Financial Sacrifices You Just Won’t Make

cablebox Who likes Oreos? Me!
Who likes HBO? Me!

But, if I had to choose? Yeah, I’d go for the food. Oddly enough, more and more people are choosing the opposite route and plunging their money into cable boxes rather than their grocery budget.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, in this time of deep financial distress, people are cutting back on food purchases in order to hold onto their cable TV subscriptions. In fact, grocery bills are being cut faster than even cell phone services! Is there something wrong with this picture?

I guess I get it. If you don’t have a job or money to hit the town, what else is there to do besides watch TV? You aren’t going to sit in the dark staring at the wall…. but cutting back on food – most likely the nutritious kind – just so you can catch a little MTV? Well, it all just seems so backwards.

To each their own, I guess. I mean, people probably think I’m crazy for refusing to go store-brand on my Oreos (sorry, but they do NOT taste the same) or giving up my Starbucks addiction, but those are things I just can’t live without. Who am I to judge?

What about you? What do you refuse to give up when faced with a budget crunch?

Jess says:
Wed, 3rd Jun 20093:16 pm

I don’t know anything about cable except that my family just got fios and it makes my days at home that much better. FitTV? Science channel?! It’s amazing.
But what about that push for making everything on TV digital? I have a feeling that’s what partially what the surge is about, besides that these cable companies are offering amazing deals.

Norah - Drake University says:
Wed, 3rd Jun 20094:47 pm

This is probably the journalism major in me speaking, but I would never cancel my magazine subscriptions. Even though magazines put a lot of their content online now, there’s nothing like opening your mailbox and finding a new issue to pore over.

Chelzz says:
Thu, 4th Jun 20098:01 am

I know what you mean,
Golden Oreos are like freaking crack. And I am not ashamed of my addiction.
Like I honestly think I would sell my body for a unopened bag that I dont have to share.

Lauren - University of Michigan says:
Thu, 4th Jun 20099:39 am

I could not give up eyebrow waxes (I swear, they grow in like Homer Simpson’s beard) or my DVR. I would rather eat ramen than have bushy eyebrows and miss my nightly Chelsea Lately ep.

D says:
Thu, 11th Jun 200911:21 am

Booze should be up there.