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Although it’s not a new phenomenon, cutting out cable from your monthly budget is certainly gaining in popularity. We all probably know someone that has ‘cut the cord’ and has adjusted quite well. It does involve a little bit of a lifestyle change and there are definitely some cons involved but saving the often substantial cable bill each month certainly makes it work in my book.
Why would someone get rid of their cable?
First of all, you have to get fed up with your current cable/internet package. The cable companies always seem to offer these awesome ‘teaser’ rates in which they suck you in and then eventually raise your rates. It might be $69 a month; it might be $129 a month. Oh, and that’s likely before the really good stuff, like HBO or the NFL Network. Sure, if you’re living in a house with 3 other roommates it can make sense, $25 a month but if you’re newlyweds or living on your own, that cost adds up quickly. My wife and I certainly didn’t feel like paying an additional $70 each month ($840 per year) to get cable at our house (we still obviously have internet, come on, we’re not in living in a cave), so we cut the cord. Furthermore, I feel like a lot of time spent watching TV is wasted time and I wanted to eliminate the wasted time so I could get more done.
No TV, that’s crazy, what will I do?
Thankfully there are actually quite viable options out there. Thanks to devices like the Roku 3 Streaming Media Player
There’s gotta be a downside though, right?
There are unfortunately cons involved with cutting the cord; otherwise I believe cable TV would disappear tomorrow. Live events are a little tough to come by. You will be missing out on sports, news and other special performances. For a lot of us, that might be a deal breaker, not getting to watch our football every Sunday or to watch the news when we wake up. Now before you stop reading and stick with cable, let me explain several alternatives that I’ve found. Firstly, get a TV antenna. What? Yeah, a TV antenna, it’s making a comeback from the early 90’s. I honestly thought the US got rid of over the air TV a few years back but they didn’t (probably a lie the cable companies want us to believe). Check out the Mohu Leaf Paper-Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna
Cutting the cord is easy to do and saves me tons of money each month. I’m able to watch more shows and movies than I could ever dream of, and watch them right when I want to. I waste less time by just vegging out in front of the TV. When there truly is a game on that I want to watch, I’m able to simply go hang out at a friend’s house or a sports bar to watch it. I’ve cut my entertainment bill in half and haven’t looked back. I can do it and so can you!
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How did you manage to get internet not bundled with cable? So often the internet unbundled is even more expensive than basic cable plus internet.
Somehow AT&T allowed me to just sign up for the internet for $29.99/month. I always get bombarded though with offers for “home phone service” or “digital TV” and always turn them down. A little shopping around and I was able to find a good deal!
[…] is expensive, and one of the hottest trends amongst millenials right now is to cut the cord (ok maybe I made that up but I know a lot of my friends have done so). Paying for TV can cost $50, […]