A lot of people have either a DVR or a Tivo (both of which do essentially the same thing) and people who have them generally really like them. I am one of the people has one of these and have had my DVR for a little over a year now.

I don’t know all the exact differences between them or what options are out there, but I know that I really like my DVR. It is a convenience and in a budget would probably be most likely categorized as an entertainment expense. However, I also look at it as being a time-saver as well.

With the current set-up that I have, the device is actually “rented” from my cable company and it does cost me a few extra dollars per month. However, when I look at the benefits I receive from it, I feel the extra money is well spent.

Most people look at these devices as a way to not miss the shows they like to watch (and this definitely is a benefit) but I see it as a way to save time while watching these shows. Since having my DVR, with the exception of the Super Bowl and watching the ball drop on New Year’s, I don’t watch live TV anymore. Even if a show that I like to watch is on, I will watch one that I have recorded previously and record the one that is currently on.

Why you may ask? My answer is because it saves me time. By being able to fast forward through commercials, I can watch an hour long show in about 40-45 minutes and a half hour show in about 20-25. Using these numbers, if you watch even 10 hours of TV per month (that’s about 2.5 hours per week) you can save yourself about 2 or 3 hours for the cost of having the DVR or Tivo.

I feel that my time per hour is worth more than the cost of the device per month divided by the number of hours saved and can therefore determine that it is well worth having simply because of the time it saves me.

Yes there are other ways to save this same amount of time, but from what I have experienced, this is a pretty decent trade-off. For those of you looking for alternatives, one of the most common suggestions would be to use a VCR. While I do have a VCR and have used this method in the past, it cuts down on the amount of time saved because you have to deal with the video tapes to get the tape in for the show you want to watch, make sure you have the tape in that you want to record new shows on, fast forward or rewind to the point at the tape where that show starts, etc. Also, it is less convenient and you still have the expense of purchasing, replacing, and storing/organizing the tapes.

The other suggestion would be to just not watch TV. While there are many people who don’t watch TV, I think that the majority of people do. Personally, I don’t watch a lot of TV, but there are a few shows that I like to watch on a regular basis and watching TV is a good way for me to get my mind off of other more stress-inducing things.