3 Essential Guy Things (You May Be Able To Live Without)

I’m the first to admit I’m a big proponent of stuff. As one of the tech writers here, I love gadgets: phones, game systems, kick-ass stereo systems, big screen TVs, jetpacks, night vision goggles and Japanese sex robots. However, I’ve made some changes over the course of the past couple of years that have really scaled down a lot of the things I have, and my life hasn’t been any worse for it. In some ways, they’ve even made my life better. I don’t suggest you do all of these, but I thought I’d share them with you.

The big thing here is saving money. Taking some, or all of these steps can really simplify your life and your budget. I’m certainly not suggesting everyone turn into hermits or (even worse) Luddites - what kind of tech writer would I be? But they are some things to consider.

So, here are three “guy” things I’ve dropped out of my life. Let me know what you think.

1. Cable TV

This one’s actually pretty easy to accomplish, especially for me. As a kid, I loved television. In fact, my sense of humor wouldn’t be what it is today if I hadn’t had access to cable TV and thus, had access to Comedy Central in its early days. Back in the early ’90s, it was pretty much non-stop stand-up comedy clips and Mystery Science Theater 3000 (a show I still consider the greatest TV show of all time). But, as I got older, TV became less and less an influence in my life. Plus, with the popularity of TV shows on the Internet, I felt less and less like I needed TV, much less cable, in my day-to-day existence.

So, I’ve dropped cable TV altogether. I save at least $50 a month (the cable company still gets my cash for internet, but that’s it) and I don’t feel like I have to schedule my life around certain TV shows. If I want to watch some of my favorite programs, such as The Daily Show, or if there’s a show I think is particularly interesting, I can watch it on Hulu or get it off Netflix. It gives me time to do important things, like write or pick up women at bars (OK, maybe just write).

2. A Car

Granted, this can be a little more difficult depending on where you live. Luckily, I live in Austin now, a city that has a pretty decent public transportation system compared to some of the other cities I’ve lived in. Yeah, having a car can make things more convenient and the ladies, of course, love a flashy automobile (OK, ladies, not all of you are that shallow). But you know what’s even better? Not having to make car payments, insurance payments, paying for parking or the general maintenance on a vehicle – not to mention having to deal with parking tickets or getting your car towed.

Unless you have a job you love that you simply can’t get to any other way than driving, I suggest getting rid of the damn car.

3. A Smartphone

I will be the first to admit, when I had my Blackberry, I was addicted. I couldn’t go anywhere without it. I was on it all the time surfing the web, checking out maps, chatting with friends, looking up porn (wait, what?). It got to the point that my girlfriend at the time considered getting through a night out without looking at it once to be one of the most romantic things I could possibly do. Then, I cancelled my phone service, got rid of my smartphone and got myself a cheap-o prepaid phone.

I actually feel a lot better.

I’m not knocking anyone with a Blackberry, or anyone else who has (or is planning to get) one of the cool kick-ass phones in our recent smartphone column. However, I find not being connected to an electronic leash and not paying $30 a month for data has certainly made my life a little easier and my wallet a little fatter.