Eco-Friendly Family

Any No-TV families out there?

Our TV needs some sort of replacement part. We've decided to see what life is like without it. I can proudly say that we've gone 3 months without TV. We don't even miss it! We go on more walks, read more books, hang out on the patio more, and just feel happier. I never would have known that it would be so easy. Anyone else without TV by choice or not? In fact, we enjoy this more "simple" way of living so much that DH is contemplating selling one car and going down to a one-car household. 
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Re: Any No-TV families out there?

  • We are. DH hasn't had a TV in...well, I don't know that he ever owned one as a grown-up. And then we got married right around the transition to digital TV. So we just never got a converter box for my TV and put it right into the attic.

    99.9% of the time I don't miss it. I agree that it is a much easier transition that people seem to think it would be.

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  • We don't have cable but we have a DVD player that we will watch movies on occasionally.

    However, we are a no-car family and I can tell you that it's so nice not having the worries that come with a car. I bet going down to one car would feel pretty great for you guys :)

  • We HAVE a tv, but it has no cable/satellite/antenna connected to it.  We use it to watch movies and sometimes we hook it to DH's laptop and watch Hulu on it.

    This has been for the past 4 years and I really enjoy how calm and quiet our house is.  I actually get irritated when we are at other people's houses because the TV is always on even when no one is watching.

    Also, I've noticed that when a TV is on when DD is in the room (usually at someone else's house), she doesn't even notice it.

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  • We're currently in between homes and living at our IL's who ALWAYS have the tv on... I hate it... So far my husband and I have been a no tv family, but he wanted to get one when we move into our new home. Thankfully the tv has been driving him crazy, so he's now okay with continuing to be a no tv family(we do watch dvds on our laptops). We've also always been a one-car family and hope to remain so... It saves so much money!
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  • Almost. We don't have cable and the one TV we do have, I mostly use for workout DVDs. DH and I watch movies or some select TV shows from time to time on Hulu or DVD sets we have. When we do watch, we are always doing something else at the same time.

    By the time we both get off of work, get the house and yard work done, get a workout in and make/eat meals, we don't have much time leftover.

    We would both much rather be outdoors hiking, biking, running or landscaping in the summer and indoors reading, DIYing and crafting in the winter.

    We plan on raising our LO the same way. 

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  • imageAlishaRichelle:

    I actually get irritated when we are at other people's houses because the TV is always on even when no one is watching.

    This. Particularly when then news is on---and loud commercials.

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  • We're TV free. We do have computers that we could watch Hulu  or DVDs on but we generally don't (and never when DS is awake). I've never really wanted a TV. It's so addicting and time consuming. It's like the socially appropriate crack. You don't know how bad it is until you kick it.
  • imageblissfully_caffeinated:
    We're TV free. We do have computers that we could watch Hulu  or DVDs on but we generally don't (and never when DS is awake). I've never really wanted a TV. It's so addicting and time consuming. It's like the socially appropriate crack. You don't know how bad it is until you kick it.

    And, not to sound really old or anything, but half the stuff is so inappropriate now. (That said, I have been known to enjoy the Real Housewives in the past). The last thing I want is for DD to see a commercial for Cialis and ask me what an erection is... or Two and A Half Men and ask me what "oral" is. 

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  • We aren't tv-free, but we definitely limit screen time with the kids. I try not to watch very much of it, either. We actually went a few years without cable and got along just fine without it. My parents thought the no cable thing was because we couldn't afford it or something, not because it was a choice Confused and they got us a DirectTV subscription for Christmas 2 years ago. The contract will be up in January and we will go back to being cable free!
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  • We haven't had a Tv in about 5-6 years.. pretty much since we were teenagers living with our parents. And we don't have cars, either. That one is easy because of where we live. I understand that it's not really an option in other areas.

    Anyway, BF and I rent and watch movies on our computer [a 20" iMac], but don't plan on ever having a Tv. Channel surfing is such a time and energy sucker. Instead we go for neighborhood walks in the evenings or just hang out in the garden. We don't miss it because we have too much to do already between home-life and our hobbies. And reading is nice.

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  • LinnyaLinnya member

    We have a TV and use it for DVDs only.  We've been otherwise tv-free for almost a year and a half.  I like it.  I do miss the odd HGTV or History Channel show, but anything DH and I really want to watch we can usually get on DVD. 

    We like to limit what the boys see on TV and how much they watch, though we usually watch one show a day.  We have been using DVDs as a great language-learning tool.  DH is teaching the boys Irish and having some DVDs to back that up with additional exposure has been great.

    If we do decide to get cable (and I doubt we will) it will be more for language learning than anything else, since our programming would be in German. 

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  • We own a television, but use it as the screen for our mac mini, which mostly sits unused in the corner of our living room. Occasionally, we'll sit down and watch a movie together, or stream an Arsenal match and on Fridays we'll watch 'Parks and Recreation' on Hulu, but that's the extent of it's use. Instead, we spend a lot of time listening to NPR on the stereo in the kitchen/diningroom area while we're cooking and eating. It fosters conversation between us ("I just don't understand how X could really think that y was a feasible policy position") and is easy to tune out if we get into a more in-depth chat.

    I haven't had cable since the day after I turned 18 and moved out on my own, but DH always had it before he lived with me. He was anxious at first about not having access to his favourite shows, but now he seems pretty happy about our freedom from it. And, when we do watch the telly at friends' houses, it just reminds us why we don't have it- we're completely fixated on it, since everything is new. Every commercial is the first time we've seen it, so it's still funny and we're fascinated with the newest products/films coming. It's hard for me to focus on a conversation with the television on because my eyes keep getting drawn to it and I've lost the ability to tune it out effectively. 

    I really don't want R?n?n growing up in a house where the telly is the central gathering place. I'd much rather him listen to 'Weekday' over breakfast with us. 

  • We are, but I watch hulu and we still watch movies on occasion.  We do have a TV, it just sits mostly unused.
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  • We have a TV...... I use it as a flat surface to put my plants on LOL :)  Honestly we only keep it so that DH can play the occasional video game when DS goes to bed. 

    I also find it INCREDIBLY ANNOYING to go to people's houses where the TV is on all the time. We went to DH's uncle's house for Thanksgiving and every single room (dining included) had a TV that was on...even empty bedrooms! I know because I was trying to find a quite place to nurse DS and every room I tried had a TV blaring. Ugh, so annoying. 

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