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How I quit cable TV with minimal anxiety
Posted by: | February 1, 2022
| 2 Comments
| Personal
John
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This blog post is for those who would like to quit cable TV, but who are suffering from anxiety about making that big move.

I love watching TV. I have nothing against casual television viewing. I am not totally against cable TV. If I had a son who loves sports, I would gladly pay big bucks so my son will enjoy all games (FYI: I have no kids).

I watched cable TV since the 80s – during the entire existence of cable TV. After about 40 years, cable TV was part of my life. The thought of quitting cable TV was terrifying. I couldn’t imagine my life without cable TV. When I was poor and most of my food was from 99 Cents Only Stores, I still paid big bucks so I can watch cable TV on my 9 inch TV.

Let me be fair here. I was poor all my life. So, I can tell you that some poor people desperately need good TV to escape and find joy in life while living in poor living conditions. Some people say “In America, people in poverty have cable TV. How crazy is that?” But, I understand poor people need cable TV more than rich people do.

I wish there were free internet TV APPs when I was younger.

2004. My government-subsidized studio apartment.
Eating dinner standing up and watching a 9-inch TV.

How I quit cable TV

  • As time went by, my anger towards to the cable TV companies grew. They kept raising price. I hated all cable TV companies. I would rather pay more money on Hulu than giving my money to cable TV companies.
  • So, I subscribed to Hulu with live TV. After that I quit cable TV. I had access to all the TV channels via Hulu. So, I was not suffering from going cold turkey. Switching from cable TV to internet TV was a big change. I felt different. I learned how to use FireStick and free apps.
  • Youtube has live TV services as well. So, you can go with Youtube. But, live TV is expensive whatever you subscribe. The goal is to quit live TV.
  • What’s important here is that you are now on a monthly contract. You can let the service expire. And you can easily re-connect. You just click online, and you will get connected instantly.
  • After a few months of watching Hulu with Live TV, I switched my account to basic Hulu ($14/m). If I want, I can re-activate live TV anytime. So, there was no anxiety.
  • With basic Hulu, I could still catch some of my shows such as The Conners, American Ninja warriors, and Bob’s Burgers. I get to watch them one day after they aired, which is fine with me.
  • With basic Hulu, I am now missing out on all NBA, NASCAR, Super Bowl, Survivor, College basketball, etc… So, if you must watch those games, stay with live TV or cable TV and enjoy.
  • I can always activate Live TV account and watch live TV. But, now I feel uneasy about paying $70 to activate live TV. I found out it is difficult to re-activate live TV, just like it was difficult to cut cable TV.
  • I save about $700 on television yearly (compared to regular folks who watch cable TV). The satisfaction of saving money out-weighs watching live TV.
Internet, phone, TV price in a 12-month period
A royal customer getting screwed.

Additional information

  • I don’t receive any TV via digital antennas. I live far away and over the mountains from any TV stations.
  • On average, I pay about $15/m on TV services. Last 3 months, I spent an average of $5-$6 on TV.
  • I pay $87.98 for internet & phone (landline).
  • I have 2 Firestick 4k’s. One in my TV room, and the other one in my closet room. I don’t have a TV in both of my bedrooms.
  • My favorite movie app is Tubi. This free app has all kinds of movies. They show commercials, but the amount of commercials is considerably less than that of regular TV. The commercial time on Tubi is tolerable.
  • I watch Pluto TV for local news for free.
  • I will watch the Super Bowl on Peacock TV ($4.99/m).
  • Sometimes I subscribe to Netflix or Hulu, but I never subscribe to both at the same time. The last time I watched Hulu or Netflix was about 3 months ago.
  • I watch Amazon Prime only when they give me one month free trial, which is once a year. I refuse to pay for Amazon Prime. I prefer to put $119 in my pocket, not in Amazon’s pocket. (soon to be $139)
  • Discovery Plus ($6.99/m) is my regular TV APP that’s usually on.
TV in the TV room - 55 inch from Costco.
TV in the closet room - 32 inch from Costco.

January , 2022. I came a long way.

Finally – To save even more money, I let my TV subscription expire every month. I activate the service every month for just one month. I may renew the service on the day it expires. But, sometimes, when I realize that my subscription has expired, several days would have already passed. That means I didn’t pay for those several days. If I continue with that habit, I can save 1-2 months of subscription fee every year. If they want me to renew automatically, they better offer me a discount.

Screw cable TV companies. Screw all of them.

