I grew up in a family that ate dinner every night in front of the TV. I've seen every episode of Cheers, MASH, Seinfeld, Full House, Who's the Boss and probably dozens of other shows. I even majored in broadcast journalism in college. The TV has been my babysitter, my livelihood and my comforter. So for those who say they could never give up cable, I disagree. If I can do it, anyone can.
America Loves TV
According to Nielsen Research there are 2.73 TV sets in the average home, and 2.55 people. When it comes to my home: two people, three televisions. Nielsen says the average American home has that TV set turned on for eight hours and 14 minutes, more than one-third of the day. And while Americans are watching more TV than they did a decade ago, they're also paying more for it. According to CNN the average cable bill increases by about five percent a year, with the average bill ringing in at $75 a month. And of course, some people pay far more than that.
Finally Cutting the Cable
I've hemmed and hawed for years about cutting our cable. Every time our cable bill increased, my husband called our cable provider and would threaten to cancel. Inevitably they would lower the bill, add in some extra features or lure us back somehow. But the older I got the less entertaining television became. I still watched it, but even as I did I knew there were a million other things I could be doing with my time that are more productive or relaxing. When I considered the fact that I could be saving $75 a month, nearly $1,000 a year, I decided the time had come. We called Charter and made a clean break.
Easing the Pain with Apple TV
I knew I couldn't just go cold turkey with no television. I know there are people who can, but after 32 years of watching some TV nearly every day of my life I couldn't imagine not watching something. So instead of paying our cable bill that first month my husband and I bought an Apple TV. For $99 the Apple TV makes it possible for anything online to broadcast on your widescreen TV. There are hundreds of radio stations, TV shows and movies that you can listen to or watch for free.
Subscribing to Netflix
Another way to get your TV fix without the hefty cable bill is by subscribing to Netflix. A standard subscription is just $7.99 a month, so roughly 90 percent cheaper than my cable bill. Plus, the first month is free for new subscribers. And if you want the equivalent of a second free month of Netflix, sign up through eBates where you'll earn $8 cash back following the free trial period. With Netflix you'll have access to thousands of movies and TV shows.
How to Watch Current Shows
The only downfall of Netflix I've found is that you don't have access to the most current shows. But there is a way around this with the Apple TV. We also have an iPad which has the ability to mirror whatever is on the screen of the iPad onto our television. By downloading the free ABC app we can watch current shows—including our new obsession Revenge—on our TV. I was also surprised to find out that HGTV offers many of its most recent shows through a free HGTV app. If you love shows like Parks and Rec or The Office those are available for free through the NBC app. A side benefit to watching programs like this is that commercial interruptions are limited.
Hooking up a Cable Converter Box
Another tip to survive without that hefty cable bill is to invest in a cable converter box. You need one of these to be able to watch the main networks—ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX—for free. You can buy a cable converter like this one at Walmart for about $30. I haven't purchased this yet, but I plan to try it out for the TV in our home gym. That way I can watch the Today Show when I'm on the elliptical, just like I'm used to.
So as you can see, with a couple of one-time investments and a little ingenuity, even a TV junkie like me can survive without cable. Not only am I excited to save $75 a month by forgoing this service, but I'm also looking forward to seeing what else I can do with my time. I'd love to hear your tips and tricks for saving money on your cable bill.
4 Responses to “How I Save $75 a Month By Giving Up Cable TV”
I can agree that anybody can cut the cord and not have a pay TV provider, I could do it as well but have never wanted to. Yes you could save money by doing this, but you could also save money by walking everywhere instead of driving, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll enjoy walking as much as you did driving. I have yet to find an alternative to a pay TV provider where I could get all of the content that I watch now with my DISH Network. I can even watch these shows online on my laptop when I’m not home. It’s the convenience that I get and that I know that my shows will still be there. I can literally take my TV with me wherever I go, and working for DISH I know that I get tons more content with a provider than I would with an option like Netflix.
Sounds like a sensible piece of advice. I cut my cable a long time ago. I just download movies now and I enjoy them a lot. If there is something I need to watch on tv, I do it online.
Yes, Carter, I think I realized that a lot of what you're paying for when you buy cable is convenience. I think it just really helped me having Netflix as a "backup." I really wasn't interested in going cold turkey, but I have enjoyed discovering new shows that I probably wouldn't have otherwise watched thanks to Netflix.
Have you checked out what can be done with a download from PlayOn.tv?