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Do We Really Need Cable?

When Jason and I were broker than broke, the cable was the first thing to go. It is definitely the thing we can do without the most. We got two cable converter boxes (HD, mind you). I was on maternity leave with nothing more than converter boxes. We didn't even have internet, in order to save money. And we did just fine. We got to see all of the primetime shows. Daytime TV lacked a bit, but it was still something to watch.
 
We've been without cable now since Saturday. Before that, our Direct TV signal was not doing so well, so in the month of September, due to equipment issues, we were without cable from the 6th to the 26th. I don't think I ever remembered remarking how much I missed it, unless it was in the mornings and I couldn't watch the Golden Girls on the Hallmark channel while getting ready for work.
 
Since I wanted to watch some primetime TV this week, I had Jason set up the converter box in the living room. Through our Wii, we get Hulu and Netflix. Now, we have the free converter box. I am starting to wonder if having cable is even necessaryy. Thanks to an upgrade to our Netflix account, we now have the option to get the most recent movie releases on DVD sent to our house. Netflix plus internet costs us a grand total of about $45 a month. Even the stuff on instant streaming on Netflix these days is awesome. There are more movies and full season TV shows on our instant queue than we could watch in a month.
 
So, with only about 4 hours of viewing time per night, if we are even home, that is, and if we are even watching TV and not doing stuff to the house, with all of the stuff I currently have to watch, is paying another $100 or so a month for cable really necessary?
 
When I think about sitting down and scrolling through the channels, I am always drawn to reruns anyway. We will watch Frasier (instant streaming on Netflix), How I Met Your Mother (instant streaming on Netflix), Friends (have the DVDs at my house), or other sitcoms. When I do go for cable, I find myself wondering how Here Comes Honey Boo Boo even got a TV show in the first place. Or, why do I feel the need to Keep up with the Kardashians? I am starting to think that besides certain sports games for Jason, which still come on regular channels, cable is completely and totally a waste of money.
 
Yeah, I think we will probably just be a cable-less house. These days, it just seems ridiculous to spend money for no reason. I will miss The Walking Dead this year though. Oh wait. I can catch full episodes of those online.

Comments

TJ said…
We're cable free, too! We have Netflix, but since watching TV isn't one of our hobbies, we rarely use it. We've got other hobbies that are more interesting and more fulfilling than spending time watching a tube!
October 4, 2012 at 12:28 PM
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