Slowly... getting off the grid

[Ernest Buckley]

After some pondering, I`ve decided to slowly wean myself and my family off the entertainment grid. This is due basically to the outrageous amounts of $$$ spent every month for things unnecessary. For example, my Verizon bill for September is $340.00, thats over $4080/year!!! (This includes "hi speed" internet, two cell phones, HD TV and home phone).

 

No one calls my house phone anymore because if they really need to speak to us, they call the cell. Out of the 200 channels on our HD system, I think we watch 4 of them. I think the only thing worth keeping is the Internet and cell phones.

 

I`m thinking with the kids going back to school, we don`t let them watch much TV anyway during the week and with a Netflix account, we will still have movies to watch on the internet.

 

I`m amazed at how much $$$ is wasted every year for things that we really don`t need. So next month we`ll start taking a little away each month so we don`t feel it as much but I`m looking forward to getting back to something a little more simple and cheaper.

[MikeRivers]

Hmmmm . . . My Verizon bill is about $36/month. This includes home phone and low speed DSL. My pay-as-you-go cell phone costs me $25 every 90 days and I have hundreds of rolled-over minutes in the bank. My TV comes in from an antenna on my roof. I rarely talk to anyone by phone other than perhaps to confirm an appointment or tell them, no I don't have any furniture or clothing to donate to the Purple Society for Gobloots Disease. My grid is e-mail, the WWW, and the library.

[Ernest Buckley]

 

Hmmmm . . . My Verizon bill is about $36/month. This includes home phone and low speed DSL. My pay-as-you-go cell phone costs me $25 every 90 days and I have hundreds of rolled-over minutes in the bank. My TV comes in from an antenna on my roof. I rarely talk to anyone by phone other than perhaps to confirm an appointment or tell them, no I don't have any furniture or clothing to donate to the Purple Society for Gobloots Disease. My grid is e-mail, the WWW, and the library.

 

 

Hey Mike,

 

I don`t know much about your situation but you`re probably a single household. There are 4 of us here. Its completely possible to give up the TV, the Internet, the cell phones which I would love to do eventually and like I said, it`ll be a slow go. I can stop it immediately and be done with it but I think the wife and kids have their creature comforts and it would be tough for them.

 

Maybe I`m going out on a limb with this but I think a family of 4 living in Brooklyn, NY is going to have a lot more bills than a single household in small town USA.

[flatfinger]

good for you !!

99% of whats on der tele is garbage anyway !!!! We do seem to becoming technophilliacs don't we ?

 

All these latest gizmos won't make ya happy , will they .

 

I answer allot of my questions with questions , don't I ??

[BlueSteam]

We're in the process of cutting back; just went from smartphones to dumbphones... We'll also be moving in October and I'm seriously just thinking about cancelling the Comcast Cable/Internet we've got and getting a home line with DSL. Should save some money. We NEVER watch TV but getting basic makes their Internet fees lower.

[Plain Vanilla]

 

After some pondering, I`ve decided to slowly wean myself and my family off the entertainment grid. This is due basically to the outrageous amounts of $$$ spent every month for things unnecessary. For example, my Verizon bill for September is $340.00, thats over $4080/year!!! (This includes "hi speed" internet, two cell phones, HD TV and home phone). No one calls my house phone anymore because if they really need to speak to us, they call the cell. Out of the 200 channels on our HD system, I think we watch 4 of them. I think the only thing worth keeping is the Internet and cell phones. I`m thinking with the kids going back to school, we don`t let them watch much TV anyway during the week and with a Netflix account, we will still have movies to watch on the internet. I`m amazed at how much $$$ is wasted every year for things that we really don`t need. So next month we`ll start taking a little away each month so we don`t feel it as much but I`m looking forward to getting back to something a little more simple and cheaper.

 

 

Where I live, I get four "wi fi" bars off the business across the street from my home. It forces Google into "safe search" mode, but other than that it works great. We decided to dump our $75 comcast bill. We actually did a lot of trimming of this sort a couple of years ago. We got rid of our home phone, trimmed a few other services and ended up with almost $400 AFTER TAX dollars a month to do with as we wish.

 

It goes into junk silver.

 

And we also buy virtually ALL non-food items from garage/estate sales and craigslist. It has actually become a fun thing - like treasure hunting. And we have gotten some AMAZING deals on VERY unique items.

 

And we pay no taxes on this stuff.

 

People do not realize this, but as the CPI claimed to be pretty flat, there was actually HUGE inflation in two areas: House prices and taxes. We're absolutely NAILING the latter.

