Can you live with OUT cell phone, high speed internet and cable TV?

[theoldwizard]

First to go would be my cell phone, although I'm using it more and more.

Second would be cable, mainly because of cost. Although I have become a cable TV addict ! 2 people, 6 TVs, 5 on cable ! I really hate our cable company. The cost has doubled in about 10 years.. I can't wait until AT&T starts service and give our local company some competition !

I switched from cable modem to the slowest DSL from AT&T about 18 months. Fastest enough for me and it was a huge savings !

 

[Alan]

For those of you without phones, how do you talk to your families and friends if you do not see them? (my friends are scattered all over the world, and family is in CA and I am here on the east coast.) E-mails and IM's are sufficient to a point, but...there is more than that.

We use MS messenger with webcams. It's great and saves a whole lot on long distance and international calls. My sister, my wife's brother and her sister and her 80 year old mother all live in different parts of England and all have webcams - it is better than phone calls as well costing nothing extra. (same goes with our son and daughter).

We do have satellite TV. We have the slower DSL from AT&T and a land line for only local calls. Total bill each month is $38 for phone and DSL.

We use a calling card for rest of long distance and international calls (very low rates) but we do very calling these days.

We have a cell phone for emergencies and when we travel ( less than $100/year)

 

[deserat]

Cell phone is paid for by work - is turned off on weekends - so probably, yes, could live without. Actually hate it when people answer phones in the middle of meetings, dinners, etc. RUDE!

High speed internet and Cable TV - lived without until husband whined so much - he wanted to surf web at home vice library and HAD to HAVE his sports on cable - he pays for it - I get to use it - I probably could do without - however, have found internet access at home is *very* convenient and FAST.

Deserat

 

[old woman]

I don't have a cell phone and have basic cable but don't care if I lost it.
I don't want to live without internet, I watch the stock market, do my banking, chat on message boards, IM my family, email and play games.
I will have to seriously decided if I would move someplace that didn't have it and I would never give it up without a very good reason.

 

[teejayevans]

I saw one of these in a magazine article recently. How much was this? Was it worth it? How easy or hard is it to use?

Was about $60, Hauppauge HVR 950, well worth it, the digital picture on my laptop
is every bit as good as any HD TV, just not as large. Install software, plug it
into the USB port, attach antenna, assuming you are in a bigger city that
has HDTV over the airwaves. Can attach it to cable as well, the TV
application will scan for available channels, and you are off. Works with both
regular as well as hi-def channels. Note, the hi-def channels require some
serious CPU, you'll need a recent laptop (3 years or less is my guess) to be
able to handle it, I have a dual core laptop and it consumes close to 50%.
You can record as well.
TJ