We haven’t had a television for about 8 months now. Initially we didn’t get around to upgrading our tv, then we thought – why not wait and see how long we can last without one? At first, I was very resistant to this idea. We were never huge television watchers to begin with, I guess I was resistant because I thought the evenings would be really boring without tv. But I never wanted to fall into watching tv as the default evening habit, so I gave it a go. 8 months in and I honestly don’t miss it at all!
I know this decision isn’t for everyone, but if you are considering pulling the plug, here’s what happened when we did.
– Sam and I talk more. We have deeper and more meaningful conversations now there’s no tv competing for attention.
– We take our time preparing dinner, and eat it slowly. At 6pm most nights I will put my computer to sleep, then make dinner. This has become my way of unwinding from the day, and since we don’t have to rush so we wont miss an episode on tv, I think I’m becoming a more creative cook!
– I bought a fun little game called ‘Which‘. It’s basically a fun conversation starter with questions like, ‘which luxury would you rather go without?’ Movies, cheese, shampoo, public transport, restaurants or socks…? It’s really eye opening, we’ve been enjoying it! I also like the look of Cards against Humanity, but I don’t think you can get it in NZ or Australia yet?
– We can always watch online (on-demand) the day after it airs on the laptop, if we really want to. We usually watch a rented movie (mostly from iTunes) in the weekend.
– With no TV you really feel like you have more time, which is always a nice thing. Previously, when we watched a lot of TV, the evenings would just disappear.
– As I mentioned, we’ve discovered there are better ways to unwind then sitting in front of the TV. Like making Pizza dough from scratch, reading, sipping on tea, planning holidays…
– I spend most of my day behind a screen, so I love having the evenings screen-free.
I’m not anti-television. I’m only anti-television as the default form of mindless entertainment. I’m really enjoying life without one! What do you think would happen if you gave up tv?
In NZ our system changed over and we were required to upgrade our tv’s. I choose to just like you let go of TV all together. Being a meditation teacher and photographer, I love the silence and mindfullness of life without tv. My dog and kitten provide plenty of free entertainment full of laughter every evening anyhow and tv on demand is always there for something you really wish to watch :-) Life without tv rocks – a great decision.
I love this! Will get my husband to read this, so true and an eye opener… Also you could try borrowing DVDs from friends? :) Sharing is caring…
Keep up the great work, Kate – I always look forward to your posts xxx
Awesome work Kate!
We have been TV free for about 5 years, and with kids thats kinda hard!
We do stream movies and watch things on demand – so great watching what you want not what rubbish is aired at the time my kids would normally watch TV, they have become more creative, they play chess, loom, read (not as much as I would like) I think the biggest screen freak in our household is me, after reading this I am going to switch of my iPhone at 6pm and see how I go……I’m worried I’ll hit the biscuit tin. xox
We haven’t had an actual TV for about 3 years but did purchase an EyeTV chord which barely gets used unless my Dad comes for a visit and wants to watch the news haha.
We gave our tv up a few months ago too. It’s made a huge impact on our kids as they are not constantly asking to watch tv. Now if I could just give up my laptop….
I have lived without TV for most of my life (childhood through to my 50’s). My life continues to be rich, busy, and productive. I literally don’t have time for TV watching. Yes, it did feel strange when my grown kids were on TV shows acting, yet we did not have a TV to watch their appearances. Friends would always be amused and even puzzled when they told us with great excitement that they had seen our children on TV and then heard us say that we had not seen the show or the advertisement as we did not have a TV. At those times I would think how good it was that it had brought joy to others to see our kids on such shows. Like you I am not anti-TV. As a family we have always filled our life up with knowing fun together as family, being creative, and serving others. News of world events still reach me without TV. I feel quite well informed about world events, and am well connected with a wide span of people right around our globe. As for entertainment – life is full of it. Plus the real life drama that people live each day certainly occupies my mind. Oh and the other day I entered a competition for a TV – just for the fun of it, and so that I can give it to someone if it ever turned out that I became the winner. For now without a TV in my life I already feel a winner.