#85: Don't Watch TV for an Entire Week

Well, we've hit this goal out of the ballpark!

When I decided to put this on our list, I knew that even though we weren't watching an exorbitant amount of TV (compared to some people), that we were probably still watching more than we should. During certain times of the year we have a lot of shows that we record and watch faithfully - The Office, 24, American Idol, Pushing Daisies, Here Come the Newlyweds, and a few others. It started to feel like it was getting a little out of hand. So I decided to make it a goal to go an entire week (gasp!) without watching TV.

If I had known about this "International TV Turnoff Week" back in April, I would have tried to have turned it off for a week with the rest of the world!

However, instead of just skipping TV for a short time, two and a half weeks ago Trevor and I decided to cancel our satellite. That means we have no TV right now. We bought a digital converter box when they were giving out coupons for the digital transition, but we still haven't bought the antennae that is necessary for it to work - so we have nothing but static now.

There were quite a few factors that played into this decision.

1. Our contract was up with DirecTV in May and they had just raised our cost up from the introductory price. On top of that, I haven't been that impressed with how often our satellite goes out in stormy weather.
2. We had been talking about canceling service for the summer (when our shows weren't on) to save some money.
3. A new cable company just moved into our area that is much cheaper than the only cable option we had before. I also like that they don't require a contract. We have been thinking of switching to them anyway.
4. Our DirecTV had been spazzing out for about a month before we canceled it. It would cut out all the time, even in good weather. Since we didn't pay the monthly fee for a warranty, they would have charged us $75 to even come out to just look at it. When we threatened to cancel if they didn't come out for free, they didn't budge.
5. A lot of our friends actually don't have cable and they always talk about just watching their shows online. It seems like that is now easier than ever.
6. We've been very busy and out of town a lot this summer.
7. SO WE JUST DID IT!

We'd been talking about it for awhile and I don't think I'd hardly even watched TV since we went to Canada over a month ago since we were gone so much and the picture was cutting out all the time. It seemed like a waste of money, so we finally just canceled it before we left for South Carolina. So it's been a whole week and a half since we've been back from our vacation and we haven't watched one ounce of TV. Well, I take that back. Trevor has been having withdrawals from this....

...so I think he's been watching it online! :)

I actually don't feel like I've missed TV at all. We've been pretty busy and haven't been home that much, so that helps. We have had a few moments where we feel lost without it, because sometimes all you know to do when you get home from a long day is just plop in front of the TV so you can space out. It's been good though to feel like I have more time to read and get other things done that I know I need to do. The other night we were sitting at the table eating dinner and we were saying, "When was the last time we've done this?!" I have to admit we've been pretty bad about eating in front of the TV. So I think this is a very good thing for our marriage, spiritual well-being, and productivity!

I did find this book when I was searching for some pictures for the blog...

...I guess we can always consult this if we can't think of anything to do!

Honestly, I'm not sure how long we'll go before signing up for cable again. Most of our shows are actually on network television, so I don't know that we'll need cable. I'm thinking either way, we'll probably get a TiVo or something after we get the digital converter box set up to get the basic channels. We did get too accustomed to being able to record shows and watch them when we want when we had a DVR with our satellite!

I have a sneaky suspicion that the one thing that might get us back on the cable bandwagon is this..

...I can hardly wait!!! 30 days and counting. Go Huskers!

Nebraska football was our number one concern with getting rid of the satellite. (Do you think we are loyal fans or what!??!) We think we can make it through a good part of the season though by watching the games that are televised on the basic channels, going to sports bars, and watching at family/friends' houses.

But for now we have really enjoyed "Turning off the TV and Turning on Life." I challenge you to do it too!