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One of the first posts on this blog discussed my goals for 2008. One of them being "watch less tv." I think I've done pretty well with that goal, especially during our renovation project when the tv was buried behind cabinet boxes and appliances. I really hadn't missed it that much. Because of that notion, I began wondering if we could cut the tv out altogether. This would free up some money to possibly buy a gym membership. But alas, we can't do it. Both Brent and I discussed that despite the fact that we watch little tv, there are some great channels like Food Network, Discovery Health, HGtv, etc that we enjoy watching.
So the dilemma switched gears a little and became more about the plethora of channels we have that we either A) don't watch or B) have voluntarily blocked ourselves from. And while I love having all of the music channels to put on in the background, sadly these channels were located below all of the "adult" film channels (while viewing the Guide function). So many times we have wondered why the Guide can't simply contain the channels you actually receive. Unfortunately, as you're scrolling through to the music channels, you're still able to view the titles of these adult films. Yuck!
Someone once said that "most discoveries happen by accident." And that's exactly what happened yesterday afternoon. I was on the TimeWarner Cable website when I happened to discover something called "Family Choice" programming. It included 15 channels with the aforementioned ones, DIY, FitTV, Noggin, CSpan, Toon Disney, etc. Essentially it provided the channels we really enjoyed but without all the extra frills. My only complaint is that TvLand is not included. I will miss my "I Love Lucy" shows :O) Interestingly, it noted that the channels were selected because they generally had a G rating 24 hours a day. Plus, it's only $12.99 per month plus basic which is only $8. I'm so glad I discovered this. It will definitely cut down on our monthly cable bill.
When I called Brent to tell him, he wanted to sign up that instant! I think it's interesting to note that of all the TimeWarner commercials that air, this Family Choice plan has never been plugged! Go figure. We are relieved to find that our tv won't be spewing its usual amount of filth to ourselves and visitors to our home.
All of this to say is that I'm not plugging TimeWarner specifically, but go ahead and check your own cable provider's options in your area. You might be pleasantly surprised that there's some middle ground to be found.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Cable TV: A compromise
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2 comments:
I found your blog through Ornaments of Grace and wanted to comment. My husband and I just recently got completely rid of TV in our home. We did so originally because we were trying to cut back on expenses in our home. However, we have grown to enjoy the extra family time and quiet so much now, that I ca't imagine going back. You can read all about it at my blog. So, if you ever bite the bullet and do it, you might be surprised:) And if we ever go back to having it, I will definitely look into your suggestion. I didn't know there was such a thing - Thanks for sharing!
Amy, I have heard oodles of stories like yours about cutting out the tv and loving it. However, I was surprised that it was more my husband who couldn't pull the plug. He had done this for a month in college but was practically crawling the walls afterward and caved. :) Maybe we will both have courage in the future! Thanks for stopping by!
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