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Comment by ZanderEarth32 | Hacker News Reader

I still never understood how having cable or a tv complicates people's lives. Besides the inconvenience on the day it was installed, it has essentially been no hassle. The money comes out every month, I schedule some shows I like and watch them when I can and that's it.

All the purging and living with no items type of lifestyle is nice for me to think about but I have hobbies that require stuff like rock climbing, backpacking, play guitar, etc. so I can't really just live in an empty room.

Instead of trying not have stuff in general, I try to not have things I don't need or want.

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I think mainly because it either becomes a time drain, that once you go without you usually realize you don't miss, or it's a waste of money (you only watch one or two things but are paying $100 a month). This whole simplify philosophy usually involves getting rid of anything with a yearly commitment, which cable often has (to get teaser rates).

I understand, I've just never thought of tv complicating my life. I was once considering "cutting the cord" and my life got more complicated trying to figure out what services to use to subscribe to my shows I wanted to watch, managing downloads and trying to see if it made financial sense.

I do agree with the general consensus that people should try to simplify their lives if they feel they are bogged down with unnecessary things though. So, I'm glad the OP could find something that worked for him.

I think you should differentiate between getting rid of TV and getting rid of cable. Personally I've never paid extra for channels, but have also never seriously considered getting rid of my TV. It's a handy device for playing games and watching DVDs, stuff I've downloaded, and streaming content.

Well said.

You either:

- watch very judiciously (save time, spend $ anyway)

- watch very profligately (spend time, get your $ worth)

My roommates and I spend the minimum on cable TV to get the discounted internet package (we ran the numbers, it's more worthwhile to get cheap cable than internet alone). And we don't feel bad that we have a crappy living room TV that no one ever actually watches.

Others have pointed out the time and money drain, and while those are true, I don't have a TV for another reason.

More than any other single item that I'm aware of, a TV is a device to indoctrinate you into a certain way of thinking, and that thinking is consumerism. Everything you watch is an ad for something you don't actually need, and as time drags on, you'll slowly find yourself buying yet more stuff.

I find it extremely liberating to not have a TV and be able to think for myself about the things I do or don't want to buy, rather than have someone else tell me about it.

In my country, they are commonly referred to as "The Idiot Box". (And it's not because of the people you see on it...)

TVs with cable make it very easy to flip it on, channel surf, and watch some random shit. Suddenly hours are gone. My productivity dives and my sleep debt zooms when I'm staying in a hotel unless I unplug the TV.

I know for me getting cable is around at least a $50 expense, maybe more. Which isn't a bank breaker but its big enough to be on the fence about it when you can watch most shows online for free. My setup currently is an Xbox hooked up for Netflix and Hulu with the occasional game and I got a bit faster Internet instead of cable and it works out well.

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