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Loretta Lynn v. Lynyrd Skynyrd

How strong is your marriage?  Could it survive 7 days without tv?  I’m not sure mine can!   We’re 4 days into this 7 day marriage trial abstinence from TV.  Our receiver went out Thursday evening and it takes a week to get a new shipped into Podunk Holler.  We have different tastes in movies, different tastes in music.  Pandora is on the tv streaming through Netflix.  I prefer Loretta Lynn.  Vince prefers Lynyrd Skynyrd.  We’re listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Seriously, it isn’t bad.  I am about 93.5% sure I could live without TV so long as I have XM Radio, which I don’t currently have because I didn’t need it since we have TV but we’re considering giving up TV when our Dish Network contract is up.  If we give it up at the end of the contract and then decide to get it again, it’s no big deal.  I think it would be nice to see if we could live without it.  Once upon a time we said we needed Dish so we could get the local channels but we really don’t have any “local” news since we’re 70 miles from the closest local station. Then we thought we needed local tv for the weather but as soon as it starts to rain, the Dish goes out anyway.  We can watch the weather on the internet and see everything we need to see plus we can hear tornado sirens so we don’t need tv for that.  Maybe I’m 99.9% sure I don’t need tv.

Football games . . that might be a problem.  It would probably be less expensive to rent a room at the local hotel to watch football games than it is to pay for Dish all year.

What do you think . . could you live without TV?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I don’t watch a lot of tv during the day – but I enjoy watching it at night while I knit or needlepoint. It’s especially good company when I’m home alone.

  3. Sadly, it would be hard. For me, it is just noise. We have 200 stations and I still can’t find anything to watch. But yet I turn it on all the time.

  4. Hi, I could live “almost” without TV. I don’t know if I could live without Fox News.
    We have Dish, but it only goes out with a really hard downpour, then it’s back on again. We only subscribe to the Family Package, which isn’t much but enough for us. Sometimes we watch RFD channel, usually on Saturday nights and the country music shows.

  5. Definitely not! Although I rarely watch a program while it is actually on I have several programs that I just love. I use AT&T Uverse and tape them so that I can fast forward through the commercials. This was really nice during the recent glut of political negative ads. I also listen to music via the TV.

  6. We did without television for 2 years, it was great. The kids and I would rent movies on occassion, watch a series or two on DVD (Little House on the Prairie, for example). It was great! The house was quieter, more peaceful! I was less stressed, because I could ignore the depressing news. I only have it now because internet and phone were cheaper with cable that it was to get them individually. Must say, I do like that I can watch Fons and Porter . . .

  7. I think I will be able to live without TV, have given up my DSTV in April because the (few)programs that I liked to watch, had so many repeats, that I felt it was a waste of money. Now that I only have the “free channels’ to watch, there are often days when I don’t even turn the TV on. I listen to the radio while I do other things and if I feel like it, I rent a movie from the rental place down the road.

  8. As long as there is the DVD/VHS player and the internet, we can live w/out television.

    I don’t have all of the stations (and none local!) … so we already go w/out all of the major networks — I simply refused to have a dish AND put up an antenna as the local station said I needed to if I wanted CBS. Guess what, I don’t have CBS. 😀 It’s not bad, except when they had the SuperBowl. So, we started a tradition of going to Hooters for the Bowl. 😀

  9. I could do without cable, but would need a TV to play DVDs. Since moving to Florida 2 years ago I have yet to learn any of the station locations or even how to use the remote with 60 buttons on it. Seriously, 60 buttons! If I want to watch anything and the guys aren’t here to find it I just do without. No biggie. They do record the couple of shows I like so I can watch them when they aren’t home. I did learn what buttons to push for that! 🙂
    No one in the family watches sports, YEAH! I HATE watching the news. There are 4 programs I like to watch each week but could live without them. I prefer music.

  10. We only get local stations that we can pick up with the rabbit ears. I loathe the tv, everyone else in the house, well, maybe not my oldest daughter, ok, almost everyone else loves it, and wants the DishNetwork back. Netflix, we have and make good use of it! 🙂

  11. I love having TV. We have Dish Network, but it seldom goes out, and we live where it rains a LOT. (I wonder why yours goes out when it rains.) We listen to it more than watch it. When we are home, it is usually tuned to Fox News all day and into the evening, and then again at midnight when Red Eye is on. Our new car includes Sirius for six months, so I can listen to Greta on the way home on those evenings I am gone. (I’m sure going to miss that when the six months is up!)

