We’re cutting our cable, part I

NOTE: This will be a double post—look for part II on Friday, including a look at a really cool gadget we got for Christmas which is related to this story.

Television is a very funny thing.  On the one hand, it’s probably done more good for the world in terms of bringing us together and connecting us, but on the other hand it can be extremely time consuming.  Just think about a normal cable package: it’s probably got several hundred channels, and if you’re not disciplined, you can easily find yourself watching it just to fill time.  Not to mention that, when you add internet and/or digital phone service into the mix, you can quickly find yourself paying top dollar to meet (what you believe to be) are your entertainment/communication needs.

I have nothing against television.  The fact is, I really enjoy watching TV (as does Julie), but it can quickly become your default if you’re not careful. As I’ve stepped back and looked at the big picture, I’ve realized that I tend to read less and feel less productive when I have the option of using my time to watch Guy Fieri (who doesn’t like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives?) on the Food Network or old Masters highlights on the Golf Channel.

Julie and I found ourselves thinking recently that TV had started to become a major time waste for us, and so we decided to make a change.  I think it was on our drive out to New York for Christmas that we decided that, once we got home from break, we were going to scale it way back to just the “basic” networks going forward.  All we’ve got now are CBS, ABC, NBC (yes, The Office isn’t going anywhere), PBS, and FOX (thank goodness, because Glee 24 is coming back soon).

Our TV and internet service is provided by AT&T U-verse, and we love it.  Great reliability, and we would recommend it to anyone in an instant.  We had the U200 package, which is basically 200 channels; the smallest package that will still provide Food Network, ESPN, and the Golf Channel.  In downsizing, our plan was to buy an antenna to get HD signals from the major networks over-the-air.  Unfortunately, we bought a really nice antenna from Best Buy and had no luck at all.  So we ended up still paying for basic cable through AT&T, but it’s half the price that we were previously paying for the more extensive channel package.

So, we’re about a week into this basic cable deal, and I have to say, it’s going really well for us.  I’ve been more inclined to pick up one of the books I’m working through (currently Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money by Rabbi Daniel Lapin).  There’s actually something pretty peaceful about increasing the number of “quiet” hours in the house.

All that being said, we haven’t completely given up fun TV viewing.  We’ve actually added an excellent gadget to our entertainment center, and I’ll share a little bit more about that on Friday.  We’ll see you then!
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Photo Credit: tobiastoft // Creative Commons