America’s Got Talent: My favorite show to fast forward
Posted by: | January 17, 2022
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| Personal
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I assume America’s Got Talent is a highly rated TV show. I don’t have a live TV package, and I don’t always subscribe to Hulu. I catch up on AGT whenever I activate Hulu, It’s a fun show.

AGT is the show that I fast forward the most. They put a minimum of 30 minutes of commercials in the 2-hour show. So, I squeeze the heck out of the fast-forward button. It usually takes me 10-15 minutes to watch the entire 2-hour show.

Now, set the timer for 15 minutes…

  • I skip commercials, fillers, and background stories.
  • I skip bad acts that’s supposed to be funny.
  • I skip child acts – 5 years old kids doing Tango, etc..
  • I skip mind-reader acts. The guy who predicts everything. He knows what you are thinking, etc.. they are all the same.
  • I skip community choir groups. A bunch of people sharing love and singing. I guarantee Judges will love them, because NBC will not invite that many people just to X them out. But, I press FF as soon as I see a sea of people on the stage.
  • I skip musical acts made up of family members. (mother and son heavy metal band, husband and wife duet, etc… )
  • I skip ventriloquist acts.
  • I skip animal acts.
  • I skip any acts if the contestants are annoying from the get-go.
  • I skip hip hop dance groups.
  • I never watch the result show.
  • I don’t care to know who won.
Absolutely adorable. But, I skip child acts, too. Sorry.

I don’t know why I even watch AGT. But, sometimes I catch some super fun acts such as Shin Lim and Double Dragon. That’s my kind of entertainment.

America’s Got Talent is a fun show to watch for 15 minutes – thank God for the FF button.

Double Dragon

December 2021 Catch Up
Posted by: | December 28, 2021
| 1 Comment
| Personal
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I don’t feel sentimental about reaching the end of the year. I am very busy at work. I don’t have time to pause and look back. My visitors know I enjoy every day of my life in my own boring way. Life is good when you are alive and not too close to death. Let me put this in a mathematical equation below…

Younger = Better

I work for a multi-billion dollar retail industry. We sell. So I am busy during the holiday season. It gets stressful, but it’s not too bad. I just don’t have time for my blog.

So, again, I will throw in a quick chit-chat to keep my blog fresh. I will stay true to myself and talk about some boring stuff.

First, this was how it looked on Christmas day. I tried to fix my Christmas lights (garland)… and Christmas was over. See how sad that looks? I never got to fix that garland. I’ll have to buy a new one next year. This Christmas came fast as usual, but this year I made some Christmas memories.

Below is a picture of my medicine cabinet in the master bathroom.

  • I always keep acne pads. I rarely get pimples, but when I need it, I need it ASAP.
  • I use sand timer every day when I use mouthwash. (1 minute)
  • I use soap and brush when I shave, but only on weekend. The pink baby cup holds the shaving soap. I bought that cup at my female coworker’s garage sale. I was looking for a cup for my shaving soap. And it works perfectly. Then I realized that… She must think I’m creepy that I bought the cup that she used when she was a baby. It is weird. What was I thinking??
  • I use some fancy hair care products. After Party hair milk makes my hair silky. I use Aveda jell if I want my hair extra curly. I rarely use those products now that I work from home.
  • TheraBreath is my go-to mouthwash. I always worry that I may have bath breath and not aware of it. So, I use a fancy mouthwash every morning.
  • The deodorant is unscented. You know I am particular about smell & fragrances.
  • Aftershave lotion is almost unscented.
  • I never use the dentist picks.

###

  • I currently pay $6.99/Mo for television services. And I invested $24k in 401K & HSA this year.
  • I am 163 pounds now. Somebody send me some diet pills.

I am here and doing well. I am just busy. I will keep in touch. Happy new year~!!

Holiday Greetings – 2021
Posted by: | December 21, 2021
| 1 Comment
| Christmas, Personal
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I dreamed about impressing everyone by playing like a pro.. but every time I turn on the video, it’s a disaster. This is as good as it could get. This year I am determined to play guitar for my visitors as a Christmas gift. I don’t care if I make mistakes. My visitors know I do everything mediocre and I’m proud of it.

My prediction for the year 2022? It will be yet another boring year with the same routines and same Costco shopping. Yes, the good time will continue, I wish. Boring is the best.

Keep in touch. Good times. Happy holidays~!!!

