Several years ago we made the decision to cut the cable in our house. It’s probably been at least 7 years since we last had cable TV, and I’m happy we made the decision.

When we first made our decision people looked at us funny when we said the words “we don’t have cable.” Now a family without cable TV is no longer such an anomaly. Many of our friends have also cut the cable, we even have friends that don’t even own a TV. I actually like that a lot!

I’m not sure if I’m ready for that, or if my wife will let me, but the decision to cut the cable is one I encourage other families to make as well. Not having cable TV doesn’t mean we don’t watch TV, or we don’t know what the current events are, and it also doesn’t mean we read books all day.

Learning to live without cable TV

We still have a decent amount of TV in our diet. I have to admit it’s more than I’d like, but way less than most families today. So, the question you probably want me to answer is how does our family survive without cable TV. It’s a learned “skill!” 🙂

Seriously, once you make a decision like this you’re halfway home. Another big part of it is finding alternatives to cable TV. But if you’re not careful you can replace one “bad habit” with another, like too much computer or smart phone use. You don’t want that either.

Below are some helpful alternatives for you.

5 ways your family can survive without cable TV

1. Get a library card for each family member. We spend a lot of time at the library, and our kids love it. We always have stacks of library books at our house. Some we’ve renewed so many times that I sometimes mistake them for our very own. You’ll be surprised how much you can be entertained from a book, and there are so many more benefits to book entertainment over TV entertainment.
2. Get busy with extracurricular activities. Our social calendars remain pretty full throughout the year. Most of the time we just don’t have time for TV. We’d almost have to force TV watching in, and when we’ve done that we’ve usually fallen asleep, all five of us! Sign your kids up for activities, as well as you and your wife. It’ll curb your need for the TV.
3. Get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. The times when we have TV relapses are usually the times when we neglect going outside in the backyard, in the front yard, walking in the neighborhood, or riding bikes. Our kids get bored, we get distracted with work or social media, and our kids want to watch TV. Stay enjoying outdoors and you won’t miss cable TV.
4. Get out the games and toys. Our generation has more “baby sitters” than we need. Our kids want to play, and they want to play with us, but sometimes we are tired, have work to do, or just need some time. That’s when the baby sitter of cable TV or other devices comes into play. Instead of allowing the TV to babysit your kids, get down on the floor and play with superheroes or Barbies with them. Pull out some board games and play a game or two.
5. Get a steaming video service like Netflix. We have family movie night almost every Saturday without fail. It’s our family’s TV time. It’s great because we have hundreds, if not thousands of movies, episodes, and documentaries right at our fingertips. We don’t have to go anywhere to rent a movie, and every show on Netflix is included with our very low monthly fee, which is about $100 less per month than what we paid the last time we had cable.

Whether you’ve cut the cable or not, all of the above can be a great way to spend time with your family. But if you decide to cut the cable, they’ll be some great alternatives that’ll help you deal with the first few days, weeks, and maybe months of cable TV withdrawal.

Enjoy your cable free life, and better time with your family!

Have you considered cutting your cable TV?

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This post is part of a partnership I have with Netflix. I am part of the Netflix Stream Team, and will be sharing  posts throughout the year to inspire family time and conversations around the TV, tablet, and mobile devices.[/dropshadowbox]

photo credit: Theophilus Photography via photopin cc