Life Without Cable – The New Normal – Day 1
Yesterday, I did something that many folks would call “weird” or not normal. I called AT&T and did something which caused my daughter to cry. I cancelled our cable. Yes, we no longer can get 1000 plus TV and music channels that we watched so infrequently, except for a select few.
Call me a rebel or a thrifty person, but we went against the “normal” flow of most families. Now, don’t get me wrong, I liked having cable…a lot. I will deeply miss the Game Show Network (GSN) with a passion (remember me telling you that I’m not normal?), my husband will miss the History and the Military Channels, and my daughter cried over not getting to watch iCarly and most of the other shows on the Nickelodeon channels. But, it was time for cable to go…at least for a little while. Instead, hello antennas.
For the past few months, we have been attending Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace classes. Desiring to live debt free, we have made some difficult choices. Cancelling cable could be considered one of them. But, to live like no one else (not normal), so that later we can live like no one else, the cable had to go. The choice saved us over $90 per month (over $1080 per year – do I hear Baby Step one, anyone?)!
So, what was life like on the first day without cable? Did the earth come shattering to an end? Not in the least bit. When I wake up everyday, the first thing that I do is turn on the TV to get the weather and news. Not so today. Having no cable left me in silence as I got ready. I actually discovered that the silence helped me focus on the decision for what I was going to wear, doing my hair, and putting on my make-up in less time that what it would have taken me in the past. Before, if I heard some interesting news or wanted to see the weather forecast, I stopped what I was doing and watched the television for a moment. Choosing to not put an antenna on the TV in the bedroom, I would have to go to the game room or downstairs to watch it. Not happening in the limited time I have to get ready.
At first, I felt a little sad that the TV wasn’t on so that I could be up on the latest news. I guess that it’s because I’m so used to it, and I’m sure that I will be used to getting ready in silence again like I did in um…high school? Growing up, my family didn’t have cable, unlike most others. We were too busy to watch TV. Life hasn’t changed that much.
Now, I have to watch the weather the night before to see what type of clothing to wear for the next day. No problem, but does take a little more planning on my part to watch the night before. An alternative would be to check my smartphone before I get dressed, but that involves walking downstairs in the dark to get it. Do you see my dilemma?
After work, local channels were watched, and they had programming that we were going to watch anyway. So, no harm no foul. My daughter even squealed with joy when I told her “America’s Got Talent” was on. Grateful, we made it through the day with no cable, and the world did not end.
Call me a rebel or a thrifty person, but we went against the “normal” flow of most families. Now, don’t get me wrong, I liked having cable…a lot. I will deeply miss the Game Show Network (GSN) with a passion (remember me telling you that I’m not normal?), my husband will miss the History and the Military Channels, and my daughter cried over not getting to watch iCarly and most of the other shows on the Nickelodeon channels. But, it was time for cable to go…at least for a little while. Instead, hello antennas.
For the past few months, we have been attending Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace classes. Desiring to live debt free, we have made some difficult choices. Cancelling cable could be considered one of them. But, to live like no one else (not normal), so that later we can live like no one else, the cable had to go. The choice saved us over $90 per month (over $1080 per year – do I hear Baby Step one, anyone?)!
So, what was life like on the first day without cable? Did the earth come shattering to an end? Not in the least bit. When I wake up everyday, the first thing that I do is turn on the TV to get the weather and news. Not so today. Having no cable left me in silence as I got ready. I actually discovered that the silence helped me focus on the decision for what I was going to wear, doing my hair, and putting on my make-up in less time that what it would have taken me in the past. Before, if I heard some interesting news or wanted to see the weather forecast, I stopped what I was doing and watched the television for a moment. Choosing to not put an antenna on the TV in the bedroom, I would have to go to the game room or downstairs to watch it. Not happening in the limited time I have to get ready.
At first, I felt a little sad that the TV wasn’t on so that I could be up on the latest news. I guess that it’s because I’m so used to it, and I’m sure that I will be used to getting ready in silence again like I did in um…high school? Growing up, my family didn’t have cable, unlike most others. We were too busy to watch TV. Life hasn’t changed that much.
Now, I have to watch the weather the night before to see what type of clothing to wear for the next day. No problem, but does take a little more planning on my part to watch the night before. An alternative would be to check my smartphone before I get dressed, but that involves walking downstairs in the dark to get it. Do you see my dilemma?
After work, local channels were watched, and they had programming that we were going to watch anyway. So, no harm no foul. My daughter even squealed with joy when I told her “America’s Got Talent” was on. Grateful, we made it through the day with no cable, and the world did not end.
Posted by Darcy Keith at 7/7/2011 5:52 AM 
Categories: Self Improvement, Education
Tags: Darcy Keith cancelling cable how to live without cable ATT Uverse Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Univer
Categories: Self Improvement, Education
Tags: Darcy Keith cancelling cable how to live without cable ATT Uverse Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Univer
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