I still have a television, much to my children’s enjoyment, but I very rarely watch it myself. Before I got married, I had an old school giant box TV that really spent most of it’s time as decoration rather than being on. But when I got married, my now ex-husband insisted that we get cable and that was what we spent most of our leisure time doing. As soon as we got separated, I turned the cable off and have never gone back.
How Much Time
I always feel so much more productive when I am not tuned into a television because I am out there living my life instead. Don’t get me wrong, leisure activities have their place as a form of relaxation, but according to a study released earlier this year by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we spend a bit too much time in front of the old tube. They state that the average American works 7.6 hours a day and watches TV/digital media 4.5 hours a day.
The following is a quick breakdown of how much time we spend, on average, participating in the most common activities, according to an article released in 2015.
This article also states that we spend the most time on TV over any other leisure activity, including streaming Netflix and watching videos. Another article by eMarketer states that the average adult spends 5.5 hours in front of digital media and/or the TV daily. So as you can see, the studies and articles swing a little bit, but overall we spend anywhere 4.5 – 5.5 hours watching TV or playing on our phones and tablets.
Making Money Instead
With all of the time that we spend watching TV and playing on our phones, we could be making more money instead. I know that for me personally, I feel as though I am wasting my time and my life when I am in front of the TV because I could be doing something much more productive, including socializing with friends or playing with my family. Just hanging with my family alone saves money instead of spending it on a cable bill every month because we don’t HAVE to do things that cost money to enjoy each others company.
So what else could we be doing with this valuable time that we are currently spending in front of digital devices and the TV? Plenty! Of course we still want a form of relaxation and we can still do it through digital media and make money at the same time. Here are a few ideas to help you earn some extra dough while playing online:
- Survey companies will pay you to take surveys and watch videos
- Begin a blog and use this time to write about your favorite shows and gain a following
- User Tester is a site where you get paid to test websites
- Freelance writing can earn you some bucks
- Sell your things that are just sitting around collecting dust
- Craigslist
- eBay
- Amazon
- Facebook Swap Groups (find one in your hometown)
- Etsy
Saving Money
Those are some of the best ways to maximize your time and earn some money doing it. But if you want to switch things up and save money sometimes also, instead of staying on your devices to earn money, there are plenty of ways to do that. The average cable bill in America is currently $99 a month, which is crazy in my book! Take the money you would save by canceling your cable and put it into a savings account (like Ally, MySavingsDirect or American Express) or add it to your monthly contribution to your IRA (like Betterment or Wealthfront) to assist with your retirement goals.
Once you have decided which path you want to take with your savings, then get together with your friends or family to celebrate your lifestyle change and extra money in your pocket and your bank. You don’t have to spend any money to celebrate either. Have them come over for a cup of coffee and a catch up or a glass of wine. Play with your kids outside or take them on a walking adventure to see what excitement you can find. Not everything costs money and sometimes the most rewarding experiences are free.
How much money have you made by cutting the cord and what avenue did you take to earn it?
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I’ve heard that households without TV save a ton of money just from all the ads that the kids dont end up seeing. That’d have some major benefits just by avoiding the kid at the grocery store effect that leads families to spend on sugary cereals and toys
I can’t do multitasking so I prefer only focusing on my work than doing it with watching television. When I turn off television, it makes me do more task than usual, and it feels great when I finish them earlier so I can work on some other tasks or exercise while watching television, which surprisingly I can do.
When you spend more time watching Netflix, Hulu Plus, or Amazon Prime Video instead of live TV, you don’t really need to spend so much money on cable! You can save SO much money only spending $10-$15 a month instead of $100!
I give props to all the cable cord cutters out there. I never cut the cord but I did manage to recently save 40% of my monthly cable bill and I still have the channels I actually watch. Total savings for a 10 minute phone call was $500 per year!
I cut the cord several years ago saving nearly $700 per year for the past 4 years. I’m doing Swagbucks and E-Rewards. In 15 days I’ve made about $50 between them. I still think I spend too much time online though. ?
I spend all day online, but I use the internet to make money…
Thanks for sharing the valuable information, very helpful indeed. Keep on writing the similar articles. waiting for your next articles.