So while we do have cable TV we do not have a DVR/Tivo, no high-def stations, and my beloved television I purchased with my first paycheck from my first real job was suiting us just fine. I mean it's not even 5 years old, is 27 inches, and serves it's purpose of providing us with the minimal TV we watch in this house. Sure, it's heavy as hell and not 'cool' like the sleek flat screens that hang on walls. Sure, Nate curses it's existence every time we move while he contemplates throwing it out the window. But when we only watch TV for couple of hours max and mostly on the weekends, I figured all was well.
That is until my silly little technology-loving husband got The Urge. You know the one, ladies, when a guy gets into man mode and decides he needs the hippest piece of technology ever just because. Nate has been pushing for a flat screen TV for at least a year and every time he brings it up I try to explain my point of view to him clearly: we do not watch TV, we own two very nice his and her Mac computers, and therefore we do not NEED (and yes, the 'need' word got thrown around here) a new TV. He's a persistant little bugger, my friends, and finally we came up with a compromise.
I told Nate that I would be okay with a flat screen TV if we didn't purchase it with our 'regular' money. I proposed an idea, saying if he paid for half of it by picking up extra days at the hospital (he usually only works two weekend days each month) then I would pay half with my 'extra' spending money from J.Lorene. He immediately took the bait, signed up for about 10 extra days at work this summer when he didn't have class, and proceeded to research the hell out of flat screens. Man, that boy loves research.
And so, my friends, after much hard work on both of our parts and a perfect example of compromise we have now entered the year 2009 (or maybe flat screens are more like 2006 or something, huh?). I present to you our big fatty 42" TV. Please note the difference in it's depth:
And there she is. We will discuss Theresa from Real Housewives of New Jersey at another time, my loves.
It's funny because I swear Nate told me he was thinking of a 32" size but when I walked in and saw this beast of a TV I knew I had been duped. Such a guy obsession, isn't it? Big TVs must be the equivalent to fabulous decor for women or something.
One thing that irks me to end is the fact that my beloved 'old school' TV has no home at the moment. And so it sits in the middle of the room like a giant eye sore, screaming for attention and fighting it's demise. I'm thinking Craigslist might be a good option. Anything but the center of the room, right?
And that is how my husband became the happiest dude in town. I think it's a nice television and all but I can honestly say I don't care that much either way, but if it makes him happy then I'll go with it. Maybe he'll be more lenient when I want a new camera lens or something else that he could not possible care about. Yes, there is always compromise.
Of course, now he is researching digital cable....just so he can get all of those HD channels his little heart desires. Until then he has to settle for about 4 stations in HD, poor guy.
And he sold me the idea of mounting the TV on the wall simply because it will free up more space on the ground if we get rid of our entertainment center. But who knew wall mounts are so expensive?
So I ask you, dear readers, do you have a flat screen (I'm sure some of you have had one for years and might even have multiple ones)? And if so did you hang them on the wall? And for those of you that did, was it a total nightmare? I plan on staying out of that whole process but the idea of hanging a giant TV on the wall freaks me out a little bit. I just picture massive chunks of drywall ripping out and resulting in the treasured TV smashing on the ground. Tell me this doesn't actually happen..
Our flatscreen is hanging from the wall and it seemed pretty easy for the guys to put it up. (But that is coming from someone who had nothing to do with it.) OK...I just asked Mike about it. No plaster fell...pretty simple! GOOD LUCK and congrats on the new TV. It is beautiful. Oh...we have AT&T UVerse for cable and we love it!
ReplyDeleteNow we must officially be the last people to get a flat screen. I have always believed in ...if it isn't broken don't fix it, but I'm thinking we need to get on board. Love your blog, btw!
ReplyDeleteummm...can i come hang out on your couch!? not interested in the TV, it just looks sooo comfortable! i wanna read a book.
ReplyDeleteYes, we have a flat screen - it was my first "treat" to myself when I started working after finishing PA school. Ours is 40" (I think?) and worth evvvvvery penny. Seriously, I love this thing. We are huge sports fans, though, and have shows we watch on a regular basis. And side note - DVR is freaking awesome. I would never ever ever go without it again. The ability to tape a show you like and easily fastforward, rewind to watch a play again in sports...so great. Ok, stepping down from my flat screen/DVR soapbox now...
ReplyDeleteLove the post. we are still watching tv on my college 19 inch tv (a 27 inch would seem like a dream!)...we still have yet to make the flat screen move, however, my husband has spent PLENTY of time researching tvs whenever he has a chance.