 

But as you mentioned, home phones are a 20th century relic, at least if you have cell service at your home.

[felix]

I just got a new issue of Wired in the mail - it has a great article on this topic exactly. Worth checking out. My wife and I have been considering bailing on cable too.

[Anderton]

Anybody remember how when the recession first hit, I said there were going to be two recessions - the first one involuntary, and the second one voluntary as people scaled back? This thread is exactly what I was talking about.

 

There's a constant encouragement of materialism from the media and from multiple companies, but ultimately, shiny objects only hold your attention for so long but I can't resist looking at the sunset every night. No charge for it, either

[TBush]

Anybody remember how when the recession first hit, I said there were going to be two recessions - the first one involuntary, and the second one voluntary as people scaled back? This thread is exactly what I was talking about. There's a constant encouragement of materialism from the media and from multiple companies, but ultimately, shiny objects only hold your attention for so long but I can't resist looking at the sunset every night. No charge for it, either

 

Good prediction- and your 2nd point is also taken well, The answer from the administration in the 30's was "consume- spend"- not too different from what we hear now. Our household has been bare bones for a while now- the one extravagance is the "2 DVD's at once" plan from Netflix.

 

It's so important to be able to sift your needs from your wants, and learn to live without so much consumption.

 

That, and bulk-buying your oats and flour...

[Richard King]

I would like to get off the real grid and fire the electric company. I have two houses here. I bought one just over 3 years ago as a rebuild project. It had been totally stripped when I bought it. I did it "green". I did a tankless hot water heater, sprayed in foam insulation (Icynene, about 5x the cost of fiberglass), insulated windows, solid doors, a 25% more efficient AC/Heat pump unit than required by code and a "salt water" pool. The house I live in, about the same size and eight blocks away is a typical 1970's Florida house with no inusulation, crank out windows (probably the worst windows ever), an ancient AC unit, no pool, etc. I spend my days at the "good" house doing open houses and working on various projects (not related to the house). The electric bill at the "good" house has never been above $200 in a month and has been as low as $114. The electric bill at my house (where I live) this time of year is over $400 per month and doesn't ever get below $200. When (if) I get the other house sold I'm going to do some of the same things at my house, windows, insulation, etc. (Anyone wanna buy a house, still).

 

Back on topic, I have fired the land line phone and only use cell now. The land line was only receiving solicitation calls anyway since nearly everyone had my cell number. I have cable for internet and the lowest tier of television (for the apartment attached to the house). In the house I have satellite (Dish), which may be going away if they don't fix the volume problems with their inserted ads.

[Bookumdano2]

I'm with you Ernesto the Buckliest -

 

Although ...No cell phone for me ... ever. Why people pay for those, I have no clue.

 

The worst quality-signal calls I ever get, and I get a lot of them every day ... are always from cell phones. That people pay ungodly CONTRACTS for !!!! I'm actually just about ready to hang up on anyone who ever calls me again from a bad-connection cell phone. Which means lots more free time for me.

 

If the cosmos wanted me to be instantly connected to the rest of the planet for endless, inane conversations while I'm walking around in the store ....I woulda been born with an antenna planted in my head.

 

And get this ... people with cell phones put people on hold on their cellphones so that they can answer another incoming call so that ... they can talk to TWO people at the same time on their cellphone that they pay minutes for. And ONE of the incoming calls is always the one you have to say ... "hey, I have to call you back"..... all this for BIG BUCKS per year.

 

Oh yeah, but without a cell phone, I might miss an important call... oh yeah ? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ... yeah right !!

 

 

tv ... hey ... all junk... HBO etc are a waste of time except every time I cancel them, Verizon gives me "3 more months" free to try. At this rate, I'll never get a bill for those worthless things.

 

fast fast internet is useful for what I do so that's okay.

 

Hey ... I sound like an old grumpy guy. Cool !!!! Always wondered when that would kick in.

 

Guess I'll mosey over to Craig's house to watch the sunset and talk about the good ol days when real men only worked with electronics that needed soldering guns.

[Hard Truth]

The internet, especially sites like Craig's List, provides a lot of opportunities for living well without spending much money. Why buy an expensive tool you need once a year when you can borrow it from a neighbor? Car sharing is catching on in my area. One can also trade services with bartering. Or find a mate without going to bars. Give away those excess zuchinis you grew this year. There is a potential to destroy the economy without people having to live in poverty.

