Thrifty Thursdays: Cancel Cable

Weekly Savings: $10.60 + tax
Monthly Savings: $46.00 + tax
Yearly Savings: $552.00 + tax

I love TV. More than I should. Waaaay more than I should, truth be told. And that is one of the reasons that we do not currently have cable. Even before the whole HD switcharoo (did that finally go through? I stopped paying attention since it didn't really apply to me), we weren't able to get the major networks, because we live in (what tries really hard to maintain its reputation as) a small town. Anyway, I haven't had access to immediate television gratification since October of 2007, and although it has definite benefits, sometimes it's kind of a bummer.

BUT!

Did you know that virtually any network TV show, as well as several cable TV shows, that you would ever want to watch (and a whole bunch that you wouldn't ever want to watch, ever, ever, EVER) can be found FREE and LEGALLY on www.hulu.com and/or www.joost.com? Not to mention on the networks' websites themselves. This means that I can watch what I want when I want... it's almost like having TiVo, except that I can't fast-forward through the (really quite brief) commercials and there are usually only the 2-5 most recent episodes of a show up at any given time. Being able to watch my favorite TV shows online has not only helped me to use my time more appropriately (no more stopping everything because a new episode of The Office is airing in 5 minutes and I just HAVE to watch it or I might DIE), plus it means that Chris and I can sit down and watch a show together when it works for both of us (which is no easy feat since he works shifts that change every 3 months!), and last but not least, we are NOT spending $46.00 plus tax every month (aka $552.00 a year) on cable.

It's also worth mentioning that you can get just about any TV show that has been released on DVD via Netflix, several of which are available from their "watch instantly" menu... so for the price of our monthly subscription ($13.99 a month, still $32.00 cheaper than cable), I can catch up on, for example, Battlestar Galactica, and finally watch all of the All Creatures Great and Small episodes that I missed on PBS back in the day. And, as I mentioned before, I can watch when it fits into my life, and don't have to fit my life around my viewing.

I know that there are a lot of people who make do without watching TV at all, and I really respect that. But I will almost certainly never be one of them, LOL. For me, it is important to be pop-culturally literate, as long as I can do that without dishonoring God or neglecting my family. And for me, doing my TV viewing online is good stewardship, not just because of the money that we save, but also because it permits me to be a better steward of my time.