It’s very difficult to ween yourself off of entertainment media completely – trust me, I know. But there’s at least a way you can cut down on the number of devices in order to simplify. You can get rid of your cable box, DVD player, TV, and bookshelf, all with a simple laptop or iPad. How?
Ditch your television (by ditch, we mean donate)
Most of what’s on regular TV is terrible, but if you’re like me, you have some guilty pleasures you just quite can’t let go of. All of the major television networks (and even some of the cable networks) stream their new shows on their sites the day after they’re aired. Of course, there’s also streaming website Hulu, which has a number of new and old shows on their site.
Don’t bother with DVDs
I’ve seen some impressive DVD collections in my time, and I always look at them and think, “Why?” Instead of amassing an enormous collection, how about renting them? Or, better yet, use a streaming service like Netflix (which also streams television shows that are on DVD). Which also means…
Cut the cable
If you still subscribe to cable, companies like HBO are starting streaming services of all their shows, every single episode online. (You may be able to still ditch the cable box and keep the subscription.)
Ease into e-books
I had a professor in college whose house’s walls in every room except the bathrooms and kitchen were bookshelves. Clearly he was a brilliant guy (and his house smelled awesome), but what’s going to happen to all those books? Nowadays many books can be published in an e-book format, reducing waste and tree destruction. We hope our publisher will be able to add e-book format to our own paperback soon.
Obviously, if you’ve already become completely free of it all, I bow down in awe. It’s a difficult habit to kick, but it can be done. It’s just a matter of letting go when more is not enough no matter what you do. As always, baby steps. Not only will you reduce stuff, you’ll save money, too.
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