A Staggering Suggestion
Posted on February 4, 2008
Filed Under marriage, cheapskates, debt, My Better Half, resolutions, challenges, vow of asceticism |
It’s the fourth and I’m approaching the thirty day mark of a sixty day self imposed period of asceticism. Time for an update…
Obviously the exercise in economy requires some flexing of the self control muscle and, like any attempt to improve oneself, to tone and sculpt and define, there is some pain associated. And while rules are hard to live by, there is also some gamesmanship involved. I have always enjoyed a challenge and so, as long as there is an identifiable end to this thing, I can derive pleasure driving right by the Starbucks and the Dunkin’ Donuts and the Ultimate Perk that line the Main Street of our town center, determined to get home without a fancy coffee confection. The flavor of a homemade cocoa or cup of Maxwell House is surprisingly adequate when taken with a packet of asceticism and a splash of economy. Eschewing the unnecessary feels defiant and I take great pleasure in the contrary nature of the thing.
While minor sacrifices, like no Margaritas at the Mexican restaurant last weekend (the first restaurant meal of the thirty day stretch), are easy to make, major adjustments have also been made. I was able to decline an invitation to head North for a weekend of skiing. After tallying the cost of long underwear and lift tickets and equipment rental and ski instruction and food and the gas to get us there, the answer was obvious. The old me would have accepted the offer and hoped that the credit card had sufficient balance to support our vacation. The new me measured the price of our pleasure and decided against the trip. I’ve been told that skiing is a blast. I also know, first hand, what a drag it is to sit home on a cold weekend in January. But it’s absolutely no fun to pay for a $1000 weekend well into summer.
In the past thirty days I’ve had to be thrifty, using gift certificates and frequent shopper coupons to purchase next month’s book group selection. A good book is always a justified expense. A good book that costs $4 is a victory. In the spirit of the game, I have been avoiding catalogs and slick fashion mags and Elle Decor. Its best NOT to know what I’m missing.
We’ve made pizza, three times in four weeks, instead of ordering from a local pizza joint. We have come to like our own creation better than the delivery variety. Each time the dough is a bit different, we select a fancy mozzarella and concoct a fresh sauce, all in pursuit of the perfect pie. We are close, we are very close. We joke that once we’ve got it, that secret and perfectly delectable recipe, we’ll open our own pizza place, called We,The Pizza . We laugh and feel clever.
But here’s where the fun stops. My Better Half, swept up in the spirit of the thing, has made a suggestion, a staggering and solemn suggestion that would, indeed, save us $70 a month but is surely the end of lighthearted fun and the beginning of something permanently spartan and unpopular.
“Let’s get rid of Verizon Fios,” he said and, game over, I wanted to weep. I even surprised myself with my own visceral and dramatic reaction. I wouldn’t even call us a television family. The kids aren’t allowed to watch t.v. during the week and are only allowed a movie or a televised sports event on Sunday. My Better Half and I rarely watch live broadcast network television and prefer to catch up on popular HBO series via Netflix. But there’s a feeling of freedom that our cable package with rewind and pause and high-def, affords us, even if we don’t use it all that much. When American Idol airs at 8 and I’m still reading a story or putting away laundry, there is comfort in the fact that I can kind of float downstairs twenty minutes post start-time and back the whole thing up to the first contestant. I miss nothing and gain the ability to skip through irritating commercials. It’s a beautiful thing.
And then there’s the tricky business of watching whole tennis tournaments. First, the early rounds are only available on cable and then, of course, they are aired during the week, usually during the work day when it is important to look busy with things other than watching tennis tournaments. So there’s only one way to watch televised tennis and that’s with the ability to tape, replay and fast forward at will.
Also, the cancellation of cable would mean the end of The Daily Show as I know it, which is a day late by necessity. I simply can’t stay up that late and must catch up with Jon Stewart after the fact. Better late than never. The cancellation of cable would mean no more 30 minute stints with Cesar Milan and the wayward dogs of California. (Is it me or is the canine population of LA particularly prone to aggressive behavior and peeing on the sofa?)
So I moaned and stuttered and held on to the furniture for support, trying desperately to justify the expense, wondering where would the cancellation of cable leave me but hopeless and abandoned and utterly entertainment-free?
(Before I can answer that question, a thank you is in order. I want to express my gratitude to the one individual who actually purchased something via my Amazon links on this blog. I don’t know who you are or what item you actually bought but the $1.09 in my Amazon Affiliates account warms my heart and makes me feel just a little bit closer to keeping my cable habit. Never mind that in order for Amazon to cut a check, I’ll need to earn another $98.91. After a whole year of linking products and posts, I’m on my way.)
Now back to the cable issue-gasp, gawk - I’d rather begin walking to the grocery store with my wheel barrow and a bunch of those string sacks that environmentally conscious people use instead of plastic. Is that sacrifice enough to keep the cable? I could bike the three miles to tennis. I could wear outerwear in the house and knock the thermostat down to 60 degrees. I could shower but once a week and knit my own socks but getting rid of digital video recording? I just don’t think I can do it.
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