A Friend of mine just sent me this article I really liked it thought I should share!
Posted Jul 17th 2007 6:10PM by Kevin Kersten
I just saw a great article on TheStreet.com on the cost of watching TV. It estimates the cost for the average person of watching TV, over 45 years, is $3.7 million dollars. Now that sounds like a lot, but let me expound on how they got there. First take the $100/month cable bills and invest that into a brokerage account. That $1,200 a year compounded at 8% is a cool quarter of a million alone. Then there are TVs, electricity, movie rental and pay-per-view and not to mention junk -- I mean products -- you buy because you saw them on the Home Shopping Network.
One fact cited -- which really surprised me -- was that for each hour per week of TV watched you spend an additional $200 per year on stuff. According to my calculation that is $3.84 an hour of junk per hour bought because I saw it on TV. As I sit here wearing Reebok shoes and sipping my cool, refreshing Mountain Dew, I think that just can't be right. I do not watch HSN or QVC; but something tells me all those billion-dollar companies only buy advertising for one reason ... it works!
So this brings up the $64,000 question. Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? That would require turning off the TV; getting started on those home improvements, getting a part-time job, or starting that home-based business. Time is money and just what is your TV-watching time worth? If you are still watching "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader," you may not be.
It would be terrible if we didn't know what Rosie O'Donnell said about Donald's Trump's hair. Maybe mom was right ....My mind will rot if I watch enough of the idiot-box.
America is the land of Freedom and Liberty and for all the good it may do; I don't think we should outlaw TV's quite yet. If you want to let your mind rot, go right on and do it. But please don't tell the paternalistic mayors of San Francisco or New York who want to protect me from the evils of bottled water or trans-fatty French Fries.
I admit I like my remote control and when it comes to financial bets, I hate to buck the system. If you can't beat them ...join them. So if you have canceled that cable bill and are investing that money how about sticking it in some entertainment companies betting your friends aren't going to have that kind of self discipline. You have the big four networks CBS (NYSE: CBS), NBC is owned by General Electric (NYSE: GE), ABC is owned by Disney (NYSE: DIS) and News Corp (NYSE: NWS) owns Fox. There is Viacom (NYSE: VIA) and the Home Shopping Network owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI). If you need more ideas flip on the TV for a moment and some company will announce it's product for you to invest in. Learn more about some of the best home based business ideas on my website
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