Unplugging the cable / satellite

[Jim Alfredson]

Today my wife and I made the decision to unplug the cable. We switched from Dish Network to AT&T U-verse about a year ago. I like the convenience of a DVR but honestly I don't really watch TV with the exception of the occasional sports program and The Daily Show. But I usually just watch TDS online the next day. My kids' TV allotment is almost always filled by something from Netflix on the Wii. My wife watches a few programs but with the exception of Mad Men, everything is either on Netflix or Hulu and we'll still get the local channels in HD via a digital antenna. So the idea is to just stream the things we want to watch when we want to watch them rather than worry about a DVR.

So we pulled the plug. It was costing us over $150 a month for TV/internet/phone and now it's just $40 for the high speed internet. We're using the money saved to join the local YMCA. We have a really beautiful new facility just down the road from us where Zora has taken swimming lessons. A family membership is about $80 a month. I'm really excited about this! I've been on the road the last 3 years and I enjoy swimming in the hotel pools and using their ellipticals. I've lost 30 lbs due to changing my diet and working out when I can. I can't wait to take advantage of similar equipment at home.

I think this is going to be a good thing. How many others here have pulled the plug?

[alocispepraluger102]

i haven't unplugged yet, but i made the y investment 3 years ago.

your family made a wise choice, jim.

if there's tv you really want to see, most ymcas have many free tvs and wifi, to boot.

i usually prefer listening to radio broadcasts of sporting events to watching. they are less confining, with less bs, and much less hype.

[GA Russell]

Congrats Jim!

I dropped my cable I think the last week of December of 1991. I would like to watch SpeedTV for the sports car races, and ESPN3.com for its various offerings, but those two things don't justify the price of cable for me.

I spend my entertainment money on CDs, books and DVDs, and I enjoy all of them at my leisure rather than according to somebody else's schedule. Of course, I also find entertainment on the internet, but I consider that to be a necessity. It's a great savings for me on a monthly basis, so totalling my savings up over 20 years would I'm sure be an impressive figure.

In regard to exercise equipment and losing weight, I highly recommend the NordicTrak. They used to advertise heavily in USA Today, but I'm not even sure if they are still in business nowadays.

[Shawn]

I did the same thing a few years ago. I pay for internet and Netflix, costs around $40 a month. I also watch free stuff on Hulu and various websites run by the networks. There are quite a few over-the-air HD channels in Los Angeles, so there is always something to watch from those various sources.

I honestly don't miss cable/satellite at all.

[rostasi]

Good on ya! Never had cable or satellite. We don't have time or interest in most TV.

We do have a DVR, but we're just getting around to programs we recorded in May -

most of which are just rerun British shows. ...and the one program that I like,

that happens to be on CBS, is watched almost immediately and erased.

We tried to sit thru the last couple hours of the Emmys last night and realized

that we'd never heard of about 90% of the people or programs nominated.

That's OK.

[BeBop]

Congratulations on severing the cable, Jim. I'm certain you will be better-off both financially and spiritually. (Especially since it doesn't sound like the telly was a family gathering spot.)

I gave up television, movies and videos in 1978 and never regretted it. Okay, it left me socially inept at cocktail parties, but in all other was it was a blessing.

I understand that you aren't going cold turkey, but every bit helps. Just like exercise, eh?

[Jim Alfredson]

Honestly, I watch very little TV. Even on the road, the TV in my hotel room rarely comes on. I'm usually reading, working on music, or surfing the web.

This will be good for the kids, too. We are very strict when it comes to the TV (we only have one, which is a rarity these days) but even so I think they watch a bit too much. Having a pool available all winter for them is going to be a sanity saver for us!

[David Ayers]

30lbs. What's the secret?

[AllenLowe]

here's my secret: keep the cable on 24 hours:

[Jim Alfredson]

30lbs. What's the secret?

Mainly diet. Cut out processed foods (including processed meats... you know, bacon, sausage, deli meats), foods with synthetic dyes in them (which massively reduced my sugar intake), and I eat a lot of salad.