  12. I don’t watch TV and never have. When I quilt I listen to a book. Most of the time I like it really quiet. I listen to the birds. I don’t even listen to the radio in the car if I’m alone. You would really be amazed at how much you get done and how much energy you have when you turn the tv OFF. You will really not miss it at all. I read, play cards, visit, go for walks, and have season tickets to the Utah Jazz for entertainment.
    Ladybug

  13. We do not watch much TV because usually there is nothing on. So we have a DVD library…when nothing is on we can watch a movie. The latest movie we purchased was Toy Story 3. Good flick.

  14. Judy, we have cable. My DH has the tv on all day and music blaring out of the computer. When we got married we got 3 channels..ABC,NBC & ABC. We were so happy. I watched tv then. Now, on cable, we get hundreds of channels. We pay for them. He complains there is nothing to watch on tv. We did BOTH watch the CMT awards the other night (my choice). Great show and
    music. I am thankful for every day there is basketball, football, golf and baseball on tv. That gives me “me” time. I sometimes go watch for 20-30 minutes and fall asleep or get up and do something else. I get up between 4:30 – 6:00 a.m. He arrives between 8 am, and 10 am. Can you tell I love my mornings. He will get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to go play golf. I will get up and feed him..but can go back to bed. Why is it that those are the mornings I could sleep in. Don’t get me wrong, I love this man dearly. I just need my me time…………can anyone who is retired understand what I am saying?

    Marilyn

  15. I like to watch TV while I bind or knit in the evenings too. Keith and I like some of the same shows although I can’t stand having the news stations on so I go sew when he insists on watching that. Same with music, we have enough in common we can listen to the same music in the evenings….we save the stuff the other one doesn’t like for when we’re not in the same room.

    I’m thinking positive thoughts for your Dad.

  16. I could do without it in a heartbeat but my husband could not/would not. I probably wouldn’t want to live with him if he didn’t have it. 🙂 blessings, marlene

  17. We kicked the tv to the curb almost two years ago and haven’t looked back since. DH uses the internet for news, etc. anyhow, and our local PBS station doesn’t have quilting shows anymore, so what is there to watch?

  18. I could live without it too.
    All we have had is problems with the Dish.

    All there is on the TV is commercials one after another. Someday count how many there is in a half hour you would be amazed.

  19. I could live without TV in a heartbeat. Lynyrd Skynyrd? Could never live without them. I was thinking just yesterday on the way home from work they are probably one of the few bands I ccould successfully karaoke to, if I was the karaoke type. haha

  20. We do basically live without TV. We only have one TV that receives programming and I think its only been on once since August. We haven’t had cable/dish for at least 15 years. The one TV we can watch is 19 inches and 21 years old. We do have a newer, larger TV in the basement for DVDs and the Wii. We watch maybe one movie a month. What I couldn’t live without is radio (not easily at least), especially NPR.

  21. I could DEFINITELY live without it, lol, but my hubby couldn’t.

    I guess I would have one so the kiddos could watch videos on the week ends, but they could live without it, too.

  22. I could DEFINITELY live without it, lol, but my hubby couldn’t.

    I guess I would have one so the kiddos could watch videos on the week ends, but they could live without it, too.

  25. We’ve been without TV (satellite dish here in Montana) for 10 years and I wouldn’t want it back for anything! When we are AZ for the winter in the motorhome we sometimes use the antenna and pick up local stations but that is all. We use the internet for news and weather.

  26. i could definitely live without tv. i never turn it on. the only things i watch consistently are Survivor and Project Runway. my other half…on the other hand…has it on constantly. and most of the time it is on mute while he is reading. how dumb is that? i vote for no tv. save electric. go read a book or work on a craft. play with the dog. anything.

  27. I grew up without TV, but Mom would rent one for us if we were very sick and also for the winter Olympics. My niece doesn’t have TV. My brother puts the TV away in the summer – his kids can watch it in the winter. I don’t care either way about having a TV as long as it isn’t on ALL day and definitely not during meals! As for radio – when you are home you can listen to the radio over the internet too – I think it is Mikes Radio when you Google it. You can listen to whatever you want. Cheers! Evelyn

  28. Most major networks stream their normal shows (ABC, CBS, etc.) online, and hulu.com also offers all of your TV news. For sports, you could always convince hubby to take you on a date to the local sports bar to watch! Oh, and most radio stations stream their stuff online too so you can get the radio as long as you have the internet!

