Cancelling my cable TV

skoti

Registered
I've come to the sudden realization that I have been wasting too much time in front of the TV and I feel incredibly guilty about this, and I can't really remember any really great memorable times I have had on the couch. I never really thought it was a problem, because my TV habit seemed rather modest compared to some... but then I did some math.

Over the past year, I figure I averaged about 2-3hrs of TV a day. That is 30-45 24 hour DAYS of straight tv! These also aren't regular days, because they are fully productive hours and don't take into account time for eating, sleeping and all that jazz. So I decided to re-adjusting for that.

When I was in university, I took a rather demanding program, and probably spent 10 hours of studying and class time everyday. If I convert the time I spent in front of the idiot box into time I spent in university studying, it converts to 73-109.5 productive days at school. Since university semesters are about 16 weeks long, an intense semester would take 112 productive days. This is almost the same amount of time I spent in front of the TV...

I was so absolutely disgusted with myself, when I realized how much time I wasted that and I didn't like feeling that way. I decided that some of that time was spend watching stuff that I genuinely wanted to see. However, I can only say that there are about 2-3 shows a week that I really enjoy. That converts to about 2.5 hours of TV a week. When I make the correction for this, my 73-109.5 days convert to 60-96.5.

Then there was the advertising... a TV show is about 22 mins long minus the ads. How much time did I spend watching useless, corporate propaganda? About 16 mins every hour, or 0.5-0.8 hours a day, or 182.5-292 hours a year. This equates to 7.6 - 12.1 24 hour days or 18.2-29.2 productive days.

That means I VOLUNTARILY signed up for a 2-4 week intensive advertising program, where all that I did was watch TV ads. It would be the same as me agreeing to take 2-4 weeks of my time to go to some workshop where all we did was watch tv ads for 10 hours a day. Not only was I not compensated for this, I PAID them for it with my time and my money.

As an HDTV cable subscriber, I spend a little over $100 month on cable TV. That is $1200 a year.

I always thought my time was valuable to me but apparently, it isn't. If I had taken that money and time, and just put in a few extra hours at a second job, or overtime at work. I would probably own a new 2008 busa today, or be able to take an extended vacation to someplace nice. I would be in better shape, and would probably have a lot more depth to myself and a less selfish, more dynamic personality with more hobbies and intrests.

Therefore, I am cancelling my cable suscription forever.

Edit:

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PS: but the good news from all this is that I know which dumb guy the bisexual bachorette chose to date
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wish I could get just local channels and the SCI-FI channel, if I could I would join you, but I am an addict and have no will power
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Good move. I'm killing cable today as well. I have other wireless access for internet. I can really do without the extra cost for the two or three channels I watch on it anyway.
 
Good for you. I cancelled mine last January, and a year later, I've never looked back. I walked to a neighborhood pub once to watch a football game, but actually got bored and went for a walk with a good cigar instead. This year I've brushed up on french, got in great shape on my bicycle and read some amazing novels, never missing the tube a bit.
 
Been sporting "Basic Free TV" for several years.....

You won't miss anything!
 
I'm adding cable this Sat. I need something to do this winter. It's too cold to work in the garage.
 
I never watch TV...except for the NFL on Sunday. Everyone else in my house watches TV every second of the day it seems. I just sit here at my computer and read or play some video games. My cable bill is $155 a month! That includes the internet and cable.
 
Good for you. I cancelled mine last January, and a year later, I've never looked back. I walked to a neighborhood pub once to watch a football game, but actually got bored and went for a walk with a good cigar instead. This year I've brushed up on french, got in great shape on my bicycle and read some amazing novels, never missing the tube a bit.
That is just it, if there is anything I really want to see like a sports game I can go visit friends to watch it. It is a lot more enjoyable like that anyway.

I also have a ton of great books I want to read, but whenever I sit down to read them, the TV is on and it's like I get hypnotized.

I spent the last few days virtually TVless and instead have been reading the web ect, instead. My brain feels so much more aware, and active already.
 
Good on ya!!! I pretty much only watch TV (satellite) between the hours of 8pm and 10pm each night. Could get away with local channels only, but well... the kids and the Wife like certain shows that are not on the local channels.
 
What is this cable thing you speak of???





















I have satellite
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How can I be expected to go without SPEED, Fox News, The Weather Channel, and Disney?
 
I'm plugging along on my cell connection for internet today. Work well and costs about half the amount of basic cable+internet for unlimited access. All is well. I'm canceling today. Work might have a heart attack about it though. Broadband is my way to connect to work if the cell network takes an outage. If I'm on-call I need to be able to connect to work from anywhere. I guess work will have to adapt too.
 
I certainly wouldnt have cable television if i was actually, you know, PAYING for it. My wife and I moved into this house over 5 years ago, and cable was hooked up when we moved in and never got shut off. who am *I* to call and tell them about their mistake?
 
I certainly wouldnt have cable television if i was actually, you know, PAYING for it.  My wife and I moved into this house over 5 years ago, and cable was hooked up when we moved in and never got shut off.  who am *I* to call and tell them about their mistake?
sweet, you are a lucky man!!!
 
I certainly wouldnt have cable television if i was actually, you know, PAYING for it.  My wife and I moved into this house over 5 years ago, and cable was hooked up when we moved in and never got shut off.  who am *I* to call and tell them about their mistake?
don't worry about it, I just called them for you. Glad I could help out and do something for a member that is too busy.
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