Greetings,

Well, after almost 13 years, our TV finally bit the dust last night. It's a "high-end" JVC television, that my husband purchased when he was still a bachelor. Joe thinks he would like to get it fixed, I do not. I can tell that he's kind of torn between having a TV or not.

We are gone 10 daytime hours M-F and on the weekends we're SO busy doing other things, that the TV is usually on for just the news. The only other channels that we occassionally watch are Discovery, History, HGTV, Learning channel, and TV Land (oldie shows). With the computer, we can check the news & weather.

When any of my in-laws come over, they turn it on. They can't sit and "visit", they ALWAYS have the TV on at their house, even if they're all outside, the TV is still on. Just last weekend, I had a birthday dinner for my FIL. Joe's brother walked in the house, sat down and picked up the remote and proceeded to find the football game. He hadn't even taken off his coat.

Any good ways of explaining to my husband the Pros of not having a TV? Besides the obivious?

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), January 11, 2002

Answers

One of my favorite subjects!

It's a real time eater. Think of the time you will have if you aren't glued to it. You can do all kinds of other, more interesting, more brain-engaging things...read, sew, talk, plan projects, whatever suits you. You sound like you're already busy enough during the day.

I think TV kills communication. But I'm pretty radical in my opinions about this.

-- Cat (catcrazy@somewhere.com), January 11, 2002.

I agree with the above answer. I watch a few shows weekly but could really do without very nicely...mostly I sit on the couch and read to keep dh company while he sleeps through the program (VBG). I get my news off the internet so don't need the tv for that, and I KNOW I would get a lot more done if the tv was never on. The only reason I would keep mine at all would be for watching the occasional video. We do rent one once in a great while, and I own a few favorites, like Anne of Green Gables, and various Christian videos.

From what I can tell, most people already know most of the reasons it would be good not to have a tv. However, the habit of walking in the room and turning it on is deeply ingrained. Since it takes about 3 weeks to establish or break a habit, I would talk to dh and ask if he would be willing to go through a trial period, perhaps one month, of no tv before making a decision. Maybe he will then decide to do without. Or at least perhaps cut way back on tv time if he does insist on getting a new one. If he'll agree, I would make sure you alternate work time and some enjoyable free time in place of tv watching...so he can see just how much you two can get done with no tv, and that there is "life" without tv. Spend some quality time together, lay out some books that would interest him, maybe even invite some friends over for a couple evenings of snacks and games. Give him some reasons to not want the tv back.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), January 11, 2002.

Do you have a DVD on the puter? If so would he agree that the cable/ TV costs would be better spent on renting DVD"s?? You can get a 19 inch monitor for 300 bucks now. That's less than a years cable around here.

Maybe.............you could nvite one of your relatives over for a week or two.

Let them know when they start bugging you about no TV that they can have it repaired if they want to cover the cost. Heck, you might return from work and find a brand new TV in place.

Don't do this if hubby would be embarassed though.

-- Rick (Rick_122@hotmail.com), January 11, 2002.

Move the dead TV out of sight. You know, out of sight, out of mind.

I agree with Lenette. Show your Dear Hubby all the wonderful things, including personal interaction, that were not readily available with a TV on.

-- Laura (Ladybugwrangler@hotmail.com), January 11, 2002.

I like the remove the dead TV option. Re-arrange furniture.

Offer a deal. Let's go six months with no TV and THEN see if we want to replace it!

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), January 11, 2002.

Hello Charleen,

Consider your self, lucky! Your better off without it anyway. This will free you up to do some of the things that you have been meaning to get around to....

Sincerely,

Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), January 11, 2002.

Charleen, Last Nov. we moved into our house, and discovered we would have to get a new antania to pick up anything so we did without and we love it. With a pair of old, funny rabbit ears we can pick up ABC, so every now and then we catch something on tv-we watched after sept 11 for about a week. I think the last tv we watched was Charlie Brown Christmas special. Occasionally, we will rent or borrow a video. Sometime friends or family will vidoe tape stuff-I love to watch "the Iron Chef". We read alot more-my kids have fantastic reading scores at their school, and we all have hobbies now that we would rather use that time for. We get our news from computer, radio, and newspapers and news magazines, and I've found that I'm better informed now than I ever was with the tv.

-- Kelly (homearts2002@yahoo.com), January 13, 2002.

I would get a new one. You do not watch it very much but when there is something good on it is worth having.

-- ed (edfrhes@aol.com), January 13, 2002.

Charlene, you are so lucky! I wish my television would die! Unfortunately I'm married to a football addict and have given birth to a couple of Arthur-loving offspring so I'm outvoted. :( At least we don't have cable and I IMMEDIATELY "lost" the remote when we first got this set. T.V. is even more of a waste of time, than, say, the internet!

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), January 13, 2002.

Charleen,

Rejoice!

And to ween hubbie away, promise him more "personal interaction" (Laura's words) of a certain type. ;-) If that doesn't work, nothing will.

-- Randal at home in Brazil (randal@onebox.com), January 14, 2002.