photo c/o wikimedia commons

I’ve lived without cable for most of my adult life. I just never saw a need for it. When my husband and I moved into the Airstream, we ditched our television set. We ditched our TV mostly due to space, but we don’t miss it. Whenever I tell someone that we don’t have a television, I’m usually met with shock and awe. You’d think I told them that I live without oxygen or the sun. The first question that our relatives asked when they visited our humble abode was “Where’s the TV?” (My first question when visiting most people is “Where’s the bathroom?”)

Prior to moving into the Airstream, we mostly used our TV to stream Netflix. We had a box to pick up public television, but it never worked, so we just didn’t worry about it. I cancelled Netflix when we ditched the TV. Full disclosure: I do have a Hulu subscription that I have hung onto, but I am debating cancelling that this summer too.

There’s so many perks to cutting the cable cord and ditching the “idiot box,” as my dad likes to call it. Here’s just a few:

1. You’ll have more space.
   Even flat screen TVs take up space. Instead of a television, put up a beautiful piece of artwork that inspires you!
2. You’ll have more money.
   Even if your cable subscription is only $60 a month, paying that bill adds up to $720 a year. If you have cable for your entire adult life and you live to be 80 years old, you’ll spend $50,400 on cable! And that isn’t even accounting for inflation, people.
3. You’ll have more time.
   Cable and TV is a time-suck. How many times have you gotten sucked into a whole season of Law and Order? Be honest. Think about how much more time you’ll have once you cut the cord. You’ll finally have time to write that novel (or blog!), plant that garden, cook a healthy meal and so much more.
4. You’ll be less stressed.
   When I did have cable for a couple years in college, I fought with the cable company all the time. They’d always over charge me or the cable would go out for no good reason. That kind of stress is unnecessary and I chose to eliminate it from my life. I also believe seeing less opulence from TV helped my psyche. I no longer cared to keep up with the Jones or the Kardashians or whoever.
5. You might sleep better and be happier. 
   Exposure to dim light at night has been linked to mood disorders, increased risk of obesity and cancer. Also, the blue light of televisions and computer monitors mimics morning light and is more likely to keep you awake at night. Do you need more of a reason to smash your TV in an epic Office Space-like scene?!

So how do I get along without a TV? Just fine. I get most of my news from NPR. I listen on the radio on the way to work. I check the weather via an app on my phone. If I’m dying to watch a movie, I’ll check out a free movie online or from my local library. (Check out this post I did over on And Then We Saved about legal ways to watch movies online.)

So how do you manage to go about living without a tv? Cutting the television cord is a lifestyle change, I’ll give you that. But it’s a change that improve your live for the better, I promise.

Try at first to cut your television watching to an hour a day, then 30 minutes a day. Just see how much more free time opens up with one simple change. 

Have you tried living without cable or a television? Let me know how you survive in the comments!

love,
melanie