Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Life Without TV


Living Simply Wednesdays
The DH (dear hubby) and I divorced our television six years ago. The honest truth is that I seldom miss it. I don't miss mainstream TV programming. And, in the spirit of full disclosure, we occasionally watch movies on the laptop and have the radio turned on much of the day.

People often ask me what I do with the time I don't spend watching TV, and it's a question that puzzles me. I'm puzzled because I never think "I'm not watching TV." I have many interests. The DH cooks from scratch. We go for walks, go to the library, read, Read, READ, work on projects, get more sleep. Time passes too quickly.

When I travel, I get caught up on the latest TV programs. Watching once every quarter is enough to keep me in the mainstream so that I'm not a total dweeb in social conversation. :-)

Life without TV, for me, is grand! I think my quality of life is better. Could you live without TV? What other convenience or entertainment items could you live without, for a better quality of life? Do you think I'm nuts? That's OK, too! Please tell me! ;-)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was much more productive when I didn't own a television! I wish I had the resolve to get rid of ours now. Jason and I love to watch British period films and series, though and it's comforting during the winter evenings to curl up under a blanket and watch these. Although, I would happily trade the TV for a fireplace!

Stephanie Ganger said...

We do not watch mainstream tv programming either. We do have television that are used for movies and console gaming. We definitely don't miss it and our children benefit from it as well.

Melanie said...

I don't watch television either, but about a year ago, we got high-speed internet, and I've begun to wonder lately what I did before that. Now, it seems like most of my free time is spent reading blogs, Wikipedia, and various newspaper articles. Does that still count as reading?

Teresa's New Life said...

I WISH, I could say that we don't have a TV- We have one in all of the bedrooms, one in the family room and one in the living room. Those darn things are on all the time. I don't however watch prime time TV very much. Fox news channel is addictive to me as is the HGTV and PBS channels. We also have a local cable channel that has cooking & craft shows and also shows on local happenings, events and such. But it takes up so much time if you start watching it's hard to stop!

Anonymous said...

I went without a microwave for the better part of 6 years. It's not that hard with a toaster oven and a stove. I could live without TV, but not Internet access. The web has so much to offer, and it's pull versus push. I think like many things in life, it's important to set and maintain boundaries.

Linda Jennings said...

I think your quality of life is much better than the TV junkies I know! I watch about 3 hours a week. The weather channel is our favorite thing to watch. People I know think I'm nuts when they hear me say that!

Anonymous said...

Since UK telly is so much better than the banal programming here in the States, we don't watch much tv either....and what we DO watch is usually on BBC America. I like to catch the first 15 minutes of the local news every night, but that's about it. I always keep my eye on Public Television programming which usually always has something interesting and educational. We purchase British DVD's and watch a lot of them...

Steph said...

yes, like many of you - I would be very sad if I didn't have internet access!

Anonymous said...

I'm covering the same subject on my blog this weekend. Something must be in the water. (That's probably a whole different story...?) I would've included a link with this comment, but your blog is too nice for the negativity my post will cover. Amanda beat me to what I would've said. She's obviously the more quick witted! Thanks for sharing.

Allison said...

Before Steve and I got married, I had a tiny TV with a melted top (I left it in my car on a hot summer day when I was moving once!). The tiny TV had "rabbit ears" and no cable or satellite. That was ok with me and I would go months without even turning it on. Now we have the whole "shebang". I'm not even sure how to use it all. I enjoy our shows and love TiVo, but I could definitely live without it!

The Vintage Rose said...

I must admit since I've started blogging, I haven't watched much TV. Reading peoples blog is so much better - entertaining, informative, friendly, great pictures and topics. We did without TV for several years at the beginning of our Marriage - we talked, walked, read, played, baked, made and didn't miss it really.

Anonymous said...

In January we will celebrate 6 years of TV free living.

I'm often asked how I get so much done in a day - I always say it's because I don't watch TV. (I do enjoy a good movie on my laptop now and then!)

We have 4 children (ages 6-22) who have barely mentioned our lack of television in all this time.

:0)