBS let us stream our favorite T.V. programs with minimal commercials. We also watch a good bit of sporting events online as well. We just hook up our laptop to the T.V. using a HDMI cable.

Netflix or Amazon Prime. We subscribed to Netflix and are thinking about switching to Amazon Prime. Either way, they both provide us a vast entertainment selection. We dropped Netflix for a few months, since we were not watching it very much; however, we decided to pick them back up. Guess what? There was no hook-up or cancellation fee.  We could stop and start services when we wanted to, plus the monthly rate is still cheaper than a cable bill.

Hobbies. Without the usual past time of flipping through the channels and staring brain dead at the idiot box, we had to find other things to preoccupy our time. My husband and I got into cooking more and trying different recipes, with delicious results I may add. I crochet providing me more scarves, hats, and blankets. They make great gifts as well. My boys love to create intricate Lego vehicles. My husband loves to go running. Find something you are passionate about, or something that relaxes you. With a hobby  you will have something to show for your time, whether it good meals, better health, new doilies or a new Lego Starship. Cable cannot provide this.

Benefits.

More free time. Without television competing for my children's attention and distracting them, my kids have time to do their homework and other **gasp** educational pursuits. My oldest son read more this past year than he did in the previous two years. Before we got rid of cable, he would read because it was assigned reading. Now, he reads for pleasure. He is really into the "Diary of Wimpy Kid" and "Captain Underpants" series. For me, I have free time to work on my degree (college classes are online), write, blog (just not too much on this site), and spend time with my family.

Less advertisement and commercials. Since going cable free, my children see less commercials. It's great because I hear less whining from my kids about how they want the latest and greatest toy they had no idea they needed until the commercial came on.

Learning. The extra reading I've done taught me a great deal, such as how to live healthier, cook, crochet, sew and a new language. As I mentioned earlier, I am pursuing my college degree, so there is a good bit learning there. My oldest son started creating his own comic book, so he is learning on how to develop a story and write dialogue.