I decided several years ago to downgrade my cable package since I watch very little TV (mostly because, if I’m sitting down, it’s likely that my nose is in a book). In the past year, I realized that, at most, I might watch 12 of the 159 channels included in my package. I’d lost HGTV, TLC, The Food Network and Hallmark with the downgrade. My routine was to watch one of the half-hour segments of my chosen news station, preferably at noon, and if I did watch the noon news, I’d go to a station named BUZZR, which played re-runs of old classic game shows. I would watch Match Game for a half-hour, two half-hour segments of Tattletales, and maybe hang around for a little bit of Password. On the weekends, when the news station only offered a 6 PM slot for Saturday and Sunday, I tried to catch the Sunday show because it included a segment called “The Week in Review” and showed quick informative recaps of the stories around the region during the previous week.

Any other time my television was on was to watch a movie from Amazon Prime. It often took me two to three days to see a movie through from beginning to end – making it obvious to me that my attention span wasn’t as good for visual entertainment as it is for written entertainment.

With inflation making prices quickly double from what they were, and utilities and landlords raising their prices to help avoid the bite of inflation themselves, I needed to make some decisions about what ‘luxuries’ I could forego. I bit my nails until I was around 30 years old, when I finally gave up that habit (which I find totally disgusting now!) and treated myself with manicures and, of course, since you’re already there, pedicures. I scheduled my services only once a month, but I admit that made me happy to see my nails freshly painted, especially when I got a design on the ring finger of each hand. Last summer, I made the decision to cut back on the pedicures to once every two months. My toes never showed to anyone but me unless I was wearing flip flops or the occasional sandal, and to be honest, I was fine with them being sans polish.

I also backed off from getting my hair cut every 7 to 8 weeks to every 11 or 12 weeks. It just so happened that I had an appointment for early February and my hairdresser tested positive for COVID (not unexpected since her husband brought it home late last year and they didn’t segregate themselves in any way). She gave me the option to cancel if I wanted, and while we would both be masked, I always had to unhook my mask and hold my hand over it on my nose and mouth when she needed to cut near my ears. I just decided it wasn’t worth it and let her know I’d call back to reschedule. As my hair got a little longer, I was able to pull it back into a tiny ponytail at the nape of my neck, and it helped in letting air get to the back of my neck which was always a place I’d easily gather sweat (some of you may remember my post called, “I am a Sweater”.

With eliminating those two “luxuries” my monthly income was once again able to cover my monthly expenses. However, I was used to having a little bit of “play” money left over to go out once a month for lunch with my bestie or make the occasional trip to a thrift store. I thought in a distracted way about getting rid of my cable TV because I watched so little of it. Over time, I looked at all of the different streaming options available, but no one service provided all of the few channels that were important to me. I looked into antennas but whether mounted inside or outside (which I suspect my landlord would say “no” to), you had to be under a certain number of miles away from the tower to get the signal. Here I am in Tumbleweed Town that has the basics (groceries, pharmacies, gas), and I’m supposed to know how close I am to any of the broadcasting towers???

I finally decided I’d just cut off cable TV, but I wanted to keep my internet with that company. In the end, the best deal I could get saved me around $50 a month to be without TV. Fortunately, I had already discovered that the news station I like is an independent station, and I can see the news forecasts live through an app on my phone. And, if I really need visual stimulation, I can always watch Amazon Prime movies on my laptop.

The only time I ‘think’ about TV is when I’m eating a meal that makes it difficult for me to hold my Kindle and eat at the same time. I suspect I may be a tad unhappy when I can’t watch football games or have them on in the background while I’m doing something else. However, it occurred to me several years ago that my personal choice to watch the game or not watch the game will not affect the outcome of the game, and I just check online for scoring updates and realize that highlights of great plays will be shown with the news during their sports section.

It’s been about 6 weeks now, and I haven’t even been watching movies I’ve saved to watch on Amazon Prime. In the beginning, I thought this would be a temporary choice, but it feels, at least for now, that it could be a permanent choice! Besides which, if I ever decide to read and understand the instructions in the manual for using its DVD player, that will work for me as well.

Saving money by giving up something that costs you money doesn’t have to be so bad!