5 Reasons Why Canceling Netflix Was The Best Decision I Made This Year

You guys won’t believe me, but Logan and I decided to cancel our Netflix subscription earlier this year.  And we don’t regret it one bit.

Here’s how it happened…

I was becoming a couch potato.

Logan and I noticed how every time I got off work, I would gravitate towards the couch and turn on the TV to see what’s on Netflix (we don’t have cable).  I wanted my brain to shut off and only engage in mindless things until it was time for bed.  Soon, it became a habit!

While watching TV isn’t necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, it soon became apparent to me that I wasn’t making the most of my life by spending hours a day after work doing nothing but watching Netflix.

But now life’s good!

Once I realized I was turning into a couch potato, I knew I had to do something about this problem.

So I decided to see what it would be like to give up Netflix.  I even told my friends and coworkers about how I was going to cancel my subscription, so that I would commit to it.

And guess what?  I canceled Netflix and haven’t looked back since!

It’s been about 4 months without Netflix, and here my are 5 reasons why it was the best decision I made this year.

1. We’re saving money … and more money.

The cost of our Netflix subscription was $7.99 per month.  That adds up to $95.88 annually.

It doesn’t seem like much, but canceling Netflix led me to think of canceling other subscriptions.

Canceling our Netflix account led us to canceling our Audible subscription.  We are huge fans of audiobooks, but $14.95/month ($179.40 a year) just seemed excessive after we learned that we can borrow audiobooks from our local library.

So now, having canceled both Netflix and Audible, we’re saving $22.94/month!  That’s $275.28 per year that we can use to pay down debt, invest, or even save for a vacation.

I’m not saying you need to cancel all your subscriptions immediately, but I think it’s good to periodically evaluate what to keep and what to cancel.

2. I’m much more productive with my time.

Ever since getting rid of Netflix, I have been so much more productive at home.  I’m able to cook a lot more and eat healthier option.  I’m more aware of the mess around the house and will clean where needed.

Logan bought me a Kindle Paperwhite as a gift after quitting Netflix to help me cope with my recent TV loss. Reading has now turned into my new way of relaxing after work, and I feel so much better about myself.

I feel more enriched and educated with all the books I’ve read in these past few months.

3. I’ve lost weight.

Not only am I cooking healthier options for dinner, but I am also now exercising more!  Result? I’ve lost about a pound a month since canceling Netflix!

Last night was Saturday night, and Logan and I didn’t have any plans.  In the past, this would have meant an evening of sitting on the couch, watching Netflix and eating chips.  But what did we do instead?  We took a 2-mile walk around the neighborhood!  And on that walk, we came up with fun Halloween costume ideas!  It was so great!

And after we finished that walk, we felt much better about ourselves than we would’ve had we spent the remainder of the evening on the couch, vegging out.

4. I’m less antisocial.

I’ve also been spending way more time with friends since canceling Netflix.  Before, if someone invited me to hang out after work, I would more often than not tell them that I was too tired from work.  But I wasn’t really too tired from work.  I just wanted to spend more time with Netflix than with them.  Sad!

I’ll admit I do miss watching some of my favorite shows from Netflix, but I have some sweet friends who will invite me over every once in a while to have a movie or episode night!  So I still get my Netflix fix once in a while.  But it’s much more controlled being at someone else’s house, and plus I get to enjoy it with a friend, not by myself and Doritos.

5. I’m getting better sleep.

It doesn’t take a neurologist to tell us that staring at electronic devices before bed is horrible for our sleep, but they do anyway.  I always brushed away those warnings before, but now I believe them more than ever!

Not only have I been going to bed earlier since giving up Netflix, but my sleep quality has also greatly improved.  This has had a positive ripple effect in other areas of my life as well, such as productivity at work.

So what do you think?

Would you try quitting Netflix or whatever you use to watch TV?  Or are there any other subscriptions that you may consider canceling?

Let me know in the comments!