Ten Reasons Why You Should Not Buy a Television Set

There are many reasons why you should NOT buy a TV at all. That being said, I DO own a TV and I do occasionally watch it. I know how to control my family's television viewing habits. It took a lot of work to get to that point though. Having no TV in the house would have been a much simpler solution!

So, why shouldn't you buy a TV?

10. If you don't have a TV, you won't be running to Blockbuster or any other video store to find that they don't even have what you wanted to view. I find it so frustrating to get to the video store looking for a particular movie only to find that they don't carry it or it's not in stock that day. Not to mention the money you will save if you do not rent videos. Plus, so many people buy videos these days that they only watch once or twice. You can use that money in more constructive, tangible ways, such as buying books!

9. You don't have to deal with the cable company! My cable company has given me a lot of hassles and headaches over the years that I've been with them. Other than going to satellite, which can have similar headaches and problems, they are the only deal in town, thus no competition and thus their service is lousy. As far as satellite dish, I'm glad that I don't have to look at one of those ugly things on my roof or in my backyard. It's bad enough to have the television inside, I don't need to be reminded of it when I'm actually outside trying to enjoy nature! Without a television, I wouldn't need any of their services and I would also save a lot of money!

8. I know that when I visit friends, I find that their television set is on non-stop. Or even when I call a friend on the telephone, I can hear the television screaming in the background. It is a nuisance in the first place and a waste of energy in the second place. Think of all the electricity you can save if you didn't have a television set to turn on!

7. A television set costs money! I know that you can probably get a small set for under $100 but some of those new flat screened sets can cost really cost big bucks! I've seen sets that are as big as my family room and cost more than $2000!!! I could take my family on a 10-day vacation for that kind of money! I won't even mention the money that you save when the set breaks down and you have to get it repaired!

6. I could save so much space in my house if I didn't have a television! Right now, the centerpiece of my family room is the television. If I took that away, I'd be able to rearrange the room in a much more functional manner. Plus, I have a television that takes up space on my dresser in the bedroom! Plus all the space that the videos and DVDs take up would also be found space in my rooms. I have videos and DVDs on shelves in every room of my house, or so it seems. I could have more space for books if I didn't need the space for all those movies!

5. If I didn't spend an hour a day searching for my remote, I'd have time to search for and organize all of the other lost things, like my mind! OK, seriously, I've had to move furniture, search the freezer, and just do without many times (heaven forbid, you mean I have to get up to change the channel?) because the darn remote controls to the television, the VCR, the DVD player, and the cable box get lost! That's 4 remote controls for one silly television program!

4. Flipping the channels the other day, I found that there was nothing even worth watching on the television. There are so many really stupid shows on. When we first got cable television when I was a kid, my dad always said, "with 30 channels, there will always be something to watch". Well, I hate to say it but I now have upwards of 60 channels and there are plenty of times when there is really nothing worth watching!

3. And, as a corollary to this, there are so many shows on today's television that I definitely can't even want my child to watch! Even shows that are "family oriented" often have scenes in them that are inappropriate for children! Hey kids, go grab a book!

2. Without television, there is more time to get up and PLAY! The family can play board games together. Or they can sit around and have conversation! Imagine that, talking to your family! With the television off, the possibilities of imaginative play are endless!

1. Kids can go outside and exercise! They can run around and go swimming or roller skating. They can ride bikes or jump on the trampoline! Kids who sit in front of the television for hours a day turn into obese couch potatoes. Kids who spend less time in front of the television are more physically fit and probably happier too!