ReplyDeleteI remember having this same situation in our house last year, just after we moved in and I found out I was pregnant. I caved when I was too tired and not feeling well during the first trimester. Now, I couldn't be happier that the caving happened. When we got the TV, we couldn't stop there. We had to get it all-surround sound, blue ray DVD player, wall mount, etc. It has been the best decision, since we rarely leave the house and can't watch a show from beginning to end without some interruption. As for the wall mounting, we had the Geek Squad do it. My philosophy was rather have it done correctly with a gurantee, rather than amateurly and possibly breaking it! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteTotally understand this macho man thing... we currently have a 50" beast in our living room. And we have the same tv stand!
ReplyDeleteWe also have a flat screen HDTV, but it was your kind of deal. Free. (What can I say? I'm a spoiled only child.) It is sitting in the TV stand that I've had since college that was adapted from a regular TV stand.
ReplyDeleteIt's great for football. :)
The only thing that I could think that might be a big pain is if you have plaster walls (like plaster and lathe) instead of drywall. We have one room like that, and it's pain in the butt to hang things up.
There are too many similiarities in this post to my situation..it's scary. One, Jim researched his butt off when we got our flatscreen. Two, we also got a 42 inch (although I can't see what brand you got) and three (the weirdest thing), OUR old TV sat smack dab in the middle of our living room for a week or so. Drove me nuts! My advice would be to keep it. One day you'll have a spare room, or workout room that could always use a TV.
ReplyDeleteOh and we didn't hang our TV and aren't planning on it. I think it's just your preference.
We have one, but I didn't want to hang it...something about hanging a TV...I don't know.
ReplyDeleteanyway, I love your home. It is so cute and sophisticated at the same time. And so warm. love it.
We don't have a flat screen. It's not a priority but it's #2 on our list, neither of which will happen for at least a year.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about your "inner tight wadness"... is this a characteristic you have always had or something you've developed as you've gotten older? I'm hoping it's something I can develop:)
Great compromise! We don't have a flat screen, but my brother actually does home theater installs for a living. It's not easy if you don't know what you are doing, but if you are handy (Nate and his dad are, right?) and take your time, it shouldn't be a problem. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteOur TV in our bedroom hangs on the wall. I think Tom got it hung up in about 15-20 minutes, it was real quick.
ReplyDeleteOooh, pretty TV! And I'm very impressed with your plan to earn extra money first before making the purchase. Very responsible!
ReplyDeleteAlas, I have no advice on mounting, as we do not have a flat screen, nor will we have one in the near future. Our TV is a monstrosity, but hey, it works.
Hah! Tony was the same way! We had a 37" which I thought was perfect for our space . . . but when it started to die and we utilized our extended warranty Tony didn't want to exchange it. He wanted to REPLACE it with a 42". Totally unnecessary, but makes him happy.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have the space to mount it on the wall, so nope.
Ours is not mounted. I don't really ever want to mount it either. Plus when your husband is like mine and owns every freaking gaming system on the planet you will always need some type of TV stand. Ever if you mount it you'll still have to find somewhere to store your cable box, surround sound box and hide the wires. We also have the wireless router by ours (we've got uverse) and a computer hooked up to it. We have to have an entertainment center for all that junk! I don't know what cable company you have but there are a few (Time Warner) that offer free HD. Once you get it though you'll be addicted. I can't stand to watch non HD shows (mainly sports or the discover channel). Get a DVR and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Your life will never be the same if you get HD and a DVR.
ReplyDeleteWe (as in our friend) hung our TV on teh wall for us (because blake is as handy as a box of rock, yes i said that, lol) and it gave us a lot more space but also made the room complete! i looooves it!
ReplyDeleteOur walls are, in fact, plaster. Old, petrified wood type plaster in fact...from the 1920s. Hmmmm, I wonder if that will be even harder then. Sometimes hanging a picture frame makes my hand cramp up.
ReplyDeleteI should mention that we did have DVR when we lived in our apartment for 8 months. I know first hand what a freaking gem/addictive item it can be and yes, I missed it greatly at first. I'm certain we'd be watching way more TV if we had it again.
We do have Time Warner...I didn't know we could get free HD. My father-in-law seemed to think that option was way more pricey but I think it does include the DVR. I'll do some research.
Karen~my tight wad self emerged after our wedding when we combined bank accounts and started saving for a house. It is quite ridiculous sometimes, since I panic over any major purchase. Nate definitely balances me out on this one!
Amber/Lauren Jade~thanks! The couches are quite comfy but they've lived hard lives surviving Henry's puppy days and multiple barfing episodes:) We like to think our place is quite homey so that's good to hear!
