Why We Canceled Cable
12. Jul, 2010 
5 Comments
We have been pondering the possibility of giving up cable the past few months. We liked the idea of saving $840 over the next year but we also liked the idea of being able to enjoy the creative shows on HGTV and Food Network.
Sixteen years ago we chose to not have cable because our lives were plenty full and there really wasn’t an interest in sitting down to watch the television. I honestly believe the variety of creative shows available today make it fare more compelling to have cable than it was back then.
We regularly found it humorous when visiting friends would notice that there was no TV in our living room. When they found out we didn’t own a TV it was not uncommon to see an expression of disbelief. The day came when we got a taste of Extreme Home Makeover and we decided it was time to buy a TV. Signal wasn’t the best but our little antennae brought us a good enough reception that we were still able to avoid the cable bill. We lived without cable for thirteen years of marriage.
When we left Missouri three years ago we decided to get cable. We had seen some HGTV shows and had watched the Food Network. We loved watching as the creative ideas were explored and the final work was revealed. We still do. But I think we have come to the conclusion that the seeing those reveals are not worth $840 a year. We’re thinking that money would be helpful in revealing a new stone patio!
We gave up cable for several reasons:
- We are committed to becoming debt free – $840 can make a nice dent
- The limited amount of time we watched TV was not worth the money spent
- We can watch our favorite shows on HULU Free
- Too many commercials on Cable TV – far fewer commercials on HULU
- We watch on our schedule instead of the broadcasters schedule.
I also like where Boxee.tv is heading. You can check out their video introduction below. It may be that your cable company is pulling more of your wallet than you need to give up to access your favorite shows. I will be checking out Boxee over the next few months and will let you know what I think. For now HULU is one way our family is able to save a few bucks and still enjoy most of our favorite shows.
Boxee Beta from boxee on Vimeo
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Good for you.
My wife and I pulled the plug on TV in Spring ’09. Haven’t looked back since we have Netflix and Hulu. I would recommend checking our Plex (www.plexapp.com) we like that more than Boxee. Here is to that new patio!
I will definitely check out plexapp.com Thanks!
Andrea & I pulled the plug on cable for the same exact reasons. Good for you. I am really looking forward to checking out Plex.
Awesome Nathan!