5 Reasons to Cancel Cable

A friend of mine was asking some questions this morning about the AppleTV and Roku media boxes.  I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk a little bit about my family’s move away from cable.

Hello, my name is Brian and I’ve been cable-free since July 2009.

Hi, Brian.

This may all sound shallow and petty (because it is) but my decision to cancel cable was tough.  There has been cable in my house since I was a kid, and had become accustomed to complaining about having nothing to watch despite channels going into the 700′s.  It created a sense of anxiety just thinking about it. What about sports? Oh man, no more Man vs. Wild, or Mythbusters?  What would I do with myself? You see where I’m going.

But, I’ve survived.  My family still functions, we’re not bored, and food still tastes good.  Here are my 5 reasons to cancel cable.  Maybe you have more to share in the comments?

1) The Cost

Cable is expensive, we all know that.  I was spending well over $120/mo.  I’m not going to make this an article about a justice project or how many people could get clean water from my annual cable bill (it’s 72).  But, I do want to point out that $120/mo can be used in more life-giving ways … even in the realm of entertainment.  $120 is 4 good date nights. $120 is a lot of books I’ve been wanting to read. $120 is taking a friend out to coffee every day. $120 is paying off that loan just a little bit faster and moving towards being debt free.  $120 is a great start on a rainy day fund (which happens often metaphorically but not so much literally here in Phoenix).  You get the idea.

2) The Alternatives

We’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg with the alternatives to cable.  In short, canceling cable doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on your boob-tube entertainment.  Recently, I turned my parents (now in their 60′s) onto the AppleTV ($99 one-time cost) .  No, it’s not an actual television.  It’s a little box that connects to your TV and using your internet wi-fi (or ethernet) acts as a middle-man to connect you to videos, music & photos stored either on your local computer, or, on a service such as Netflix.  Roku ($99 one-time cost) and Boxee Box ($199 one-time cost) are two similar devices, and I have tried them all.  At the end of the day, though, my family uses the Roku player and we mostly use it for Netflix, Hulu, Rdio & Pandora.  Roku has a big advantage over AppleTV right now because it has “channels” you can download.  Think of Roku channels as the equivalent to Apple iPhone apps that you’d get in the app store.  Once AppleTV opens up an app store (which I’m sure is coming) I’ll probably switch over to that device.

• AppleTV Review
• Roku Player Review
• Boxee Box Review

My point here is that for a one-time cost of one of those devices plus $9/mo. for Netflix and $5/mo for Rdio we pretty much have all the content we can stand to watch.  Granted, Netflix streaming doesn’t have all the greatest and most recent stuff but that’s where purchasing movies on Amazon VOD and watching shows on Hulu Plus balance it out.

3) The Waste

700 channels is a lot of waste.  I think we are starting to see a trend in only paying for the content you consume which really optimizes your spending and removes the opportunity to sit on the couch with your thumb on the “Previous Channel” button as you search for your best bet.  Canceling cable trims the fat.  Think about it, you probably have 5-8 channels you regularly watch, which means you’re probably paying around $15-$22/channel.  Ouch.  That’s how cable packages work – they bump you up to the next tier to enjoy a few of their popular channels and you pay them dearly for it.

4) The Routine

Watching TV can be a routine.  You come home from an exhausting day and you just want to turn off your brain, right?  You cook, eat and clean with it on.  I’ve implemented a strict policy in our house that we rarely have a meal with the TV on – only music, or only if what we’re watching is something we all agree is timely and important to all of us (such as NBA finals, announcement from the President, Jackson reunion … just kidding).

The point is that TV can be a habitual disengagement from your surroundings, your family, your time with God, and even yourself.  Be in a routine that is life-giving, not life-sucking.

5) The Win

My wife and I rarely agree on what to watch.  In the past it would end up with her watching Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice while I sit on the couch with my laptop doing something else, or sometimes, just leave the room completely.  Or, I’d watch some action movie and she’d be on Facebook or go do “crafty things”.  We we’re both present and absent.  We were no different than 2 strangers at an airport terminal – sitting next to each other, going to the same place, but completely disengaged from each other and in our own worlds.  Now, because we can choose series and episodes that we can watch together and at any time we have torn thru shows like Lost, Prison Break and now onto 24.  We cheer together, laugh together, unwind together, and relate together.  How many times is Michael Scofield going to have to save the day? Now, I realize there are a ton of other things we can do together too, but, this is a post about canceling cable, not ideas on a fantastic date night.

The win for us is that we save a ton of money (without switching to Geico), we pay for only what we want to watch, we can access it anytime, anywhere (no DVR required), and we’re watching things together that we enjoy.  All win’s in my book and reinforces the reason I’ll likely never go back to cable.

Bonus

For those of you who still feel like you’re missing out on shows I’ve found that not having cable but wanting to watch something specific that I don’t have access to (like Phoenix Suns games when they we’re worth watching) I’m forced to get out and either go to a restaurant with my wife, or, we go to a friend’s house to watch it with them.  In other words I haven’t yet missed out on anything I’ve really wanted to watch, and in the process have found that getting out and being with other people is a side-bonus!

Note: You can also purchase NBA League Pass, MLB League Pass & NHL League Pass and watch live games on your AppleTV, Roku & Boxee Box.

So what have your experiences been? What are some good arguments for keeping or killing cable? What are some other alternatives?  And if you’re the smart-guy that says, “Just don’t watch TV, it’s a waste of time.” I’ll punch you in your digital face.  Not that what you’re saying isn’t true, this just isn’t the article for it and you’ll be “that guy.”