Iterative Steps to Eliminating or Reducing Cable Television Service

Some years ago I wrote a piece on how to negotiate for lower Comcast cable service rates. But since then I have been toying off and on with the notion that I should cancel my Comcast cable service entirely, or at least revert back to old-school basic analog cable.

I have found it surprisingly difficult to commit to eliminating cable service altogether. Even reverting to analog cable instead of digital cable has been a tough sell in my mind. So even though I have been saying that I would like to do one of these two things for some time, why the hesitation? I know that cable television adds limited value (as evidenced by the fact that I never seem to be able to find anything good to watch besides Star Trek, Jewelry Television, the Food Network, the new Dallas series, or Ancient Aliens (I know, I know....).

I think it's just the brute-force fact of human nature that people don't like to sacrifice. I know I'm not entitled to cable service, but I don't want to give it up now that I have it. I also know I'm more likely to read more books or work on more constructive projects without cable television to suck up my free time. Also, people generally don't like making drastic changes; they are more likely to be comfortable with making small, iterative changes to their lifestyle or finances. Over time, these little course corrections can lead to success.

So with those insights, I think I will get off my duff and truck myself down to the Comcast office this coming weekend, not to eliminate my cable television altogether, but instead to take the iterative step of reverting to cheaper analog cable. It will save some money and I will still get to watch most of the shows I enjoy. I may have to find another solution for recording shows (like going retro with an old-school VCR), but one baby step at a time.