What can we all do to regain our independence?

Move to France.

Cannot believe folks have to consciously turn tv off! We only put it on for specific things......and then its rarely for any channel with adverts.

I am also a huge fan of what my Mum used to call 'companionable silence' i.e. being in the same room/vehicle/theatre etc with a loved one without the need to chatter inanely. We have just returned from a lovely holiday in the US ( a glorified coach trip) everyone in the group was lovely except one couple who, although not unpleasant, felt the need to natter to each other the whole time about just about everything they had ever done (funnily enough very little was of the present i.e. about the trip we were on). We, on the other hand are more than happy to enjoy a view, painting, piece of music etc in peace and quiet after having perhaps exchanged a few comments in private (not a full volume as if broadcasting our views - as the afore mentioned couple seemed to do).

We are bombarded on all sides whether we like it or not. My bugbear is the post - it is so seldom actual letters, but advertising bumf. It ll goes straight in the bin. Even bills would be better!

MY DH loathes advertising and in the main we don't really watch TV at the time its scheduled - we tend to record what we want or use I-Player and watch when convenient. In this way we can skip past all advertisements. DH will not wear any clothing with logos or adverts on and likes a plain hessian shopping bag. I really like Classic FM for when I'm cooking or doing chores but sometimes that gets too much with all the nattering and adverts so I turn it all off and listen to the birds in the garden.

My OH puts the tv on first thing. And it's last thing off at night. We've just returned from 3 weeks visiting family in the USA. They had only one old portable tv which was rarely used because they don't pay for cable.

So we saw no tv for 3 weeks and didn't miss it.
We saw one movie via the computer.
We talked, did sudoku, and went to bed at a reasonable time.
And it was lovely.

Yes - I too am an advert hater, and do so agree about clothes with what are essentially adverts on them. The only advert I carry around with me is a hessian bag with our village shop's information on it. It is such a wonderful resource that I am happy to support it.

We record TV programmes and that let's us skip the advertising. Radio,is on all day but we listen to internet radio which has a great selection of stations covering all genres and only a couple of the stations have advertising or chattering. DH reads the newspaper but I only use to for crosswords or codeword now. Whenever we watch the news we shout back at the TV

Neither of us could bear a coach trip or a cruise!

I really do not see the problem. To be affected by all these things you mention,papaoscar you need, so to speak, to buy into them, listen to them, watch them and acquiesce to their demands. I have never done that.

I have never been much of a television watcher, I watch what I want and then turn it off. Many days the television is never turned on. I have been like that since my parents first bought a television the 1950s. I read a lot, I always have. If I find myself on a band wagon, I jump off and if anyone tries to hector me to do something I ignore them.

I never had any problem with my children pestering me in the supermarket. They knew I would never buy them sweets at the checkout - and I never did.

The choice is entirely in our own hands, these 'bombardments' happen because we respond to them.

We never watch live TV, everything gets recorded and watched at a convenient time. I like quiet in the house and never have the radio on, DH has Classic on in the car but the adverts drive me scatty.

I know what you mean - we are manipulated from morning till night and while we sometimes realise what is going on - believe me advertisers and retailers are always trying to catch us unawares. When DD studied Retail Management she had some very enlightening books. I seem to remember one was called" Why We Buy."

I noticed when catching trains recently, passengers are now referred to as customers.

Sometimes the adverts are better than the programme.

I agree; adverts drive me mad.I record, or go on I Player; then I turn it all off, and listen to the quiet for a bit. Today, I took my friend to the doctors.Thr receptionist was listening to radio one, and then the ads. WHY do they have to play music absolutely everywhere. Drives me up the wall!
I like to play my piano at home in the evenings>Or complete a jigsaw.Or read.Bliss.....

I do enjoy the TV but when in our caravan or in the Hebrides for weeks we do not have the box. I don't miss it at all.

Adverts do annoy me - they come on so loud and irritating that I turn the sound off.

I also love the Danish thrillers, sound turned down to low and sub titles. Bliss

We too record the programmes so we can fast forward the advert breaks. I don't listen to commercial radio except an occasion burst of Classic FM. Most other advertisements pass me by except BBC trailers. I really hate their repetative trailers for programmes three months ahead.

Oh, I did get rather shirty last evening with a bloke wearing a red tabard with Save The Children plastered across it. He came to the door waving his ID badge and launched straight into his spiel. When I said I had never agreed to sign up for charities who came to the door as we're targeted so often he became positively confrontational and I had to shut the door in his face. I'm now trying to think of appropriate polite wording for a card to stick on the door telling hawkers nicely not to knock.

NfK.....most neighbourhood watch organisations or local police forces usually have a sticker, that says something along the lines that 'we do not accept cold callers of any sort without prior arrangement' We used to have one. Nothing to stop you making your own....its your front door - you can open it to whom you wish......though I believe there are a few official exceptions!

We usually record channels with ads. if there is something we want to watch - BBC is normally our station of choice and I love Radio 4 but not all day. Since I've been studying I've learned to work with no commercial noise and I just love the peace and quiet. I generally don't watch the news but read it on the internet.

I too really dislike the music that abounds in many shops - especially women's clothes shops. It's really intrusive. I've always gone shopping early if I'm looking for something specific as these days I find it just too noisy later in the day. The same goes for indoor shopping centres - lovely in the deep winter as they are warm, but very claustrophobic as the noise gets louder and there are more and more people.

I find it's amusing/irritating when ads. say buy this and save money! If you're buying something you're spending money. As for BOGOFS -
only when I really need to buy two and that's fairly rare these days

My house is my albatross; constantly needing attention and stopping me from doing things that I really want to do.

That's a very good point, Tegan. Most of us devote a large part of our time and effort to paying-for and patching up our property and I certainly wonder if its all worth it. OK, we all have to live somewhere but I think that fair-renting or part ownership or open-ended mortgages would be better alternatives.

There seemed to be a reason for it when I was younger and nest building but now it's just tiring [and downsizing/moving will involve even more work]. I feel like saying to my kids 'don't devote so much time/money/energy to your house; just live and holiday'. Even the things I do enjoy such as decorating and gardening seem to involve finding the time and not doing it at leisure. But maybe it's due to the fact that I live alone and have to do all of the work myself.

No Tegan, even for couples routine property maintenance can become a real chore. We're hoping to spend our final years in rented property and spend some cash on ourselves at last - we've made the best provision we can for family. It's our turn now.

Good for you! Have fun ....

I agree with Tegan and papaoscar regarding property owning and have long been of the opinion that it just isn't worth the hassle - if you can find good landlords. I once lived in a property owned by a very reputable housing association in a beautiful part of Birmingham - one of my biggest mistakes was ever leaving there to come here. Oooh, when I think of what I gave up and now have to deal with myself when I'm ill suited to the job needing attention ...

I have advised both of my children not to buy property.