I'm thinking Nate and his Dad can manage the hanging ficasco. If they can gut the kitchen and do plumbing, dry wall, and electricity I'm hoping they can do this right, too. Will keep you up to date!
I love your living room!
ReplyDeleteWe have a flat screen (and have for several years), but we do not hang it on the wall. I'm just not a huge fan of the look, unless it's over a fireplace. I love my entertainment center (and your setup, too!), and our TV fits perfectly.
Plus, if you hang it on the wall, you still have to do SOMEthing with the DVD player, cable box, etc. So a lot of people still end up having some sort of entertainment center or electronics area.
Oh, and you have to think about height. A lot of people hang the TV high up on the wall, but think about where your eyes are when you're sitting on the couch. It's not very comfortable to stare UP at a TV for long periods of time.
Looks great! And, you definitely deserve some sort of reward for frugalness my dear. Love it :).
ReplyDeleteWe have a wall mounted flatscreen in our basement and a stand mounted flatscreen in our living room (and a giant tube TV in our dining room, which is another story altogether).
ReplyDeleteWall mounting is great, but it doesn't save you any furniture- your cable box and receiver and DVD player and whatever else still need to sit somewhere close to the TV to be plugged in. IN our basement, we got the TV before the drywall was up, so we just had them run a conduit down the wall from the TV to the different componenets, so that all the cords are hidden in the wall...if this is not an option, be prepared to either mount shelving directly below your TV for the components, or stare at cords for the rest of your days.
The stand mounted TV was much easier, and it actually looks better, since the cords are all hidden in the back of the wall unit the TV sits on.
I think there are some photos on my blog of the basement TV if you're at all interested.
I used to think I could care less about a flat screen until my roomie got one. Now I feel like I am living in the dark ages when I watch an old-school TV!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't like the look of wall-mounted flatscreens. Plus it is just easier to leave it on the stand!
Plug the cable from the wall right into your TV and do a scan - if the TV has a QAM tuner (and it probably does), you should at least get all of the local high def channels even without a box. The numbers are weird though - channel 4.1 is NBC.
ReplyDeleteHi Julia!
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you for getting the new Tv! :)
Ok.. We have 2 Flat screens mounted..
ADVICE. Don't do it yourself. Get a nice company who will mount it for you.. AND HIDE the wires. The wires MUST be hidded :)
Its expensive.. but way worth it.
xoxo Goodluck getting mounted. haha
We currently have one of the big gray monsters sitting in the corner of our more formal living room. Husband doesn't care, it's big, it works, he'll watch it. It's me who is demanding a flat screen...just so we can put it in another room and I can get rid of the beast in the corner. It's such an eyesore.
ReplyDeleteAnd hi! love your blog!
We have only hung a a small flat screen on the wall and it was pretty painless. We bought the mount at Wal-Mart which was so much cheaper than Best Buy. Since it was in the exercise room and we just hid he wires with that plastic stuff. It does not look awesome but hey we are the only ones who see that room. We have a larger flat screen in the family room and we stuck with the entertainment center because like you I was terrified of messing up the wall.
ReplyDeleteLove the new T.V.!
Yes, we have one and got it last year because the hubs really begged for it. We don't have it on the wall, though, because it needs to be in the corner for us. I also have one in the bedroom, but I won that one at work! :)
ReplyDeleteWe bought a flat screen about a year ago, and my husband mounted it on the wall by himself. (I'm like you, and wanted nothing to do with the process! I was nervous). I think it looks much nicer on the wall than it did on the TV stand. It does give us so much room below it! And it didn't mess up our walls at all. So I say, go for it! :)
ReplyDeleteOurs in on the wall. I helped John hang it and thought I would have a coronary the thing was so heavy. I kept saying to him, "Are you sure the brackets can support this weight?!" Anyway, Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you have real housewives of NJ on your tv as you show us your new tv. Ours is on a stand, and we had one in the bedroom on the wall before we moved, but now that is on a stand too. But I had my husband do all the work when he hung the bedroom tv the first time...
ReplyDeleteWe just bought a large flat screen and had this same debate. We decided not to mount it on the wall, but bought a piece of furniture to mount it to, so it has the appearance of a wall mount. We LOVE it!
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ReplyDeleteEver since my husband saw our friend's large flat screen tv a couple years ago he mentions that it'd be nice to have one almost every time we go into a store that carries electronics!
ReplyDeleteI love your home decor. Where did you get your coffee and end table?