  29. I could definitely live without my tv. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve turned it on this year. BUT — don’t even think of taking my computer away from me. As long as I have Hulu and Netflix I’m good to go.

  30. TV is could live without. Internet NO!
    I get frustrated with TV. Shows just can’t stay away from all the sexual comments. It drives me crazy. I miss Lucy, Hogan’s Heros, Gulligan’s Island and the old shows that used straight up comedy…you know, the ones you can watch with your kids around.

  31. TV is my friend. I couldn’t live w/o it though it is getting harder to find something to watch. Thank goodness for DVR and late night at sleep recording. I am a Biography channel addict and also watch a lot of PBS but also follow Mad Men and never miss that though they are not on right now. Don’t mess w/ my tv. I’m not sure I could piece or quilt w/o it. Oh and don’t forget HGTV also.
    I’m native to TN so I’m total country music anything. I have George Jones on my phone when it rings. So into the Grand Ole Opry and love the classic country. I also love Lynard Skynard and know the words to Freebird.
    I was a career teacher and once had a fourth grader whose mother would not allow tv in the house. That boy was the most well read kid and so interested in many things other kids probably did not notice. I learned a few years ago when he graduated that he got a free ride to college he did so well on his GPA. There’s still no tv there. Saw the mother when I worked an election. They say they haven’t missed a thing. Good for some but not for me. Also I am now at the age to have insomnia a lot and what would I do at 3 in the morning though I do love to read too.

  32. I don’t think we’ll give up TV any time soon. We watch baseball in the summer and hockey in the winter (well, DH will also watch football, but he turns the sound down … they scroll all the info he needs and I can turn on the radio/itunes). Any other time we have the TV on, it’s just for background noise as much as anything else.

  33. TV is a good friend of mine, too. I couldn’t live without The Young and the Restless (been watching it since it started in ’73, although hubby says that is nothing to brag about, lol) Big Ten basketball, football, NCAA tourny in March, Judge Judy, Fox News. I would hate to give tv up but would probably get more done if I did!

  34. I could give up TV in a heart beat! I love the quiet of the house. However, DH wants it on 24/7. Anything NASCAR related even has a higher volume. I can get a lot done in the sewing room when he watches NASCAR – I like to see the first lap and the last lap. The TV MUST be on when he reads, naps, eats and sleeps at night. I turn it off when I go to bed – the ophthalmologist says my eyes need complete darkness to rest them – with glaucoma I’m not taking any chances. I couldn’t give up the computer! However, I am doing better at using it in the morning and then doing other things! I could never give up my sewing machine!!!!

  35. I don’t watch a lot of TV, my hubby does though. I wouldn’t want to give it up cause then I couldn’t watch the race!

  36. I did for several months. I had it put in storage and then went to get it out one day to watch something. Sadly, I dropped it and broke it. It was another 4 or 5 months before my mom gave me one for my birthday. During that time I just watched anything over the internet or got my TV fix while at my mom’s. I still don’t have cable for it.

  37. I could live without it…but could NOT live with hubby if we didn’t have it…

    When we moved 4 years ago, I didn’t realize I needed to call so early to have the cable transferred to the new house. We were without tv for a month and I LOVED it…so quiet…and we talked. Now it’s FOX NEWS or SYFY all the time… Just crazy noise…

  38. A neighbor got rid of his dish and put up a hd antenna. He says he gets lots of stations and it’s free. I am very tempted to try this. Think of all the fabric I could buy with the money I’m spending on cable!

  39. I could, but I don’t want to. I usually have it on all the time, but it’s always on FOX news. And I’m with you, I like old country music. Barry prefers the 70’s stuff, or “easy listening” – usually, if I have the radio on, it’s Beck or Hannity. I do love listening to books while I sew.

    I hope your’s gets fixed soon. I don’t want poor Vince to miss any more football games! The last thing you need is a cranky hubby!

  40. I’ve been having the same thoughts about Dish. Seems every time I turn around the bill goes up another $2-$3. There’s only about 4 shows I watch anyway & they’re on nights I’m usually not home so I watch them on the Internet. My weather comes from AccuWeather….the nearest radio station uses it too, so it’s good enough for me. The only problem with letting Dish go is DH. He is techno-phobic & has absolutely no desire to watch anything on a computer. If the TV or Dish receiver has a glitch he hollers for me. He’s pretty sure the DVD player will explode if he touches it. A compromise would be to take Dish down a plan or two but those silly old movie channels DH watches are probably in the higher priced plan. Could try a digital antenna & converter boxes but I’m pretty sure we’re to far out to get a good signal. Maybe the Amish have the right idea….no electricity so no decisions about Dish.

