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Back to the basics.

8K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  4BYDIG 
#1 ·
So my wife and I have been throwing around the idea of getting rid of our television service for the past couple months. Well we finally did it. Between the cost and the time spent watching mindless crap it's finally gone. No sure if anyone else here has done this but I'm hoping that it brings my kids outdoors more. I spend most of my waking hours outside anyways and really enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking and camping as well as just taking drives in an effort to get lost for a day exploring roads and areas I haven't ever been.

To start the year off with no TV my son and I are off to set up two beaver control jobs that I'm conducting right now then onto a trout fishing adventure topped off with a father son hunt on a friends land that has some feral hogs running it......... And yes we will be in the Trooper! Hope we can bring some trout home for the freezer and bring home some bacon later on next week. With camera in tow photos will be posted.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

SR
 
#2 ·
I am one of my few friends (I'm 28) that still has cable. My two best friends don't have cable because they feel its like throwing money down the drain. Anything they want to watch can be seen online. Its actually funny when they come over because they see all the commercials that we've watched FOR MONTHS!

One of them is trying to go back to to the real basics and build an earth house (something like a Cob structure) and avoiding electrical service and water/sewer fees. He really wants to minimize the "man's" influence on his life.

Its amazing what happens when you turn off the tube!
 
#3 ·
I really admire what you're doing Short Round. As I've been getting older (and yes, I'll admit I'm older than N Law!) I've started to question the speed and complexity we seem to have made this world we live in - which I'll admit is somewhat ironic as almost my entire professional career has been focused around technology that has I'm sure contributed to said speed and complexity. ;) While I know I will always hold a certain passion for technology, I find myself craving a level of simplicity that I think I've lost over the years more and more... "the basics" as you say. I have no doubt your adventures will be amazing, enjoy them to the fullest!

Jonathan
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well our fishing adventure turned into a wonderful day. We had perfect weather and a great time. We started out fishing around 10 am and fished until lunch with no luck. My son had a bite but it came off the hook. We too a break for lunch and headed back around 1:30 pm. We switched our tactics to rooster tails and my son was nailing them. I was using the same lure and didn't catch a thing all day............ he however ended up with three nice keepers that we prepared for dinner that night. Its amazing the energy kids have when they don't have TV!

photo (22).jpg


The next day we went to my dove field and had a great time fooling around together in the stand. Plenty of birds but most were coming over our stand super high. I was lucky enough to knock down 10 but we couldn't find three. All in all a great weekend spent outside with my son.

I currently have some corn piles out on some land with a camera over it. We are going to leave it for a week to gain video and photo intel on when and from what direction the feral pigs are coming. I am hoping to knock down a big boy as well as a few eater size. I just hope that they are coming during daylight hours.

Also have a predator hunting competition in Feb that I am entering this year. I entered it last year but my wife was induced the weekend of the competition so I didn't get to hunt. Currently working on three different predator calls and hoping to get them completed by the end of January so I can go test them out with my son before the tournament.

Do yourself a favor and turn the TV off! So far it has worked wonders for us.

SR
 

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#7 ·
Thanks man, he is really enjoying hinself. I need to finish up a few projects around the house so he and I get start one I have been planning for a few years now.

Wanting to build a garden shed as a log cabin is built. I really can't wait to start building it. I have salvaged some windows, doors, another odds and ends. Just need to grade out the area it's going and get the foundation started first. Hoping to get it started first of feb. Might build a chicken coop off the side of it when it's all finished but haven't decided yet. It will e interesting to see how he helps me out.

SR
 
#8 ·
Comcast rep called my wife a liar on the phone about 6 years ago. We turned off the cable for 5 years and still found more than enough TV to rot our brain just over the antenna but now it's back on and I'm seriously thinking about shutting it down again. It's 95% rubbish with a few shows that I do really like but most is pointless. At any rate, if it helps you get outside more, than more power to you. Have fun out there.
 
#9 ·
My biggest problem with it was watching how stupid my kids shows are and how they got into a " dumbed down" state of mind watching that crap. My second biggest issue was the cost of the service for what????? to spend 45 min each night flipping channels to finally settle on something that I really didn't want to watch to begin with? NO!

Don't get me wrong there will be some shows that I will miss and will most likely try to keep up with on the Internet but why spend so much money on something that really doesn't benefit me? The way I figure it if my wife and I had every penny back from cable for the last 5-6 years then I would be in a position to afford nearly 5-6 acres where I live or have a nice chunk of change for a down payment on our forever home.

