How cancelling my cable helped me quit smoking

Okay, I'm always sounding super-frugal in my posts and on my old website. But throughout the years I've always smoked and always had cable or satellite tv. They were my two luxuries that stayed with me no matter what. In fact they were two things I felt I couldn't do without. After all, I've smoked for over 30 years. And there's nothing on TV unless you have dozens of channels, right?

Then came 2008. Some long-term debt, higher prices at the gas pump, grocery store and everywhere else and now it's tough to make the ends meet without struggling.

So, I decided the satellite had to go. I called and cancelled

(okay, okay, I didn't exactly cancel. I had it turned off until September. Did you know you can do this??? Seriously, the cable is off until college football season comes back. Then I have to seriously rethink whether or not my addiction to Saturday football is worth the money... But we'll burn that bridge when we come to it.)

As I was saying, I've had cable or satellite since I had my first apartment. How in the world was I gonna live without it?!? I couldn't imagine NOT having all those channels to choose from. The mere though made me nauseous.

And then the day came......

..................................................................................................

And nothing happened.

The world didn't end. We ended up watching mostly the same shows at night. We got up off our lazy buns and walked around the block most nights and weekends. We worked in the yard more this Spring (bonus better garden!).

But we missed very little TV. *sigh* Another case where fear of the unknown was worse than reality.

Fast forward a month or so and I'm reading a book about stopping smoking. ("The Easyway to Stop Smoking", by the way). Bought it for a buck at the thrift store. I was thinking "no way can I quit - I can't imagine NOT smoking"

Turns out, the same thing applied to stopping smoking. It's been over a month. I just stopped one day. And I don't miss it. I love having the extra money.

Very often it's worse to imagine being without than it is to genuinely be without.

Last year I couldn't imagine not using a dryer. I haven't turned mine on in over a year.

Last summer I couldn't imagine a way to keep the water feature full without using the hose (and paying for the water). Now I have a rainwater reclamation system that's trash-picked and hand built (more on that later, I promise!)

Last January I couldn't imagine life without 72 channels of television.

For 30 years, I couldn't imagine dinner without a cigarette afterward.

What could you be free of when next we meet????

Just imagine.......

*updated August 2009 - still not smoking!*