Turning the Cable Off: Going Analog in a Digital Age

Happy New Year, everyone!  I know many of you made resolutions for the New Year, and I usually make the normal ones: eat less, work out more, learn an instrument (the guitar from three years ago slowly collects dust in my closet). But this year, my boyfriend and I, tired of too many Real Housewives incarnations and the staggering bill every month, decided to try a more Lent-ish resolution.  We decided to give up cable.  For a year.

Now, I realize that for some, this would not be a hardship.  My boyfriend is decidedly fine with it because he didn't have cable until we moved in together (although it's worth noting that he certainly enjoyed watching Boardwalk Empire and anything on FX) but I LOVE television.  Love it.  I love being tapped into the latest going-ons, being able to take part in conversations the next with friends about what happened last night. I love fast forwarding through commercials.  I love storing up an entire season of Sons of Anarchy and watching them over the course of one weekend.  Pretty much the first thing I do when I wake up is turn on the TV so there's some noise while I make breakfast.

So I'm not expecting this challenge to be easy for me.  But here are some things that are making it easier.

1. The Antenna.

[image error]We actually turned off the cable about a week before Christmas.  Nothing was really on then anyway, and we wanted to start 2012 on a fresh billing cycle.  But we didn't give up TV altogether.  I wouldn't survive that (see above).  Instead, my boyfriend dug out his antenna and we hooked it up.  That's right.  Bunny ears.  The last time I lived with bunny ears is a distant memory.  But I have to say, it's pretty good so far.  I can still turn on the TV in the morning while making breakfast and listen to the Today Show — I just can't watch a marathon of Toddlers and Tiaras.  Which, quite frankly, is probably for the best.

The only hang-up here is in scheduling.  I'm used to making a series recording, and when the show popped up in my DVR queue, I was pleasantly surprised.  Now, if there is going to be a show on that I know I want to watch (like Downton Abbey, tonight!), I have to track down the time/channel its going to be on and commit to watching it then – not when the fancy strikes me.  Oh, and it has to be network, or PBS.  When The Walking Dead comes back, I'm going to be screwed.

2. Netflix

Yeah, we kept Netflix.  But I consider it a research expense.  I actually do need to watch that documentary about the evolution of the London Underground system, and that adaptation of the life of Beethoven.  (I haven't yet managed to justify watching the first season of Louie, but give me time and I'll think of one.) Tracking down all that information and those movies without having Netflix available to me would very likely cost me more than eight bucks a month.

One added benefit of giving up cable is I'm finally beginning to work my way through all that weird stuff I put on my Netflix queue. Who knew that I would like The Wind that Shakes the Barley so much?

3. Our Computers

It is amazing to me what we have managed to find available to watch for free on our computers.  I'm not talking about random YouTube clips, I'm talking about the latest episodes of Hoarders.  The latest Jersey Shore. (Although, I think I might be willing to skip this new season.  I'm just so tired.  Why aren't they tired?)

The boyfriend has a special cord so we can hook up our laptops to the TV, so it's not like we're watching on a tiny little computer screen.  Yes, it's a little more labor intensive to track shows down via their network's websites or Hulu (we haven't caved and gotten Hulu Plus yet – that might happen in the spring though), and yes, it kind of sucks having to have one of our computers unavailable to us while watching (I'm a multi-tasker, I feel naked without my computer on my lap), but so far, it's been worth it.

4. The Cable Bill

Now for some hard, cold numbers.  Before, when we had cable TV plus HBO bundled with internet, a regular bill – what with the rental charges for the boxes and remotes — would be about $150.  Well, we just got our first bill of the new regime, wherein we are charged for just internet.  The grand total?  $31.  So, if we do this for a year, saving $120 a month, we will save $1440 in 2012.

And that's enough for one helluva End of the World party.

I've got a long week of writing ahead of me – I'm getting super excited for the April 3rd release of If I Fall! I can't believe it's less than 3 months away – I've been setting up my blog tour, and we are going to have a lot of fun this time around.  But don't forget about my current contest!  Grand prize is a $25 gift card to Amazon – just in case you didn't get what you wanted for Christmas, you'll be able to get it yourself.

Also, if you haven't had the chance to read my very first book Compromised, it's the romance novel of the week over at Free Book Friday!  Four autographed copies are up for grabs!

That's all for now, until next week, sweets – Happy Reading!