[JohnBenussi]

I would like to get off the real grid and fire the electric company. I have two houses here. I bought one just over 3 years ago as a rebuild project. It had been totally stripped when I bought it. I did it "green". I did a tankless hot water heater, sprayed in foam insulation (Icynene, about 5x the cost of fiberglass), insulated windows, solid doors, a 25% more efficient AC/Heat pump unit than required by code and a "salt water" pool. The house I live in, about the same size and eight blocks away is a typical 1970's Florida house with no inusulation, crank out windows (probably the worst windows ever), an ancient AC unit, no pool, etc. I spend my days at the "good" house doing open houses and working on various projects (not related to the house). The electric bill at the "good" house has never been above $200 in a month and has been as low as $114. The electric bill at my house (where I live) this time of year is over $400 per month and doesn't ever get below $200. When (if) I get the other house sold I'm going to do some of the same things at my house, windows, insulation, etc. (Anyone wanna buy a house, still). Back on topic, I have fired the land line phone and only use cell now. The land line was only receiving solicitation calls anyway since nearly everyone had my cell number. I have cable for internet and the lowest tier of television (for the apartment attached to the house). In the house I have satellite (Dish), which may be going away if they don't fix the volume problems with their inserted ads.

 

 

On a serious note...

Move to Canada.

 

You have to jump through toooooo many hoops

in the states to exercise your uh, freedoms.

 

Getting off the electronic/multimedia grid is one thing.

Getting off the slavery grid everyone else is on is another;)

 

 

 

Soon the internet will be regulated, then the Sun...

How much farther will everyone be pushed until enough is enough?

 

 

Answer: when it "hits home."

And not a second earlier.

[Ernest Buckley]

Hey Craig,

 

Good prediction... I don`t remember it but the truth is... in my line of work, I have fortunately not felt the recession but I have noticed that prices are going up. And I no longer see the point in all this useless nonsense. You when I discovered classic books in my 30s, the TV just had no chance.

 

[EDIT: and the truth is, I really do not want to be that connected. Sometimes I forget my cell phone when I`m leaving my house, its actually nice.]

 

E

[Beck]

and the truth is, I really do not want to be that connected. Sometimes I forget my cell phone when I`m leaving my house, its actually nice

 

Me neither... I never really did start carrying one like most people do. Some get annoyed that they can't reach me immediately, but I don't want to be that reachable.

[Kotch]

I have a cell phone, but nobody wants to ring me.

[Ernest Buckley]

Me neither... I never really did start carrying one like most people do. Some get annoyed that they can't reach me immediately, but I don't want to be that reachable.

 

I hear ya.

 

On another note: I head into Metropolis every now and then and its funny because I used to enjoy the city but it has become such a desolate place to me now. I passed thousands of people and they are all connected to something. Its almost as if, we`re afraid to make eye contact with people anymore. Everyone is typing away. I was on line at Starbucks and theres this girl in front of me typing away... its her turn to order but she is so distracted by her cell she needed a few seconds to realize where she was and what she was doing. It was like this everywhere I went. People walking and talking on their phones, typing and walking, ear buds blasting, shutting out the world... really scary.

[Gus Lozada]

... slowly ...

[MikeRivers]

 

The electric bill at the "good" house has never been above $200 in a month and has been as low as $114. The electric bill at my house (where I live) this time of year is over $400 per month and doesn't ever get below $200.

 

I suppose that in Florida, you use air conditioning quite a bit but still, that sounds like a pretty hefty electric bill. Are those typical in your area? Here near Washington DC, my highest electric bill during the Summer (we need A/C too) this year so far was $178. Typically it's between $50-$60. The house is really poorly insulated and has crummy windows, and during the Winter, I've had gas bills (heat) over $300 for a couple of months.

 

Back on topic, I have fired the land line phone and only use cell now. The land line was only receiving solicitation calls anyway since nearly everyone had my cell number.

 

I got a cell phone about 9 years ago after a few years of AES shows where I wanted to meet people I didn't already know and we were both in the same building but in different corners. Very few people have my cell number, and that phone is usually turned off. I carry it with me when I go out walking or when I'm driving so I can call 911 if I have a heart attack or get hit by a bus. Hardly anyone calls me on my land line at home, but I like the idea of having backup at home in case something happens to the cell phone (or the service) and I need to make a call. I have message unit service (a dime a call) and a 3 cents/minute long distance service, so my phone bills are comparatively low.