  41. I myself haven’t had tv since 07, but I do miss it, just not the expense! I am at my daughter’s a lot and watch it there. (sports the most, since she doesn’t like them!) when I am sewing I put in a movie or book on tape.

  43. We got rid of DirecTV recently. We weaned ourselves off of it for a month. Then we canceled it. My husband hooked up the antenna and it does pick up some stations, but we still don’t watch it. I like being TV-less. I couldn’t do without the internet. I rent a movie occassionally. A great Christian movie I just watched is The Secret of Jonathan Sperry. I’m thinking of purchasing it for one of the grandchildren for Christmas.

  44. I could, but don’t know why I should. I hate having to defend my right to enjoy watching TV and being made to feel guilty because I do. It seems a lot of people feel that TV has somehow become a detrimental thing in recent years, and to admit that you watch TV is like admitting you smoke! or overeat! or drink alcohol, or do drugs. I’ve become a “secret TV” watcher because if I admit I really enjoy snuggling up in my recliner and having a cup of tea and watching my favorite mindless (their word, not mine)— TV programs there must be something wrong with me.

  45. My hubby couldn’t live 7 minutes without a TV let alone 7 days! I hardly ever used to watch TV but must admit I watch lots more now…although I usually have some hand sewing at the same time.
    I think I could still live without TV but not without killing my husband!! LOL

  47. I would miss the TV for football games, but if they keep adding more commercials I may have to start taping them. I do watch some tv, but I tape it on the DVR because of the commercials. They are loud and there are lots of them. There are some very interesting programs on Discovery and National Geographic and the Food Network. I do find if I watch very much it makes me nervous. Thank goodness for the DVR! Aud has hers on constantly and it drives me crazy.

  48. I like to watch when I fold laundry…or when I want to take a nap! But other than that I could live without it.

  50. I could live without TV, as long as I have internet. I prefer silence to noise. I seldom even listen to music. The DH loves TIVO and, as we speak, is watching something on it. Somethings I could not live without are my iPad and my laptop. (Steve Jobs, get Flash Player and I could probably live without my laptop!)

  51. Judy, have Vince look at this link. I am assuming you all have a HDTV. My brother-in-law built this and they pull in a lot of local channels. It really works!

  52. Oh man, living without tv…sometimes it is great and sometimes it not…but on those rainy/snowy cold days when I feel like doing absolutely nothing tv is great…but then again if you have satelite tv then there is another problem…tv won’t come in. When we lived down in MS, Katrina came through….we had satellite tv. Guess what?! They, the satellite provider, sent a stronger signal and we had tv throughout the entire ordeal. hmmmm now how did that happen? Just how cloudy, windy and rainy is a hurricane? yet we still had signal?! Just thought I’d share….

  53. I could definitely live without tv. I started to, once and when my sister found out she got so mad at me (she has a tv in every room of her house) she went and got a tv and brought it to me. Once it’s in my house, I am drawn to it (junk food works the same way)

  54. I DO live without TV. The house we live in now is new enough construction that there’s no antenna on the roof, so we get nothing over the air. There’s a dish here, but we didn’t get service for it when we moved here. We also never got cable or anything for the place we lived previously, which was so far out in the boonies that there was nothing local to receive. We haven’t had TV reception since the middle of 2002. We do rent videos on occasion, and enjoy that. But the “come in and plop down and be mesmerized” stuff, neither of us miss. I never watched much TV, but DH was one who used to have it on all the time. He’s managed to find plenty of other things to do to entertain himself 😉

  55. We do without it all the time. We have a TV, but only watch videos maybe once a week if that. With all our remodeling, hobbies, and normal life, we don’t have time to watch TV! We have a 12 yr. old son and he only watches videos maybe a total of 2-3 hours a week, and that’s on the weekends when he gets up early and we are sleeping in……

    There is such a thing as life without TV or satellite radio 🙂

  56. I am with you. I would choose Loretta Lynn LOL and we have TV but hubby watches it much more than I do. I am lucky if I get to see the weather on it now and then. Mostly I watch in the mornings to see how my morning commute will be in inclement weather here in MA. Other than that, cant tell you the last time I watched something on tv. just doesnt seem to have any shows I am interested in watching. reality tv is not anything I want to watch. I miss entertaining shows like I love Lucy, and Carol Burnett. Guess I am getting old huh? LOL

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