Funny...it's only just today that I realized I maybe should write a blog about the fact that our family gave up Direct TV service almost a year ago. They are still trying to woo us back.
Our reasons were simple:
1. We wanted to save more money.
2. Jonah was addicted.
Jonah's addiction was such that, if we wanted him to turn the television off, even between shows, he would throw a serious tantrum. Totally unacceptable for a 4.5 year old.
It was a hard decision. It came after switching to the most basic package offered and then we just took the total plunge and cut it off altogether.
I thought I would miss it.
I thought I would miss my time in front of The Tyra Show and catching all of my favorite shows on my TiVo and well...I really don't.
I thought the kids wouldn't be able to find anything to do.
T'hey read a lot. We rent DVDs at the library as a special treat. They play games. They PLAY.
It's like...it never existed.
There are a FEW things I am sad about.
We can't watch the Olympics. It's not streaming anywhere for free. You can see some of the events after the fact and medal ceremonies and things like that - but after the Opening Ceremonies we sort of just gave up. It wasn't worth it. I love the Olympics, but...it was too much trouble. To be honest, I'm more sad about the idea of missing the Olympics than I am about ACTUALLY missing the Olympics.
It was hard to miss Steelers games and Flyers hockey and things like that. Those are the things I miss.
I've found a lot of streaming websites. Michael and I have a date about once a week and watch a few of our favs on Hulu. We do the library DVD thing and we get Netflix (the cheapest package: $5.99 a month).
I have to say...I sort of recommend it.
I read a lot more. I get my info. more actively and from sources that I trust (to a point) rather than just zoning out in front of NBC News or Good Morning America. I blog. I cook better meals.
I think that life without Cable or Satellite service is well...better.
Eventually we might see what we can pick up on a digital antennae set, but really, I sort of doubt it. It costs some cash to buy one, and I'd rather buy, you know...groceries or socks or something. Til then, more fun trips to the library and more time outdoors!
Hoping for a hike this weekend...
1 comment:
We gave up direct tv a couple of years ago and love it as well.! Down with DirectTV! haha.
A reliable avenue for watching football (not steelers... Packers!! :-P ) was a little sad to give up, but in the end it wasn't hard. The streams you can find online work just fine if we decide we'd like to watch a game.
I wasn't anticipating the loss I would feel over the olympics, though. That one was hard. I had a bit of a tantrum there for a bit, lol. Once I realized THAT wasn't going to help, I decided that watching the events approx 2 days after the fact on nbcolympics.com isn't too bad (it's like I dvr'd them, lol). As long as I can steer clear of any news stories telling me who the winner was, ha!
Netflix is awesome!
Post a Comment