how much television

[miss_thenorth]

Just my two cents worth, but original posts lead to discussions, and they are usually steered to one direction or another.

I don't think anybody meant to offend anyone else. It is simply that the conversation took off in a natural direction, and IMO, it is still relevant, that we are discussing TV watching habits. Everyone has different views on it, and they were expressed.

I personally find it interesting to hear other ppls views, experiences, etc. I am also happy with my family's TV viewing habits. We are all different.

Again--just my two cents....

 

[sweetproserpina]

Just a couple days ago I downgraded my tv to basic basic cable. It was a hard step for me because I am a curious person and love History Channel (they had the coolest show on Stonehenge last week), BBC, Discovery etc. I have a tivo too, so I could tape only the shows that were interesting to me, and watch them whenever, so I wasn't flipping through and wasting time.

However, we got to the point where we had to decide whether the cost was worth the benefit for us. With internet and cable combined, plus tivo, I was paying over 120$ a month. Do I get 60$ worth of enjoyment from the TV? Would I rather put that money to a better use? The fella and I could go to a double feature at the drive-in for $10, we could drive down to the beach (with the price of gas$$), we could splurge and go to the dairy bar and get ice creams. I'd rather do those things then sit in front of the tv. So, I canceled it.

For all those thinking about cutting your cable but still want a fix now and then, remember the library has lots of things on video and dvd- for free! You can get whole seasons of shows (often ones that don't air very often too.) Great for rainy days, or dark winter afternoons too. A lot of network websites now carry a lot of their shows too that you can watch right online.

 

[heatherv]

Has anyone here thrown away their television sets?

I've threatened to!

I can't stand the t.v. being on all the time. There is one on in this house in any room, at any given time. <ggrrrrrrrrr> Not that it's being watched... but DH HAS to have one on for background noise. If I'm busy and one of the kids annoys him, he puts a movie on for them. This is one of our biggest argument starters! I absolutely hate the t.v. For sick days... o.k. (but not all day though) for educational shows... o.k. (for one show, not all day long) I love discovery channel and history channel and animal planet. I don't mind the kids watching something on them. But then it needs to be turned off afterwards. I'd like them to have a 1 hr limit a day. DH doesn't agree w/ that though. It's a losing battle. Which is why I've threatened to just throw them away! I got rid of one once before and DH just brought a newer/bigger one home after work the following day. Like I said, losing battle.

 

[FarmerChick]

Which is why I've threatened to just throw them away! I got rid of one once before and DH just brought a newer/bigger one home after work the following day.

*****YIKES
you have me laughing hard on this one!
That is something my DH would do.....find it an opportunity to buy a bigger TV!
HA HA HA
smart man your DH---he found the "good" in your ditching the tv..HA HA

 

[ticks]

I like to watch to shows at 10 o'clock at night, and that is pretty much it.

 

[sclanimals]

we threw our tv out a long time ago and so many people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that we don't have a TV. I don't miss it one bit. We will sometimes watch dvd's on our computer. We have way too much stuff to get done on our farm to be wasting our time watching TV. I was stuck in a motel room for a few days and had nothing to do but watch tv and it drove me crazy! I get so restless just sitting around!

 

[BrookValley]

We only watch tv after our little one has gone to bed, and then only an hour or so. We have one tv in the house, and do have satellite tv and a DVR. The only reason we have the satellite tv is because my mother lives in an apartment in the basement level of our house and she refused to live without it. So, she pays the bill. Otherwise I would have cancelled it. I did get the DVR. This way we just record the few shows we want to watch (The Daily Show, the Office when it's on, and BBC's Robin Hood--oh my I LOVE that cheesey wonderful show! ) and just watch them when we want to. I figured if I was going to have television, I might as well only bother with the stuff I wanted to watch, you know? We also have a Netflix account, but I rarely sit in front of the tv long enough to watch an entire movie. My husband will watch movies on the weekends when I'm at work and our son is napping, though.

There's very little I actually want to watch. But I do like to be entertained, and I like humor, and there are some things on tv that amuse and entertain me. So I watch them. There is also ocassionally something on public television, National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, or the History channel that I'm interested in, too.

Our one tv is in our bedroom. I know what they say about tv in the bedroom, but that's what works for us. Our son sleeps in our room and we don't like to leave him once he's fallen asleep--but we also don't want to go to sleep at 8:00! So we turn on the tv once he's good and "out" and watch tv and talk after he's gone to bed. Or, after I get upstairs after posting on my internet forums....

ETA: I don't think anyone is "crazy" for throwing out their tv. I could see myself doing it one day! I'd like to keep the one tv and, when my son is much older, be able to have ocassional family tv or movie nights. But I don't want tv to be an everyday thing for my child, so if it gets out of hand I will scrap the tv, I have no doubt. But I think that in moderation a bit of tv isn't terrible, and while I don't believe in television for education, there is some decent stuff out there that you can learn a bit from. I wouldn't mind a night here and there where we all gather 'round the tv for some nature or history special, you know?

 

[me&thegals]

I can really see the appeal of TV sometimes. But, if I had one I might have been inside watching it tonight rather than outside picking the hugest, juiciest, sweetest blackberries--2 gallons! I got to see a spotted fawn trotting through the woods, 2 huge bucks running in the grass, listen to a catbird and smell beautiful wildflowers.

Sometimes we take trips that include hotels. Then, we totally veg on TV. Gotta say, though, I always feel crappy afterwards. Maybe it's just not having enough control to just watch a little bit. But, there just seems to be such an incredible amount of trash out there! I truly don't want to sound self righteous, but real life is so much more wondrous!

 

[Beekissed]

We do the same thing in a hotel! Veg out on the tv but can never find anything really good worth watching....then its back to Animal Planet! Good ol' Animal Planet or Nick at Night (is that even still on?) with the oldies on rerun!

Its the very addictiveness of watching TV that makes it so detrimental to the family. Oh, I could get lost in reruns alone. But that time can never be retrieved.

Funny thing, but my oldest is visiting with us for a couple of months and he has no problem doing without his cable. He keeps pushing us every evening for "family time" and to "play cards or Monopoly" with him. I think he missed the old days when we used to do this all the time.

This evening they all went out and practiced with their bows and had a great time. I love evenings like that! I had two friends stop by unexpectedly and we sat on the porch and talked up a storm. I held her new baby and my heart ached all over again for that baby feel and smell. If I had been impatiently waiting for them to leave, so I wouldn't miss my "programs", I would have missed out on the laughter, the soft beauty of the evening, the sweet baby and some good information on where to get some cheap firewood! Glad we don't have regular TV!

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Yeah, we got rid of our TV's a long time ago.

It saves power and gives us so much more time to do other stuff. It was a gradual step process though. First we got rid of cable. Then we got rid of basic TV. We only used it to watch movies. Then we decided to upgrade the computer screen and get rid of the TV. Now we only watch movies on the computer screen. It's not the biggest screen in the world but it serves it's purpose.