We cut the cable!

Yesterday began our TV experiment. We have cut the cable! Yes, you read that right, with two boys ages 8 and 10 who love to watch cartoon network and a little one just beginning to show interest in Nick Jr., we have decided to cut the line. We aren't going completely TV free. We still will have the local channels only because they were free with our new internet connection, and we have Netflix streaming and are considering Hulu Plus. We may have come to this decision eventually but were forced to consider our options after our relationship with AT&T U-Verse went sour. Without going into the whole sordid story, after several years of service, somehow the cables that they used to install the boxes suddenly were no longer compatible and we would either have to pay $275 for them to rewire everything, or we could cancel and sign back up as new customers, but after the introductory period, for the same service we were currently receiving, we would be paying about $40 more per month. After researching our options and considering just how much we were spending every month, bearing in mind the few channels that were actually enjoyed with any regularity, and the quality of some of the shows that the older kids were becoming fond of, we decided it was a good time to go cold turkey. As unbelievable as it may sound, even though I am the one who is diving into the whole homesteading, self-sustainable, minimalist, etc, etc life-style, it took some convincing from my husband to give this a try. And even though I barely watch any television myself, I still had a hard time with the idea of cutting the chord, mostly because I was concerned about how the kids would react. So far, so good, but it's only been a day and they have certainly expressed their feelings about the situation. But when hubby mentioned taking advantage of the lack of zombie time in front of the TV to spend more time together and the $1000 dollars a year saved that could be used toward the trips that we love to take, how could I say no?

For good concise articles offering more reasons to cut the chord, click here and here.