Go to Wal-Mart and pay 20 bucks for an RF modulator. Put your “tiny picture” on your t.v. screen and you’ll never know the difference.

Then preach in the pulpit about you turned off the devil’s box and you’re a better person for it

Nowadays we don’t have TV reception but are very happy with our DVD plus free films from the library, $1 weeklies from the video store, and our favourite series bought on sale. We play games like Settlers of Catan, Apples to Apples, and Squint. We read, study, create with Lego, and listen to music. We go on pyjama runs to McDonalds for a cheap icecream. We spend time with friends.

As to cutting costs, we’re now debt free thanks to our country’s recent govt bailout package, have substituted a debit card for credit, and are monitoring our spending closely. I’d like to grow my own vegies again, have no problem going to thrift stores for clothes, and would rather buy my kids one good present than a whole heap of plastic crap. Oh, and we have a “No Advertising Material Accepted” sign on our letterbox.

(Our local economy is fine. No problems at all. If it weren’t for the fact that my 401K is on Wall Street, I wouldn’t even know the recession was happening.) We’re doing some cost cutting, though, because my wife went to 2/5 time so she could finish her degree. Saving money by eating out less, is basically it. That, and not giving in to the pressure to Sacrifically Give To The Building Program…

I grew up with TV in the ’60s and ’70s, and even have a few good memories of the ’80s (Cosby, Full House) but in my opinion there hasn’t been much on in the past 20 years worth watching, unless it were on the History Channel (which we don’t get) or Planet Earth (which we have on DVD anyway). Gray’s Anatomy was fun for a while, but now it’s just all about how Shocking We Can Be, and it’s moralistic amoralism is tedious to the extreme… So, basically, we have cable so my wife can watch the weather in the morning while putting on makeup.

And Boxee is very nice.

“Kill your Television”

Even now, my most productive days are when I can’t watch TV. If my wife has friends over and they are watching “chick flicks,” I find myself working on that door that won’t shut right, or the dog house I promised to build several months ago. I’m not strong enough to get rid of it, but its good for the soul to loose the remote now and then.

Federal regulators shepherding the U.S. digital television transition visited Los Angeles on Monday and asked for divine assistance.

“We need people to take up leadership in their community and make sure nobody gets left out in the switch,” FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein said during a public forum at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in South Los Angeles. “Churches already have the infrastructure in place to do that.”

Standing at the church pulpit, Adelstein asked the Baptist Ministries Conference of Los Angeles, nearly 50 African American preachers who meet once a month, to include information on the June 12 digital TV switch in their sermons.

Tivo is a life changing device. TV suddenly became a choice to make when you had time, not an place you had to be at a certain time.

And comparing it to the DVR thing from Scientific Atlanta that Time Warner gives out and a Dish DVR I used a couple of years ago is like driving a 911E or Vet and then having folks say my 52 Buick is a car, what’s the big deal?

On the other hand, I do cheerfully pay for a broadband internet connection, and I spend a lot of time online. And I too have my “mindless unwinding” time, but I tend to pick up a book — and I’m not entirely sure either of these is much better than TV, just quieter.

Also, trying to find places to cut when you think you live a fairly modest lifestyle to begin with is tough. The last time I analyzed my food bills, though, I discovered that I was spending a surprising amount of money on out-of-season produce, so I’ve tried to cut back on that. It’s probably time for me to analyze some of my other spending and see where it’s going.

BTW, I’m going to be out of a job in June because the Catholic school I work for is closing. Declining enrollment because of the recession is the main reason. Hope that doesn’t happen to anyone else here. Fortunately for us, the local Catholic community is rallying round to help our students find places, and hopefully they will be able to do the same for some of the faculty and staff.