Donate your TV to Charity!

In December 2008, our TV cable in our small student apartment stopped working. Since I was in the middle of exam cramming, we decided not to replace it just yet (I'd spent too many idle hours 'studying' with Oprah in the background). After I finished the exams at the end of January, we were both so happy with the amount of time we'd been saving and enjoying, that we never got round to replacing the cable. When we moved to China, we put the TV in a closet, and a vase of flowers and fruit bowl where it used to be.
There's no real charities available here that take donation, but there might be where you live. Make yourself AND someone else happy!

TV is one of those things that we could be perfectly happy without. You can find so many interesting shows and movies online or at the DVD store. Why do you need the commercials? Do you often keep the TV on in the background? Can you honestly say it doesn't distract you? How about turning on the radio instead? You can do other stuff while you listen (clean, cook, laundry, etc). Or turn on some music if you're doing something that requires focus and you don't want it to be too quiet.
If you think you'd miss your TV, try not turning it on for a week or two. It's a small price to pay for finding out, isn't it? While you're NOT watching TV, think about how you would redecorate your living room if it were gone. How everyone could face each other when you have visitors. How the whole family can all enjoy a game on the coffee table.
You can always enjoy movies or TV shows on a (portable) computer screen if you want to!

Donating your TV (throw in your DVD player while you're at it) can make a different to someone else. Just making the call only takes 5 minutes. You can schedule pick-ups with Goodwill and the Salvation Army in the United States; the British Heart Foundation in the UK; for Canada, try the ERA. Have a look on Google for other options!

Giving up TV was one of the best things I've ever done to improve my quality of life. I still watch movies with friends or family, I just use a laptop to do it and then move it out of the way when done. It's a time to come together, not a background distraction.

If you're not ready for such a big move, how about just cutting cable TV?
Do you already live without TV and want to tell others about it? Have you tried this and did it work? Let me (and the other readers) know about it!