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<p>I understand your argument that you don’t need anything. I could find clothes at Wal-mart that were professional “enough” to wear on a daily basis to clinic. Is that where I shop for clothes? Of course not. We could argue all day that I’m wasting money by shopping at Banana Republic and J.Crew for every day stuff, or that a suit from JCPenny at $125 is just as functional as my new Calvin Klein suit I bought this summer for $430. But is that going to change my spending habits? Hell no! I believe that spending that amount is worth it. I think the clothes are better made, more stylish, and represent a greater value.</p>
<p>The same could be said for this issue with the cable/tv/internet/cellphone/landline. Do they need all of those things? Of course not, but obviously they find enough value in them to warrant the cost. I’ve broken down that the costs listed in the article aren’t outlandish, that they seem pretty accurate, so what’s the big deal? Personally, knowing that I will be moving to a location where I likely won’t get frequent broadcasts of my alma mater’s football games, I already anticipate buying ESPN’s GamePlan, and due to the fact that my schedule will be busy, getting a DVR so I can record the games. This is something that is important to me. Do I need it? According to you - no (but I might beg to differ on that). Some people have to have their Desperate Housewives and so that’s an expenditure they’re willing to make.</p>
<p>Further, I’ve heard some places/magazines argue that getting a DVR is more time efficient anyways - you’re not tied to the network’s schedule and you get to fast forward through commercials. </p>
<p>Now does that mean you’re going to make the same decisions on how to spend your money? Of course not, we could run down the list and find all sorts of things that you would be unwilling to cut out of your life. Maybe it’s a gym membership, maybe it’s a bowling league, maybe it’s subscription to a magazine or a website…I dunno. </p>
<p>As for your (hypothetical) complete lack of being able to be reached…I doubt that’s going to win you many friends. Further, residency is a job and I’m willing to guarantee that the contracts have clauses about “at-will employment”…Even if they don’t, making decisions which directly impede your ability to perform that job at a satisfactory level are grounds for dismissal. I think they’ll probably tell you to get a phone, make yourself available, or take a hike…good luck getting into a new residency next year with a firing under your belt.</p>