10 ways turning off your TV will save you money

10 ways turning off your TV will save you money

According to Ofcom the average UK person watches 3 hours and 36 minutes of TV per day 1

These 10 ways are not designed to tell you what to do in life but are just some little pointers to get you thinking differently, many people including us, use TV as an easy way to relax after a busy day at work and there is nothing wrong with that.

1) Guilt

TV is generally shown as this glamorous world full of unlimited possibilities but the majority is unaffordable to the vast majority watching, this subconsciously leads you to reflect on your own life and most likely will leave you feeling slightly negative towards your life and success…. unless of course you fancy buying from these….

2) Adverts!

These cleverly targeted and heavily manipulating video clips show the problems you didn’t know you had and how you can solve them with this one simple product or service.

Does Jeremy Kyle and Debt Finance Adverts spring to mind? A large % of those that will be home during the day watching TV will not have a full-time job and therefore may be tempted by loans / credit cards etc. These quick and seemingly easy solutions to problems often can spiral those signing up to them into debt and back to step 2.

Of course, you could just record all your favourite programmes and fast forward the adverts, easily knocking 10-30 minutes off your TV watching time each day.

3) Dumbing you down

Lots of television programmes are educational or designed to better yourself (& those are great) but many are mundane shows that just repeat other people’s lives as you sit and watch. This could lead you to a lack of ambition in your career or a drop in interest in exceeding yourself. Both would cost you dearly over time.

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4) Poor Diet

Those addicted to certain TV shows may plan their meals around the show times and may not spend the time to prepare a healthy meal instead opting for an expensive pre-packaged meal or takeaway.

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5) Becoming overweight

Not only are diets often changed when watching excessive TV but if you’re sat for 2-5 hours a day watching TV you’re most likely not moving or exercising at all, this will lead to an increase in your weight and most likely a higher risk of various health conditions which will cost you &/or the NHS extra money. You may also end up trying to counteract with expensive diets/gym memberships etc.

6) Saving energy

Depending on your TV you may be paying as much £40 a year just to keep it on 4-5 hours a day 2 – A modern 42” LED Panel should be costing you around £14 a year to run but an older Plasma would be costing you around £40.15 3

"TV is generally shown as this glamorous world full of unlimited possibilities but the majority is unaffordable to the vast majority watching"

“TV is generally shown as this glamorous world full of unlimited possibilities but the majority is unaffordable to the vast majority watching”

7) “Did you hear me?”

When you’re sat watching TV often you’re not interacting with the other people in the room, if this is a partner, over time less communication may mean a poorer relationship which might need to be patched up with additional spending on gifts.

8) Less sexual intercourse

If you have a TV in the bedroom instead of falling asleep in each others arms you may find yourself & your partner asleep with the TV still on. This can be unhealthy for relationships and lead to less sex and we all know sex is good for you, right?

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9) Monthly Subscriptions

Rather obvious this one but how could we avoid it? With a full Sky Digital packaging costing as much as £110 a month that could be a £1,320 spend a year! Even on their lower Variety Bundle you would be looking at £384 a year. There are much cheaper PAYG or even free alternatives out there.

10) Less time to improve yourself or starting a secondary income stream

The more income streams you have the less worry you should have in your financial life.  Starting a Blog, Gaming for money or setting up a secondary monthly income stream all takes time, time you’re currently spending watching TV.

  1. 2016 – https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/facts#
  2. https://blogs.which.co.uk/technology/tvs/still-using-a-big-box-tv-why-the-energy-costs-may-make-you-think-again/
  3. http://energyusecalculator.com/electricity_lcdleddisplay.htm

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Important things to remember with everything we post:

  • If you earn over your personal allowance (currently £12,570 a year) HMRC need to get their % cut (even if the money is in cash or from another country)
  • If you’re working for yourself / earning an income on the side you need to let HMRC know – There are numerous benefits but also some drawbacks
  • You need to always ensure whatever you’re doing is legal and not hurting anyone else – be careful and always think twice
  • Some income streams may require you to have DBS check, licence, insurance or qualifications before you can start to profit from it, do your research.
  • Be careful that any additional income doesn’t compromise your studies or main income/job
  • If you work for a company check your contract, if you don’t inform them you’re working on other side projects outside of work they may have grounds to ownership on this work

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