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Original poster

Are we the only ones without a TV

24 replies

KeepingMum · 01/04/2004 13:53

Just been told to expect another visit from the TV licence dodgers detector man since they clearly don't believe me when I say that we don't have a TV, and need to check for themselves, was wandering whether there are any others without TV. Dh and I never got round to buying one, and the longer you go without it the less you feel you need it. Ds has never asked where it is in our house though he does seem to know the theme tune to Bob the Builder so I assume he gets some at the childminder (2 days a week). I'd be happy with never getting one but I'm sure at some stage the peer pressure from his friends and dd's will mean that we have to give in. Have to admit to having the radio on as backgrond nearly all day, and getting 'fixes' when we stay at my mums!

OP posts:
wobblyknicks · 01/04/2004 13:55

If you don't want one, don't have one just because other people do! Don't watch it much myself, only really for DVD's nowadays.

momof2 · 01/04/2004 13:58

We only turn our TV on when we find something we want to watch (usually with Peter Andre - my new boyfriend - in at the moment - must get over this crush!!)
Girls have TV in their room but it only plays video's and they usually forget about it until its bed time and too late!
We do have a DVD night on Thursdays when we all sit down together and watch a family movie.
We mainly do music or radio - usually all stereo's on in every room playing something different!!

kiwisbird · 01/04/2004 14:00

I would not mind giving ours up to be honest I grew up with no tv at all....

fairydust · 01/04/2004 14:18

Oh my my gosh i couldn't live without ours we have i on nearly 24/7

Angeliz · 01/04/2004 14:23

I sometimes think life would be better without a T.V but i can't start tonight or i'll miss E.R

Honest though, i think i'd have lots more time to read/write which i love to do!

jennifersofia · 01/04/2004 14:23

No! You aren't the only ones without a TV...ourselves, and I also know of a friend (with a 6 & a 3 yr old) who doesn't have one. I do find it a bit frustrating the tv liscensing campaign that uses threat, intimidation and assumption that everyone does have a tv.

Twinkie · 01/04/2004 14:26

TV = Life Support Machine in our house!!

My life would be over - No Footballers Wives, Discovery Health for all of those Birth Days and DP would die without his fix of advert flicking to see football from every other nation in the world as well as darts, snooker, tennis, golf and every other bloody competitive sport that there is!!

emmatmg · 01/04/2004 14:30

There is a boys in DS1 class at school who doesn't have a TV.
DS1 thinks it's amazing and can't believe it, he asked me the other day 'But how do they know what the weather will be like?' I said 'I expect they have windows so they look outside to see'. He just couldn't get his head around it, I felt like a bad mum that he thinks it's impossible to live without a TV.

momof2 · 01/04/2004 14:31

LOL Twinkie - my DP on a Saturday has the TV on in the pm to watch the goal ticker come in - cheers when Arsenal scores and laughs when the Pool get beat!
Footballers Wives is one that I watch - that an any Columbo/Agatha Christie that I can find - oh and Dr Who every weekend morning - actually I do watch it quite a lot on reflection, but just not very much in the evenings I guess and defo not in the mornings before work.
Will the sparks make it to Europe? Is Amber really pregnant? How does Tanya cope with those nails??

Angeliz · 01/04/2004 14:32

ROFL at the weather Emma

Blackduck · 01/04/2004 14:40

I was brought up pretty much without a TV...and for the first 15 years dp and I were together we only had a portable......now have a big TV, but rarely watch it to be honest.....watch dvds on it mostly.....

Twinkie · 01/04/2004 14:41

momof2 - how bad did you feel for Noah - I can't believe she would do that to someone for the Fajita Man????

Fio2 · 01/04/2004 14:43

we didnt used to have one and we used to have the same thing off the tv lisence people. They used to turn up unannounced and want to come in to check.

CountessDracula · 01/04/2004 14:44

emmatmg, how about radio?! They have the weather on there!

Original poster
KeepingMum · 01/04/2004 14:50

jennifersofia, I agree about the TV licensing people, I was waiting for our address to appear on one of the adverts on the tube that says "45 Acacia Avenue doesn't have a TV Licence" so I could write a stroppy letter about intimidation and false accusation. If I was a little old lady I think I would find their letters quite threatening.
I think I probably know more about whats going on on TV by reading Now and Heat than actually watching it. And it only takes about 10 minutes a week to read those magazines cover to cover so I don't feel I've wasted too much time which I could be spending sleeping or reading Mumsnet

OP posts:
emmatmg · 01/04/2004 14:51

CD, I said they listen to radio when he asked about finding out about the news...........but that wasn't as funny as the weather question

His reply was 'but what if they have't got a radio?' I said newpapers.......'but what if the can't get a newspaper?'.........

momof2 · 01/04/2004 14:51

I know, I keep an eye out for that ad now to see if they are really one and the same!
Poor Noah, mind you he does seem a bit wet! Am really bored with the Carl story now, just want to see more Amber losing her marbles!

Northerner · 01/04/2004 14:53

Condrad Gates is the Old El Paso man Twinkie not Fajita man!

I am embarrassed to admit that the TV is on in our house constantly. I am trying to have periods of no TV watching but if dh is home it's a nightmare cause he just has to have it on even if he's not particularly watching it. Ds isn't glued to it all the time but seems to potter around and certain things catch his attention for 10 mins then he's off again.

But I am the queen of crap TV - Footballers Wives, I'm a celeb, Big Brother, Bad Girls etc etc....

coppertop · 01/04/2004 15:29

When I first left home I didn't bother with a TV. The licensing people seemed to be making it their mission to hassle me about it. Every few weeks I'd get the same letter through the post: "There is no licence for this address. Please tell us why..." To start with I would send it back saying I had no TV but 2 weeks later I'd get the same letter again so I gave up. Grrrr!

Original poster
KeepingMum · 01/04/2004 15:36

We're the same coppertop, eventually they sent a man round, we were thinking about acting all nervous, running around pretending to hide something behind the sofa and leaving cables hanging out of cupboards so they would think 'yeah we've caught someone', unfortunately chickened out and just politely invited him in. He barely even looked around the front room, and didn't ask to go anywhere else in the house.
Maybe this time we will make a cardboard TV and leave it in the front window, just to get them going a bit

OP posts:
Twinkie · 01/04/2004 15:37

Old El Paso Fajita's - god give me strength!!

coppertop · 01/04/2004 15:38

LOL KeepingMum! You would forever more be known as the Mad TV Lady...

Sonnet · 01/04/2004 16:09

Emmatmg - weather DID make me laugh
Twinkie - my dh and your dp could be the same - I call the remote control his life support machine....

I had friend when a teenager whose family use to put the TV away in May for the whole summer - quite like that idea actually....
We have "tv free" weekends occassionaly, but it dosn't streatch to include DH...

roisin · 01/04/2004 16:28

My dad had a rule that we couldn't watch TV if it was light outside and not raining! Having said that my boys hardly watch it at all ... I'd definitely miss it more than them.

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