Cable or not to cable?

I got a decent 6 month intro rate when I first signed up in July, but now that the honeymoon is over, I’m paying almost double. Last month’s bill was $81, this month $107. On a budget where my paycheck is gone before it’s in my account, spending this kind of money on TV entertainment isn’t going to work.

But how will I survive? I’ll admit that I have it on quite a bit, but most of the time it’s for background noise – I am in no way dependent on it. So what’s holding me back from picking up the phone and saying “No more, cable guy!”?

I’d lose access to the plethora of fitness videos that I get for ‘free’. The workouts that pull me out of bed at 5:50 that lead me to Jillian Michaels yelling at me to only take a quick 5 second break because when you’re only working out for 28 minutes, every second counts.

I very easily get bored with routine gym workouts (side note – I have free access to the fitness center at work which is where I work out). Treadmill, elliptical, bike….blah blah blah. It eventually becomes a trying experience where I have to talk myself into going. Being able to do these workouts in the morning makes me feel a little more accomplished and motivated because then I can leave work and head home at 4. Plus, I feel like the greater my variety in workouts is, the better my results and overall well-being will be.

Maybe you’re wondering, “Why doesn’t she go to the gym before work?” “Why doesn’t she do fitness classes/get a personal trainer?” “Why doesn’t she just workout at the gym every day?”

Well, to your first question, gym before work – the doggie, Tucker. I don’t know how well he will adjust to an earlier morning. I don’t know if his cycles will handle that. I’d have to leave home by 6AM, get to the gym at 6:30, and be in the shower by 7:30.

Fitness classes/personal trainer – money. 10 classes for $40, trainer is 30 min for $50

Gym everyday – we go back to Tucker. I can’t stand the thought of him being in his kennel for so long during the day. It’s not healthy for him and it’s not healthy for me.

So nixing the gym everyday scenario, I do have a small collection of workout videos and can always buy more at a fairly low price if I check around.

No cable = no ‘free’ workout videos = needing to buy converter box, antenna and more workout videos

All in all, I think canceling cable service is the smart thing to do…

In the six months I have had it, I’ve paid approximately $465 which is enough to clear off at least 2 things from my want/need list…