Peace of Mind Organizing

Update on the cable-free life

3 July 2012

Back in December, I wrote a long post about life without cable TV. I watch a lot of TV, since I love the combination of TV + knitting. It was a big deal for me to cut the cord on cable.

Now that it’s been about eight months since we canceled cable TV (and eliminated the $135 cable bill), I thought I’d give you an update on how it’s going.

I still watch plenty of TV, through a combination of Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Instant Video. I view those on my TV through my Roku box. (And sometimes on my computer.) I also watch live over-the-air broadcast TV from time to time.

During the regular TV season, I watched more current TV. Some shows, like American Idol and CBS shows that aren’t available on Hulu, I’d try to watch live. That meant I had to sit through commercials. And it also meant I had to follow the network’s schedule. So 1990s. But perfectly acceptable. And free.

Mostly, I’d watch current shows on Hulu Plus ($7.99 a month). The whole season of shows on Hulu Plus is available with my subscription, so I could be less regimented about watching. And Hulu Plus actually has original programming, like the election-workplace drama Battleground that’s really very good.

Now that there aren’t many new shows I want to watch, I’m digging into the TV archives on Netflix. I’ve been watching Felicity every day. (That’s the turn-of-the-milennium college show, starring Keri Russell, created by JJ Abrams of Lost fame.) I didn’t watch it when it was new, but I’m really enjoying it. When I’m finished with that, I think I’ll turn my attention to either rewatching early seasons of Mad Men on Netflix or perhaps watching Pushing Daisies on Amazon Instant Video.

I really didn’t want to miss out on this past season of Mad Men, so I spent just under $40 to download the season via Amazon Instant Video. That was great and had the advantage of no commercials. I could see doing that with other cable shows that I don’t have access to otherwise. I wish I could watch current HBO shows, but as far as I can determine, they’re available only to folks who subscribe to HBO through a cable or dish service.

Hands down, the thing I miss most is having a DVR. I’m getting used to it, but that was a hard adjustment. As I mentioned in my other post, if I had it to do over again, I probably would purchase a Tivo Premiere, rather than a Roku device, and perhaps pony up the extra $15 a month for DVR service. In fact, I’m still considering getting a Tivo.

We’re lucky that we’re not big sports fans. If we were, the decision might have been more difficult. But we watch so little sports that it wasn’t even a consideration.

All in all, while I regret missing out on a few things, cutting the cord on cable has been fantastic. I have plenty of TV to watch. I’m saving money. And I feel virtuous!

Tagged with: money, savings, television

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