I canceled Netflix.
I'd been debating this for a while because I would have the disks sitting for months before I played them. The envelope would be on top of my entertainment center, reminding me that I was paying every month for it to collect dust there.
I tried streaming movies, but my Wii is in the basement and I have one lawn chair down there and it's not exactly comfortable to sit on. I bought a Roku player for upstairs, but it quit working in the middle of the first movie I streamed and their support was a joke. Also, it didn't stream smoothly, but came in fits and starts which annoyed the hell out of me. This was a problem I didn't have if I streamed on my laptop or with the Wii, so I'm blaming Roku and not my wifi or internet speed.
Last week, I blogged about streaming via HDMI from my laptop to the television, but this wasn't seamless for me either. I only have one laptop that has an HDMI port--my newest one, the one I use all the time. It was a little inconvenient, although if I really wanted to watch a movie, I'd do it again.
But that's what it came down to--how often do I really want to watch a movie?
April through October I watch baseball and over the winter, I just didn't watch. And that envelope was on top of the entertainment center--a constant reminder.
And then Amazon announced free streaming for Prime members. That's something I pay for and use and now I can stream? That was the final prod I needed. I canceled Netflix the next day and returned the current unwatched disk.
I never expected the feeling of utter relief. It was as if a big weight had been lifted off of me. I was free!
Something that was supposed to be fun--watching movies--had somehow become a burden. An obligation. Something that wore at me every day that I didn't watch the disk or stream. I no longer have to watch a movie, now I can do it when I want to without the guilt. I feel so good now that I wish I had canceled earlier.
