DOWNSIZING FOR DIAPERS

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to watch t.v. She loved it so much that, after she was put to bed at night,. she'd sneak into her parent's bedroom and watch their t.v. while they were downstairs. When she went outside she often played a made-up game she called t.v. tag or acted out scenes from her favorite shows with her friends.

At the same time, In another part of the country, there was a little boy who loved to play outside. He played ball, hide-and-seek and other games. When it was time to come inside at the end of the day he often pretended that he didn't know it was late so that he could stay out a few minutes longer.

The little girl and boy eventually met and fell in love. They worked hard all day and in the evenings would sit together in their living room and watch their favorite shows. They enjoyed this time, but knew it wasn't forever. They knew that someday a little one would come along and change their world. They wanted that time to be filled with play and laughter. There would not be much time for t.v.

Since the Little One came along two months ago we have discovered that there is far more to "living" than we ever knew before. Television viewing was immediately replaced with diapers, feedings, and laps through the house to get him to sleep. This is an exchange we are thrilled to make. He brings far more mystery, excitement and laughter to our lives than any Patriots game or show about people stuck on an island ever could. There is no comparison.

With all of this fun going on, it became very obvious that we were paying the cable company for far more services then we now use. There was no longer a need in our house for a DVR. A major cut-back would also mean some extra cash in our pockets each month to add to the kiddo's diaper fund. So I bit the bullet and called our cable provider to start haggling. I had the advantage this time though. Our most recent contract was up and we were free to leave without a penalty. My strategy involved making this crystal clear to the sales person. It also involved calling our cable company's competitor first and dangling the move in front of them to get the lowest price if we transferred. At first the price was too close and I let them know this. I told them I'd have to call back. Miraculously, the sales person was able to throw in a discount that kept me listening. When I continued to waiver, she threw in some perks. Then I mentioned that her company was also our cell phone service provider. This somehow made us eligible for a sweeter deal that involved a bigger bundle of services (phone, television, internet and cell service) at a lower price. Before making it final I called our current cable company back and gave them the update. The sales person did his best to trash the other company's services and then claimed that they were lying about the price they'd charge me. I didn't budge and we said our goodbyes. Time to move on.

In the end, we took almost $40 off our cable bill each month. There was one more surprise in store for us though. The new deal included a DVR and movie package for free for one year if we signed a two year contract. SOLD.