Can Dropping Cable Change Your Life

[Operator6]

I have subscription TV so I can watch football. Other than that I don't care about it.

[Camel923]

Another thing Dad said when as I kid after some one in the neighborhood had cable and I asked why we didn't. He simply said "I already get 13 channels of nothing for free. Why would I pay for 30 channels of nothing?"

[Medic33]

I like my grimm

[Boss Dog]

We dropped cable and internet at home to reduce costs. We have a really good selection over the air but don't watch a lot.
Several digital channels each of ABC (2), CBS (2), NBC (2), FOX (4), SCETV (PBS Affiliates) (3), plus local independents; WGGS (4), WSQY (1), WMYA (4)

The grand-kids would rather be outside playing in the dirt and catching bugs anyway.

When my own kids were young (2000 - 2010'ish), our 25 inch CRT TV developed problems where the picture would shrink down more and more until it disappeared all together. Then it just quit showing at all. I kept telling them I didn't have the money to get it fixed. I noticed they all got along much better and got homework done quicker and found other things to occupy their minds. It was nice and quiet. So one day I gave it to my sister who's 30 year old console TV had died an agonizing and permanent death. [So we had no TV all through middle and high school.] She dropped it off at a repair shop on her way home. They called her the next day and said come and get it, it is ready. The antenna feed-in on the circuit board was cracked. He laid a piece of wire across it and soldered it. $25 and she's still watching it today.

I broke down and bought a 42 inch digital about 3 years ago? All that peace and quiet, gone.

[Jp4GA]

We dropped cable about 2 years ago. I can say that my priorities changed when we dropped cable. I found I had more time to do other things, and I found I was not falling asleep early at night sitting in front of the TV, so it could be life changing if you spend a lot of time watching TV.

We do have Netflicks and are choosy with what we watch and love not having commercials every few minutes.

[Salt-N-Pepper]

I turned off the TV years ago, best decision I made in a long time.

TV is the devil.

[jdjones3109]

I accidentally opened a cable bill (it's one of the bills that my wife pays) and I hit the roof. I asked her, "Why haven't you been paying the cable bill?" She answered, "I have. That's just one month's bill." I was floored. I had no idea that we were paying Comcast so much for cable, internet, and phone. We "cut the cord" a month or two later. We had to keep the internet, but got rid of the home phone. We all have cell phones anyway. We got rid of cable and (1) bought antennas for the TVs to get our local channels (CBS, ABC, NBC, etc.) and (2) subscribed to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video (got this free with our subscription to Amazon Prime for the free two day shipping).

We're saving a bundle and couldn't be happier. We weren't huge TV watchers to begin with so I don't think we watch more or less. The biggest benefit for me is paying a third of what I used to pay.

[Salt-N-Pepper]

I will admit I do have Netfix and Amazon Prime (for the shipping mostly) and I do watch some netflix late at night sometimes.

[GTGallop]

Dumped three years ago. Now I get OTA antenna based TV for local stuff (60 to 80 channels but I only watch the big three or four) and then we already had Amazon Prime for the shipping and we spend $9.00 a month or so on Netflix.

We watch half as much TV as before and read / interact as a family more.

[Swedishsocialist]

I got rid of my TV back in 2008, the kids whined a little in the beginning but not that long.