money and Dave R. 02 Nov 2006 08:31 pm
Bad Idea Number Two
And hey folks…she’s caffinated again! Coherant! This is GOOD. 
So my second bad idea lately was Satelite TV. And my good idea was to snip, snip, snip.
Satelite TV, with it’s stupid looking gray dish on top of my hundred year old front porch, looking like almost every other country house out here. Out here there is zippo reception and few can fathom a life without TV. I myself do very few things “all or nothing”; I like a little TV….the ability to watch the news, Survivor and House, the almost daily instance (at least once) of needing the one-eyed babysitter in order to get dinner started, go to the bathroom alone thankyouverymuch, or just get a moment’s quiet feeling relatively sure that everyone is occupied for a few safe minutes.
But Dish did not provide that. Well, it did, but not only that, and it’s an important distinction. The most basic of packages we could get gave us well over 40 channels and 5 premium movie channels, for free, on a rotating basis. Who NEEDS that much variety? We ended up having it on much, much, much more than anyone was really happy with. Most of the channels we never watched and there were plenty of ones that we did that weren’t good for us. We were paying about a dollar a channel, which begs the other question.
What, pray tell, is a family in the midst of a Total Money Makeover doing with Satelite TV? Can you HEAR Dave Ramsey sputtering on his coffee? Have I learned nothing?!?!
For one, we don’t need to be spending the money in that way. For two, we don’t need to be spending the time that way.
And Survivor can be watched online; House is out on disc after the season ends. The news can be gotten toooo many other ways. And, there are DVD’s for kids and one-eyed babysitters.
So “snip, snip”. The worst thing about bad ideas is when we hold onto them and refuse to claim our right to change our minds, to admit we were wrong.
When David called to cancel the service the girl tried to talk him into a new deal: “for just a few dollars more a month sir we can substantially add to your channels”. Uh….that would be a NO. Duh……
on 02 Nov 2006 at 9:49 pm 1.Sarah said …
I’ve thought about parting ways with my dear friend “Cable” many a time. I just can’t seem to work up the nerve to do it. I’m sure as soon as I pull the plug it’ll be easy as pie getting along without. Lord knows, I have many other, more productive ways to spend my time. As they say, a journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step. That’s one tough step to take though. Congrats on taking it! LEt me know if there are any side affects!
on 03 Nov 2006 at 9:02 am 2.Anna said …
It will be a weird kind of quiet for a little bit. But after the initial shock of not being able to watch a few (and I mean very few)of your favorite programs, you’ll get use to it, and eventually you won’t even miss them anymore. Then there is so much more time for other things. And as long as there is still a TV in the house and a library with good videos and DVDs, there is always the one-eyed babysitter available. Good luck, and make sure the money you save from this gets you enough coffee to make it to the next shopping day.
on 03 Nov 2006 at 9:45 am 3.gina said …
Yeah, good for you Tia! We have basic cable- a whole $16 a month and we refuse to get back into the trap of $50 a month- at first we thought we’d go down for the summer months, but it’s been years- about seven since we cut out the extra channels and we’re so glad we did. I know I could go without even this basic cable as well, but I think my husband would die from a lack of channel surfing! I do rely on the weather channel alot though.
I SO wanted to send you a care package of coffee in the mail this week. But I don’t have your new address- I can sure relate- although my obsession is Caffeine free Diet Coke. I don’t know what the addiction could be since there’s no caffeine, but I do get headaches without at least a glass a day. Weird. It’s probably just in my head that I HAVE to have it. Glad you got your indulgence back, enjoy!!
on 03 Nov 2006 at 1:39 pm 4.Tia said …
Gina….oh Diet Coke!! Now, caffine is bad for ya and I am rationalizing a little bit when I justify my “one cup a day”. But coffee at least has antioxidants LOL! Diet Coke has lots of other “baddies” in it; aspartame being the biggest. You bet you have headaches; that’s brain-altering stuff that screws with memory. I won’t tell you any more cuz if you’re really interested in stopping you can find tons online about it and if you’re not, I’m just being a wet sponge!
on 03 Nov 2006 at 5:05 pm 5.gina said …
I had read some stuff a while back and disregarded it, I guess. Seems there’s nothing you can eat or drink or breathe that isn’t bad for you. Sometimes, it’s a lesser of two evils. I’ve actually been drinking more Chai tea- although I hardly believe there’s anything good in that either, but it sure does taste good! My dr. had told me to stay clear of caffeine cause I get PVC’s- a weird heart palpitation that feels like grinding. I can’t even tolerate decaf coffee and believe me, my hubby would like nothing more than to share a cup of joe with me. He asks me every weekend!