TV or not TV?

I've been all over the Olympics since the Opening Ceremonies last Friday, watching coverage of events I would never see otherwise, like skiing, biathlon, snowboard cross, half pipe, speed skating, etc. Tonight was the first time we watched a bit of the action on television (at a friend's house), the reason being that we don't actually have one. We made the decision last spring to downgrade from a VIP cable package (46$/month) to basic cable (26$/month), then we got rid of cable altogether (0$/month). After that, we watched the odd DVD on our LCD (40" Sony, purchased in 2007 for 1500$- ouch), but mostly it just sat in our living room. One of my husband's co-workers was looking for an extra TV for her house, so we sold it to her for 700$. By the time all this was done, it was the end of the 2008-2009 TV season, so we didn't miss it much. I found that I wasted a lot of time watching shows in the evenings, and I was glad to get rid of it.

When the start of the 2009-2010 season rolled around, I wondered if we'd find it tough to be without a TV, but it wasn't too bad. Most of the shows we watch (The Office, House, Til Debt Do Us Part, etc) are available online just a couple of days after they air. The others, we don't really miss. I was a little concerned about how I would be able to watch the Olympics, but the CTV website streams live, and does so surprisingly well. We watched the entire Opening Ceremonies, and coverage for tons of events.

Like all money-saving options, this may not work for everyone. It's worth trying, though. Maybe downgrade your cable package, or try putting your TV in a less convenient spot, or try watching your favourite shows online (legally). My parents got rid of their cable shortly after we did, and they haven't missed it. (They don't watch much TV anyway, and they only have one kid at home now; the rest of us have moved out.) Plus, it all adds up: we're saving over 500$ this year from not having cable.

One last note about TVs: on Til Debt Do Us Part (a counter-cultural show that helps couples get their finances under control), the host always walks through the family home at the beginning of the show to see what they spend their money on, and 9 times out of 10, there's a big-screen TV in one room or more, and they're usually purchased on credit, if not financed. These sets cost upwards of 1000$ (once you factor in all the up-sells, like cables and matching DVD player, and of course the extended warranty), and even more if you finance them, paying copious interest for the sake of temporary "affordability". I am really not a fan of how popular they are. The way I see it, if you want to get your money's worth, you have to watch it a lot, and if you're doing that, you're missing out on a lot of your life. (Wow, tell us what you really think, Becky!) Just try scaling back and see if you miss it.