Newspaperless?

When we left on our latest road trip, I suspended newspaper delivery. I have always loved newspapers - I have always started the day drinking coffee and reading the papers. My daily morning routine was simple - make the coffee, read the papers - weekdays, two papers: a national paper and a local paper. On Fridays and Saturdays: add one more national newspaper. And on Sundays - the New York Times. That is a lot of paper - probably a foot high each week goes into our recycling bin. Weekdays, reading the newspapers takes almost an hour. On Saturday morning, probably 2 hours of reading (three papers). And Sunday? well - a leisurely read through the New York Times and attacking the crossword can take all morning (and probably 3 cups of coffee).

I believe in the power of newspapers - that independent reporting is needed to keep us all informed, aware and honest. I enjoy the touch and feel of real paper. I enjoy reading and thinking about issues.

But - and here is the big BUT - I hate the wastefulness of all that paper. Without newspapers, I do have more time in the mornings - but I find that I instead surf the net for news. I miss the births and deaths column.....the movie reviews....the book reviews....the sudokus, the kenkens, the jumbles, the crosswords.....

I have been home now for 3 weeks and I still haven't reinstituted my subscriptions. I am not sure how much money I save by not having newspapers, but I know that the cost isn't what is really stopping me. If I am not buying newspapers, who is?