 

I do wish the house was tighter and kept heat and cold where it should be, but I figure that new windows, new insulation, and a more efficient furnace and air conditioner would cost so much more than what I'd save over the rest of my lifetime, so I guess I'll just have to burn up a little more than my share of the environment. But I figure I make up for it by not making any kids.

[Richard King]

I have a cell phone, but nobody wants to ring me.

 

Post your number.

[Richard King]

 

I suppose that in Florida, you use air conditioning quite a bit but still, that sounds like a pretty hefty electric bill. Are those typical in your area? Here near Washington DC, my highest electric bill during the Summer (we need A/C too) this year so far was $178. Typically it's between $50-$60. The house is really poorly insulated and has crummy windows, and during the Winter, I've had gas bills (heat) over $300 for a couple of months. I do wish the house was tighter and kept heat and cold where it should be, but I figure that new windows, new insulation, and a more efficient furnace and air conditioner would cost so much more than what I'd save over the rest of my lifetime, so I guess I'll just have to burn up a little more than my share of the environment. But I figure I make up for it by not making any kids.

 

 

The $400 this time of year is pretty typical for a house of my size and age that hasn't been updated. I keep the thermostat at the old house at 82 and at the new house at 76. I feel like I am throwing away a payment on a very nice car every month. Neither house is really large, the new one about 1900 square feet, the old one about 2,000. My neighbors at the new house have been amazed at the electric bills there (as have I). The electric company here is the City of Vero Beach Utilities, municipal owned. There is a VERY big battle going on about the bills right now with people saying the system should be sold to Florida Power and Light, who's bills are about 30% lower. Vero Beach customers have about the third highest bills in the state of Florida at the moment. I THINK, although can't verify, that the biggest savings is because of the insulation that I used.

[Lukenskywalker]

 

Hmmmm . . . My Verizon bill is about $36/month. This includes home phone and low speed DSL. My pay-as-you-go cell phone costs me $25 every 90 days and I have hundreds of rolled-over minutes in the bank. My TV comes in from an antenna on my roof. I rarely talk to anyone by phone other than perhaps to confirm an appointment or tell them, no I don't have any furniture or clothing to donate to the Purple Society for Gobloots Disease. My grid is e-mail, the WWW, and the library.

 

 

hey Mike, what's a "pay as you go" phone? like prepaid minutes?

 

I have Verizon Wireless with a gazillion minutes and texting...I pay 125.00 a month for two phones and used precisly 14 minutes last month...I hate to talk on the phone...especially a stupid break up cell phone...There is a dead spot in my living room where I cannot get a signal...that means I have to go way back in the corner of my backyard where the fishpond is and the gurgle of the waterfall is so loud I have to unplug the pump to hear anything.

 

I have a land line phone too, that's part of a Comcast package of phone, Hi-speed internet and Cable...another joke, One of the new movies on HBO is 'Fargo'

 

I do need a cell for my camping/fishing/kayaking trips which I sometimes do solo, in the middle of nowhere and for roadside emergencies.

 

Man I'm glad Ernest brought this up...I'm figuring I'm the only curmudgeon that is 'anti-gadget and Gizmo' since this is porportedly a techie type site.

 

Glad to hear others are feeling the pain.

[rjt]

Interesting point about the "second recession." I only use a cell, have lowest level of internet service and am very cautious about monthly bills. I drive my cars (unfortunately all hard city driving) until the repair shop gives up. Cooking is not my strongest point, but I only eat out (fairly cheaply) about every other week. My biggest luxury is Direct TV.... I do love the History Channel, History International and a few others..... especially the NFL Network (I know, I know ) which I watch all off-season. I am now semi-retired and notice how careful I am even buying something for $5 or so.

[MikeRivers]

 

hey Mike, what's a "pay as you go" phone? like prepaid minutes?

 

I'm on an AT&T GoPhone plan. They have several, each one more confusing than the next, but the one I picked seems to be the best deal for my level of usage. It's simple. Talk time is 25 cents/minute anywhere that you find service - no roaming, no long distance. I pay $25 and get 100 minutes in the bank. That's good for 90 days, and unused time, as long as you re-up on time, stays in the bank. You can pay $10 or $15 for 30 days and it comes to a bit more than a quarter a minute, or pay $100 for a year and you get a few bonus minutes.