I figure that not only can that money be spent a little wiser but my time can be spent the same as well. I would rather go hunt than watch a hunting show or go fix something on my home than watch someone else fix the same thing on another person's house. I have never been a fan of watching any sport so that won't bother me. I don't know I just figure I would rather teach my kids about life than them get some vague idea of what life really isn't on TV.

TV has now become a family affair where we watch a movie on Friday or Saturday night together. TV should be a treat as should soda, candy and fast food, not an every day thing that we get fixated on......... or at least that's what I am trying to teach my kids.

Who knows I the long run it might bite me in the *** and my kids might grow up to be obsessed with it BUT-they will know how to do the things they see on TV as well as decifer what truely is reality versus what we call reality television.

SR
 
#10 ·
I will definitely want to see lots of pics of the garden shed! :)

The cost part of the equation is indeed an interesting one. I remember being floored when I realized I could save about $10K/yr. in expenses alone by moving from CT to NC, and as I've been pondering my way of life recently I've come to the same realization you have, the "must have items" like TV, cell phones, etc. over time can add up to a small fortune! This just struck me again a week ago when I realized the "nominal" $38/mo. I was paying for a small storage space (long story!) added up to $450/yr... which to some people may not be that much, but for me? Holy smokes, that's the vacation I can't seem to ever afford... or stress free Christmas... or heck, more money for the Trooper! Needless to say, within 3 hours the storage space was empty! LOL!
 
#11 ·
Awesome idea, my wife and I cancelled our cable 5 years ago. It took a little getting used to, but now when I am at someone's house and I see commercials it seems really odd. We still have the 'net at home and have a Netflix account for movies.
 
#13 ·
I think the cable companies are going to soon realize that the constantly escalating prices for nothing are just going to screw themselves. I've seen a thread like this pop up on every forum I'm on since the1st of the year. Especially since I've seen what you can get by pushing a button on the new smart TV my son bought. I rarely watch TV myself and paying that Sat bill Iritates me to no end. When I do it's a movie. I can get that and just pay for the movie on the smart TV hooked up to the web. I think this is one of the wonderful side effects of the bad economy and inflation. Lot's of folks are reasessing their priorities and finding that their priorites really needed to get realigned with the real world.

Beautiful Fish! :D That's what kids are supposed to be doing!
 
#14 ·
Man.... Is it wierd that I'm only 27 and haven't had what "normal" people call TV in almost 13 years? I mean sure I have the net for movies and my buddy let's me know about certain shows I might get into via his netflix account.

Really though the reality of TV is that it's complete crap.

I mean honestly, there are movies I completely avoid because watching someone else's life is not entertaining to me. I have my own to live. If I'm watching a movie, I want it to do a few things. Make me laugh; scare the ever loving jesus out of me; or give me a good explosion or two and some dead dudes. Or all three.

These little drama movies can stuff it because it's too real life. TV shows, of mostly all wakes, can stuff it as well because most of them just plain suck.

I've got too little time on my hands for me time, I wont be caught spending it in front of a tv. The computer offers me something different, a chance to search and learn about things I am interested in. Yea you could say I'm addicted to the computer/internet. But it's not as if I'm mindlessly staring at a screen.

I get my fair share of being out and about. Like today I found out my Trooper can go through 4 feet of snow and it doesn't even feel like I was in any snow at all... Or how my landlord needed a guy to help around the building, and at $15 an hour, I am more than glad to help since I got laid off and I hate unemployment.
 
#15 ·
I know what some of you guys mean, I don't watch a whole lot of T.V. I mostly surf the net, or i'm outside, or i'm working on my truck or something. The only time I go out is when I go **** hunting. Just like yesterday, I left the unit at 2:00 p.m. .That's 4 hours earlier than usual, instead of t.v., I started putting my gas tank back in my truck and fiddling with it. I went in, look around the planet, ate supper around 7:30 or so and by 8:30 i was in the bed. I may have stayed up later, but 4:00 a.m. was killing me lol. When i get my house finished, i don't think I will be having satellite or any of that. I will have internet and of course i will have a television to hook up my Xbox to, I never play it, but we like to go to the red box and get a movie to watch sometimes. I think life is more productive when its more simple.
 
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