by Laurie Childree

Created on: October 05, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

There were the hours spent surfing through hundreds of channels just to discover there is not a thing to watch. The bills were forever increasing for this luxury when I subscribed to cable. There is often little to no notice about these increased.

I canceled my cable years ago and switched to Dish Network, which I eventually cancelled as well. Now I use an indoor antenna in combination with an outdoor antenna and do with a few local channels.

I originally made a switch because of the increasing bills to something that cost less and provided more channels. The decrease in bills made it more affordable for a time. Then came time to prioritize in order to make sure the bills were all paid.

My ex-husband had a falling out at with a supervisor and quit his job. He searched for another job but was unable to find one. At least not in time to avoid the stress of worrying if the bills would all get paid that month.

I decided to go to work out of neccessity. I was an experienced waitress so it did not take long to find a job in that area. Well, three days of training is required that do not provide tips. Those three days were tough.

We managed to survive them. The first shift I worked with tips we used the money to buy some groceries for the empty cabinets. The monthly bills and the worry over the groceries started to get a little easier.

Cable being the only thing that could be cut until we got on our feet it was the first to go. At first the adjustment was hard but in time it got easier. After awhile it was hardly noticeable that we had once had it.

I was working nights so I was asleep during the day and gone at night. So the thirty dollars a month that had gone to pay for the extra channels could now go elsewhere. Groceries or enough gas to get back and forth to work for a month since I only worked within five miles of the house.

The decreased stress was an instant bonus to cutting off the cable. Now the lights were the main concern along with the groceries. The benefits of cutting off cable are that sometimes the television actually gets turned off. Family time can actually be achieved without someone complaining there is a movie coming on they wanted to watch.

Instead now we often decide to watch a movie together or go out for the day. We shop as a family (sometimes) without the worry that we might miss something. I never realized how addictive cable was until I went without it. I sometimes think it would be nice to have and then I remember that there really isn't that much difference in the ability to find something to watch.

One less bill made a stressful time a little easier and helped to cover some little things. Being a waitress means that you have to put part of your tips aside for bills each day and that your check is basically gas money. When you are paying all the bills and feeding a family of three you would like it to be as stress free as possible.

Decreased stress is the best reason I can think of to get rid of cable or anything else for that matter. When we got back on our feet the money previously spent on the cable was put elsewhere and not just on a different bill.

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