 

You can pay less per minute but the first usage of the phone any day you use it costs $1. I rarely talk more than 2 minutes on a call, and some months I don't use the phone at all. I don't do text messaging. I can access the Internet with my phone and account and data gets charged by the kilobyte. It costs less than a quarter if I want to check my Yahoo e-mail. I'll rarely write an e-mail message from the phone. You buy your phones but they're pretty cheap. After realizing that I had $500 in the bank (after more than 8 years) I bought a new phone that's mildly Internet capable (on sale for $60 at Best Buy) so I could burn off some of that money checking mail. It hasn't put much of a dent into the account.

 

I have Verizon Wireless with a gazillion minutes and texting...I pay 125.00 a month for two phones and used precisly 14 minutes last month...

 

If that's typical usage for you, you could get that on one phone for $8 and have some time left in the bank. Of course if you have a kid who texts 15 hours a day and a wife who can't drive anywhere without talking on the phone, a regular monthly plan is probably a better deal.

 

...There is a dead spot in my living room where I cannot get a signal...that means I have to go way back in the corner of my backyard where the fishpond is and the gurgle of the waterfall is so loud I have to unplug the pump to hear anything.

 

Mine is pretty near dead anywhere inside my house, but then the cell phone, unless I forget to turn it off, is always off when I'm in the house anyway. I get plenty of signal out in the yard. Too bad about the pump for your pond. That sounds like a great place to be when talking on the phone.

 

I'm not anti-phone. Though it hasn't saved my life yet, nor have I even had to use it to call the AAA and get them to bring me some gas or change a tire, it costs little enough so that I'm glad I have it. I think my DSL on the land line is $20/month for, on good days, a bit over a megabit/second download and about half that for uploads, which is plenty fast for me. When cable first came into my neighborhood, it was $5/month for basic service and I jumped on it. I live down in a hole so my over-the-air reception is only fair. It went up incrementally, and when it finally hit about $18/month when they made the cable companies charge separately for service and equipment (they said it would be cheaper for most customers, but not me) I canceled it. Now they send me about three ads a week in the mail plus at least that many as newspaper inserts (yes, I still read a newspaper) for great deals like $99.99/month (for the first six months - they don't say how much after that) for TV, phone, and Internet, and I say fooey!

[Lukenskywalker]

 

I'm on an AT&T GoPhone plan. They have several, each one more confusing than the next, but the one I picked seems to be the best deal for my level of usage. It's simple. Talk time is 25 cents/minute anywhere that you find service - no roaming, no long distance. I pay $25 and get 100 minutes in the bank. That's good for 90 days, and unused time, as long as you re-up on time, stays in the bank. You can pay $10 or $15 for 30 days and it comes to a bit more than a quarter a minute, or pay $100 for a year and you get a few bonus minutes. You can pay less per minute but the first usage of the phone any day you use it costs $1. I rarely talk more than 2 minutes on a call, and some months I don't use the phone at all. I don't do text messaging. I can access the Internet with my phone and account and data gets charged by the kilobyte. It costs less than a quarter if I want to check my Yahoo e-mail. I'll rarely write an e-mail message from the phone. You buy your phones but they're pretty cheap. After realizing that I had $500 in the bank (after more than 8 years) I bought a new phone that's mildly Internet capable (on sale for $60 at Best Buy) so I could burn off some of that money checking mail. It hasn't put much of a dent into the account. If that's typical usage for you, you could get that on one phone for $8 and have some time left in the bank. Of course if you have a kid who texts 15 hours a day and a wife who can't drive anywhere without talking on the phone, a regular monthly plan is probably a better deal. Mine is pretty near dead anywhere inside my house, but then the cell phone, unless I forget to turn it off, is always off when I'm in the house anyway. I get plenty of signal out in the yard. Too bad about the pump for your pond. That sounds like a great place to be when talking on the phone. I'm not anti-phone. Though it hasn't saved my life yet, nor have I even had to use it to call the AAA and get them to bring me some gas or change a tire, it costs little enough so that I'm glad I have it. I think my DSL on the land line is $20/month for, on good days, a bit over a megabit/second download and about half that for uploads, which is plenty fast for me. When cable first came into my neighborhood, it was $5/month for basic service and I jumped on it. I live down in a hole so my over-the-air reception is only fair. It went up incrementally, and when it finally hit about $18/month when they made the cable companies charge separately for service and equipment (they said it would be cheaper for most customers, but not me) I canceled it. Now they send me about three ads a week in the mail plus at least that many as newspaper inserts (yes, I still read a newspaper) for great deals like $99.99/month (for the first six months - they don't say how much after that) for TV, phone, and Internet, and I say fooey!

 

 

Hey, thanks podnah!

 

Info and link are greatly appreciated.