Split Pea & Ham Soup Recipe – Kirkland Signature
Posted by: | December 16, 2021
| 18 Comments
| Costco Blog, Kitchen
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Posted: January 5, 2018

I make ham dinner for Christmas. New Year’s Day is when I enjoy split pea & ham soup. I make split pea soup with a leftover ham bone. I follow the recipe that comes with the ham.

Except, I do things a little differently. I put less ham. I don’t put salt and pepper. Ham is salty already, and I can always add salt later. When it comes to water, I put just enough amount of water to start. I would add more water as needed. Starting with less water is much better than starting with too much water – because there is no going back if you end up with thin soup. You don’t need to think too much about how much water is needed. You can just eyeball it and add more water as needed. The soup will tell you how much water is needed. 

To make the soup, you have to be the soup.

Also, I put a few bay leaves that are not in the recipe.

The soup was amazingly good. I ate half and put the other half in the freezer.

Split Pea and Ham Soup - Costco Recipe

Kirkland Signature Split Pea & Ham Soup Recipe

Split Pea & Ham Soup recipe

Makes 12-16 servings

  • 1 (16-oz) pkg. dried green split peas, sorted and rinsed
  • 2 quarts water
  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 2cups chopped carrots
  • 2 cups sliced celery
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 kirkland Signature Spiral Sliced Ham bone with leftover meat
  • 4 cups cubed ham (or remaining leftovers)
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  1. Place split peas and 2 quarts water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat: reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Drain
  2. Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan. Saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil over medium-low heat until tender  – about 10 minutes.
  3. Return the split peas to the saucepan.
  4. Add ham bone, cubed ham, 2 quarts water, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Remove cover and continue simmering until desired thickness, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove ham bone: cut off any remaining beat. Dice meat and return to soup before serving.

Kirkland Signature Spiral Sliced Ham

Jack says it sucks to be alone
Posted by: | December 10, 2021
| No Comments
| Personal, Single Living
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Oh my God, I’m so busy. I am doing well, but busy during the holiday season. Busy is good ($$$), but I don’t have time for “Costco Blog”

I just wanted to say hi and post a small chit-chat to keep my blog alive. I will get back to you.

Jack says it sucks to be alone

Note: Jack In The Box is a fine business establishment and I wish them well. Below is just small talk, a joke. This is how I talk to my friends and family. So, please read it without being serious.

From the below 12 coupons, I can only use two of them. The rest of the coupons require 2 people because they are “2 for” deals. This is like I’m at a roller stake rink and the DJ is playing the couples-only song. I stand aside and look at the couples. I hope this music will end soon so I can continue with the boogie. (boogie down, boogie on down…)

It seems like the DJ Jack is saying, “You sit down for now. It sucks to be alone.”

I’m not in the fast-food business. But, I thought many people eating fast food are single and/or they live alone. So, my guess was that many people will find these coupons useless. But what do I know?

Coupons like these don’t bother me. I never stop and ponder why I live alone. I don’t feel sad when I see “couples only” coupons like this. I throw them in the recycle bin without thinking. I go to Jack in the Box maybe once every 5 years, anyway.

But, in the corner of my subconsciousness, for a split second, I realize I am being discriminated against for being alone. Coupons like this don’t seem fair to single people who live alone. We are being excluded. And that sucks. That thought passes me by so fast that I barely know it’s there. But, it is there.

Lake Shore Drive. Chicago, IL
Posted by: | October 25, 2021
| 2 Comments
| Personal
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Lake Shore Drive – Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah

In 2018, I flew to Chicago and drove on Lake Shore Drive because of this song. My trip to Chicago was memorable. I ate at Manny’s Deli and also ate Chicago-style hot dogs, yum~!! Lake Michigan was so huge, it was just like an ocean. Lake Shore Drive was so beautiful that I was emotional and felt like crying.

On that trip, I also visited Gary, Indiana, and visited Michael Jackson’s old house. And I stayed a few days in Michigan. I like Michigan. Oh, I was SOOO confused about using toll roads, especially the toll gates. I was unaware of such a thing. I was completely lost. I freaked out as I watched everyone else passing through the gates in a rhythmic pattern, like the baseball scene from the Bugs Bunny cartoon.

Anyway, the gate just opened for me. I think my rental car had a device that communicated with the gate(?). I still don’t know what happened. I don’t know what I need to do the next time.

I didn’t know this song (Lake Shore Drive) until the movie ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’.

Obviously, “Lake Shore Drive” initials LSD.

FYI: Yes, I tried a deep-dish pizza in Chicago. That’s all I have to say.