Earlier this year I got rid of our satellite/cable TV service. I did not do this to free ourselves from the tyrants of TV. I looked at my family’s viewing habits and it no longer made financial sense for us to pay $50 per month for service we used very little. My wife loves giving me a hard time about this, partially because she was the last hold out and partially because the final decision came just a few days from her birthday. My husband of the year award may be another year away. You can’t lose them all.
When people hear about us “cutting the cord” they often have two reactions. First they look in amazement. Once the awe wears off there is a feeling of judgement. They feel as though we’re making some moral statement with this cord cutting by seeing all those who still pay for satellite/cable bills as morally inferior to us. As if our TV sits there with nothing to display. Nothing could be further from the truth. The TV is on way more than it ever should be at our home. We pay for Netflix and Amazon and I have a tendency to purchase blu-rays if the price is right. (I know, discs are dead.) Even so, people often immediately change topics or awkwardly defend their paying one bill we don’t. It’s very strange. And to think all this stems from a rather boring, pragmatic motivation — our viewing habits changed and I’m cheap.
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