Does anyone NOT have a television?

[Schitzwa]

My 2 older kids are tv addicts. Worse more is that they are Sky tv addicts. I have been thinking about cutting my tv off completely from Sky and freeview. So I only has internet streaming and dvd's basically. I want to do this not only to cut costs but to see if it actually enriches the kids lives more and opens them up to spending their time on better things which may actually fuel their imagination rather than fizzle it out. Has anyone else done this?

[southeast-isher]

In moderation, like an hour a day, i think is alright.

[JuzaMum]

My older two (18 and 15) watch far too much, I would love to get rid of the evil box but fear their would be riots! My younger children (3 and 8months) don't watch any TV and I rarely watch anything. I definately think my 3 year old son has benefitted, he has a good imagination, self entertains well and is interested and excited by daily life. When we go to the doctors he turns off the TV in the waiting room.

JuzaMum

[oldjerry]

We go between telly\no telly over and over.
Currently we have BT vision,mostly for the broadband cos not much else works round here.So no live telly,but sort of Iplayer on demand.The kids get to see CBBC on Sat am,but nothing in the week.They DID have the infernal thing on all the time,but when the homework's finished in the week they get to watch DVD and they HONESTLY dont miss the telly(and their reading for their age is really good).

[baldybloke]

A few years back I made the decision not to replace my TV's when they died. The one in the kitchen is about 25 years old, still going strong, and refusing to pack up(Its a small Phillips TV). The one in the Living Room did die, but a friend gave me another one free. So I'm not doing very well with this commitment so far.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

TV (including DVDs and You-Tube type stuff) in this house is rationed to a maximum 2 hours per day and we're pretty good at timing how long the kids have got their head in the Idiot Box. We also have a veto on what is watched based on whether it is utter crap or not. We also have a long-running rule (8 years now) that TV is banned on Sundays - one non-school, family, TV free day per week. Our children are 12, 10 and 5. I think it is beneficial for them not to be passively entertained all the time, and they have taken up doing all kinds of things when the crystal bucket is shut off, but cutting out the video nanny does mean more work for the parents.

I was brought up with very little TV and lived for years without it. I would now, but Mrs Riff-Raff uses it intead of Valium.

[Carltonian Man]

No TV here for three years and haven’t missed it one bit, but in fairness we never did watch it that much anyway (actually went a full twelve months without it being switched on). Luckily, whilst growing up neither of our kids were interested. During their teen years they tended to spend their time reading. We’d all watch a DVD together on a Saturday night, screened on the wall via a projector and now if we want to we catch an occasional programme on the computer.

[southeast-isher]

I love TalkSport radio - the talk bit not the sport. Though there is far too much sport on at the moment and even half the talk presenters are below par at the moment. But radio generally is much more of a preference for me than TV.

[Paul_C]

as i live alone and am unemployed i tend to have the TV on in the background for company. especialy during the day.

there are things i watch and as i have sky (as its better to have it and the net than just the net for more) i record stuff and watch it when i want to. but i am finding myself looking at somethings i would have watched a year or so ago and going why the hell am i watching this shit? flicking through for something interesting and then leaving the least worst on when i read.

[greenorelse]

Never had nor wanted a tv BUT now we're being forced to pay a 'broadcasting charge' because of this government's failure to collect licence fees (oh and their insistence on paying the gambling debts of rich financiers has not a little to do with it).

[bonniethomas06]

I wish I didn't have a television, but my boyfriend would move out if I got rid of hours! This does make me hypocritical because I watch it too (because it's on) but I can imagine I would get so much more done if I just had radio 4 on - you can be doing something like sewing or painting or cooking while it's on and still be able to concentrate.

I love that saying "if you 'don't have time'...turn the telly off" -so true. I have tried having at least one night a week where I insist it is turned off and I read/the boyf plays on his stupid handheld game thingy.

[eco-mick]

I stopped paying my TV license 2 years ago and TV watching dropped like a lead bomb in water. Tend to only use it for DVD's and Blu's. However as I am moving on with the bus and house is up for sale I got rid of the TV in the main bedroom (amazing how I feel without it there)

Anyway, as I just do dvd's the laptop works well with these so have been watching these on that. This I can put into the bus when she is done without any mod's - the main tv however can't and wont work in the bus on 12v supply. I have made that move to offer that 32" TV for sale as well. So hopefully by the end of next week that one will be sold too :)

Then it will be TV free for the 1st time in years....... still I got shed loads of stuff to do like the allotment, diy'ing and reading.

Not bad for a 29 year old

[bonniethomas06]

I stopped paying my TV license 2 years ago and TV watching dropped like a lead bomb in water. Tend to only use it for DVD's and Blu's. However as I am moving on with the bus and house is up for sale I got rid of the TV in the main bedroom (amazing how I feel without it there)

Anyway, as I just do dvd's the laptop works well with these so have been watching these on that. This I can put into the bus when she is done without any mod's - the main tv however can't and wont work in the bus on 12v supply. I have made that move to offer that 32" TV for sale as well. So hopefully by the end of next week that one will be sold too :)

Then it will be TV free for the 1st time in years....... still I got shed loads of stuff to do like the allotment, diy'ing and reading.

Not bad for a 29 year old

Eco-mick, you are amazing. Not bad at all for a 29 year old (especially the building the house bit) and puts this 30 year old to shame!

[oldjerry]

It's amazing how much you can get done when you dont spend all your time playing with your handheld gamethingy !........................and I'm not going to press 'submit'..................
'............no...........no.......................................................oh alright then...

[Zech]

We sold our telly when we moved house 15 months ago and don't miss it at all, but then we don't have kids. We still watch programmes on iplayer, but because we choose what we want to download and have to wait for it, we watch far less rubbish than we used to, and nothing just because it's on. We still seem to watch quite a bit - one or two programmes most evenings. It makes me feel a bit guilty about not paying the license fee, really!