thinking of canning TV and home phone line

keebler27

Just wondering if anyone else is wondering about doing the same thing or if they've done it.

My wife and I both run our own businesses so we have cell phones. The only reason why I haven't cut our home phone line is because I used that as my business line for a few years so previous clients have that number. I'm going to send out a letter soon advising of my new number. I've been using Skype to make long distance calls and that's working out well.

The TV is harder to give up, BUT we've hardly watched it over the last month or 2 and in the summer, we watched virtually nothing. I was gone hunting for the better part of 3 weeks so I haven't watched anything. I do like watching hockey and football and I like HD content so that is the tough part. We really limit how much the kids watch so they haven't been watching it lately and the wife has been working so hard that she goes to bed really early most nights.

The only convenient thing is having the PVR to record shows and watch them later.

BUT, i'm thinking we could either dload shows through ITunes if there's one we really want to follow or watch on CTV.ca etc...

I just look at our bill and think 'wowsers' - alot of money for something we don't really use (and probably don't need??).

Thoughts? (btw, not looking for you to tell me what to do...just looking for any feedback or similar situations

Lars

I pay for Internet and my iPhone only; no paid TV cable (ever), and I ditched the home phone idea back in 2006. Never looked back, never regretted either decision.

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Sonal

Having been seriously considering the same, particularly getting rid of the cable. It's a lot of money for something that just sucks away time from other things.

I still like my home phone, though. I associate my cell phone with problems... it's my business line, so if it rings, something has gone wrong somewhere....

Rps

Lars, I have been thinking about this for some time now ... I just need to wean myself off of the cable thing.

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chuckster

Also thinking about ditching television cable. I only have it on when my son is with me (1/2 a week) and never use the majority of channels. I was recently phoned by the cable company and offered the digital setup and family package for $1.00 a month more (for 6 months). I figured I'd give it 6 months and if neither of us are really using it ... it's gone.
The new 24 inch iMac has certainly turned my head from TV but I think TV is on the same decline newspapers, magazines, etc. is on. I think it's just a matter of time until the whole setup of commercial-based television just doesn't make viable sense any more.

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lyonsnet

I recently signed up for a SkypeIn number for business, and I used onekingtelecom to get a Toronto number (OneKing Telecom .::. Skype for Business .::. Skype Canada Number .::. Skype Iphone Canada) It works out to $12.10 CAD a month. I got a new 647 number because didn't already have a Toronto number, but they do claim you can keep your existing phone number and move it to their service. You could then keep your number, and not bother your clients with updating your contact info.

My only issue with onekingtelecom is they do not pass along the caller ID info to skype, instead when I get calls it only says something like "onekingtelecom.com ... "

Cheers,

l84toff

We've been without cable TV for a few years...sort of. If you have high speed internet via Rogers let's say, the cable tv signal gets piggy backed on the same line. You can pick up all channels from 2 to 70 something even though you don't officially have cable tv...so I've read . I'm not sure if this works in every case but it's been my experience on a couple of occasions.

But in reality we haven't watched cable tv for years now. My wife and I prefer to watch them online, mostly commercial free at that. You can watch all the shows Global has online (albeit with a small commercial) or there are a few websites (ch131, tvshack) where you can watch content for free, whenever you want. This way you're not glued to the tv at whatever time every Monday or whatever day because your favorite show is on.

This model fits my life better as I can catch up on anything I want whenever I want and I really dislike commercials (why am I paying money to watch commercials on cable television...isn't that who pays for the cable tv? Don't get me started on going to the movie theater and having to watch commercials there also).

As for the home phone, we decided not to get one our last move about a year ago, haven't looked back since. Even a basic line costs $25 with bell, nevermind if you want a few features. We've tried out VOIP with Primus, but gave that up after a few months, too many problems. So now we use our iPhones for most calls and Skype for LD.

Take the $1200 yearly savings and treat yourself to an all inclusive...or whatever else.

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bryanc

I haven't had cable TV since 1982 and haven't missed it. Perhaps it's my age, but I feel a little uncomfortable getting rid of the land-line phone, but I really should look into it. My wife and I both have cell phones, and we use iChat to talk with people at a distance.

Hmm...

MazterCBlazter

I have lived without TV and it was amazing how much more time I had, more active I was, plus reduced stress. I also got in a lot more reading.

Unfortunately my lady will not live without one. Otherwise I would be TV free. I really hate the one eyed monster. there are some good and informative things on it but the most of it really is a waste of consciousness. there is AppleTv and that might be a good move to watch things selectively and planned on your own schedule. Makes for a better life.

It would be wise to go with just a cell phone. You don't have to be at home to communicate with anyone and handy for emergencies.

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Max

Ditched cable TV coming on a year ago now. Bloodsucking cable TV thieves.... ah, but I digress. We still watch everything we want to watch, except now we do it more on our own personal schedules... without commercials.

I'd be screwed without the internet, though. That's a much harder thing to give up. I am hooked. Perhaps it'd be a lesson to go without that. But cable TV?

All that money, for all that redundancy and stoopid commercial barrages? No, I don't miss it at all.

We got rid of our home phone line around the same time, too. Alas, we put it back in a couple of months ago! If you have a complaint with some service supplier or whomever and get put on hold until it's your turn to talk to their people, the resultant cell costs can kill you. So we figured we'd actually save money by resorting to a basic landline service. Bizarre. And I was so glad to ditch the landline, too. Alas, it didn't make economic sense to stay that way.

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Max