posted
We've been talking about getting rid of the cable tv to save money. However, there are a lot of channels that I like, and within a month it will be affordable again. But then I was thinking about it: $100/month is a lot of money, and if I set it aside instead of paying for cable, I could buy a LOT of DVDs with that money. I could use the library or Netflix to check out new things before buying.
My favorite channels on cable (roughly in order of preference):
BBC America National Geographic (mostly just Dog Whisperer) Scifi HBO TLC Discovery The Asian Network (I like to listen to the Chinese programs to develop my ear for the language). Independent Film Channel Sundance Channel
I think I could probably get a lot of my favorite shows through Netflix, and many of the movies that I would watch as well. Somewhere on the internet there has to be streaming Chinese broadcasts, so if I could find that I wouldn't need the Asian Network.
I'm sure there are people here who have cancelled their cable/satellite and put the money towards Netflix accounts and DVD purchases. How has that worked out for you?
I kind of want to keep the tv, but the prospect of having $100/month just for DVD purchases is sorely tempting.
posted
Also, $100 may not be entirely accurate. I arrived at that number by looking up the costs for phone/internet but no tv, and subtracted that from the current cost. I had to estimate taxes and fees, and I may have underestimated. I suppose it's also possible that the bill I was basing things on was not representative, since the bundled plan we were on has just expired and we've only had one bill on the new plan so far. I'll have a better idea of the exact amounts involved when I get the next bill.
posted
We pay a little more than $100 for cable (the full package minus movie channels), internet, and phone. So yeah, that does sound high.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
I have the same dilemma. I'd go with Netflix. That's what I want to do as soon as this trail thing expires. Cable is too expensive and soooooo not worth it.
But I do like the Discovery Health Channel and on demand, but basic would save me so much more money.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Our bill used to be $100 for everything, plus tax which brought it up to $115-ish. But that package expired, and the latest bill was $175. I figured getting rid of the tv entirely would bring it down to $75-ish.
Although, looking more closely at the bill, it looks like it might be covering two months at a time because of the change. It looks like with taxes the new bill will be closer to $145/month, which is a bit more reasonable. That's still $70/month I would save by getting rid of it, so it's still very tempting.
ETA: I think I wasn't clear that the $175/$145 is for phone, high-speed internet, digital cable with all of the channels, and HBO. Just the phone/internet should be approximately $75/month.
posted
I did exactly what you're thinking about back in May. I was kind of nervous about it at first. Cable has kind of become a way of life for most of us, I think. But it's been over four months and I wouldn't even think of going back to cable now. For us, the cheapest plan (that didn't include all the channels we wanted) was $70 a month, so yeah, $100 a month doesn't seem outrageous at all.
Netflix is 18 and some change, after tax. Actually, they just dropped their pries.
All our series come out on DVD eventually. Yeah, we're a season behind, but in the meantime we're discovering old shows that have been released to DVD. Believe me, we have plenty to watch.
You can go with as many movies at a time as you want. We find that 3 is sufficient, but then again, we don't feel the need to watch TV all night. If you're a big TV watcher, you can get 4, 5, 6...at a time.
Browse Netflix. See if they have the shows you watch. Then check the web pages of the networks -- some of them have the shows, too. I watch The Daily Show on Comedy Central's web page, for example. (Although not as often as I used to watch...probably a good thing.)
Anyway, I think it's a terrific option and I'm very happy that we've done it.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
When my girls and I moved into a larger apartment a couple of years ago, we gave up cable to afford the bigger place. I don't miss it at all. I pay about $25 a month for 4 at a time Netflix and that's plenty for us to watch.
We've watched the following TV shows:
Firefly (which I immediately bought) Angel Buffy (through the 2nd season) Monk (in the 5th season now) Dead Zone (5th season) Numb3rs (3rd season coming out the end of the month) Bones (2nd season released yesterday woo hoo!) Quantum Leap (5 seasons available, I'm in the middle of the 2nd) Psych (just started this one over the weekend)
We usually watch 3 or 4 movies a month as well, but prefer the TV episodes to the time investment of a full length movie.
Just recently Netflix started offering "instant watching" online. The selection isn't great, but I've watched several documentaries, some comedy specials and a couple of TV episodes.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
maui babe -- check out The 4400, when you have an open slot. We seem to have similar tastes and I love that one. In fact, that was the hardest thing to give up watching right away, especially since we quit cable right BEFORE the season started. (It's a summer show on USA.)
We've also watched:
Farscape Lost Roswell Carnivale (we're on season 1) Doctor Who
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
The 4400 definitely looks like my type of show. I've never heard of it. Do you know what network it ran on? Thanks for the referral.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm paying $70 a month for what they claim is basic digital cable. No internet, no phone. There's no analog options at all anymore, and in fact, my package doesn't exist either. What they currently market as the "bronze" package has less channels and costs even more.
I want to switch to dish, but I'm being told that because I live in an apartment, I can't have it. Not by my landlord... by DishNetwork AND DirecTV. I haven't seen any indication of other service providers around. And my local channel reception is absolutely TERRIBLE on an antenna.
One advantage to dumping the pay channels, though, would be the loss of SpongeBob SquarePants.... Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
For years, I had Netflix and no cable. Now, for the first time in my life, I have cable, but I can't have Netflix. Given the choice, I'd definitely pick Netflix.
Posts: 2149 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by maui babe: The 4400 definitely looks like my type of show. I've never heard of it. Do you know what network it ran on? Thanks for the referral.
It's on USA, same as Monk, Psych, and The Dead Zone (which is why I thought of it). USA is my favorite network. They do such good shows.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks Christine, I will definitely check that one out.
I didn't mean to get so detailed about my personal viewing habits, but I did want to show that there are a LOT of options available on Netflix. I've thought about going back to cable or dish soon, as one of my daughters has gone off to college and I'm considering moving to a less expensive apartment again. I probably won't, at least not while my other daughter is still home. I LOVE watching the shows on my schedule, without commercials.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
It's good to hear of people's positive experiences with trading tv for Netflix. After browsing some of their selection, I'm thinking that this is the way we'll want to go.
posted
Syn, With all the complaining you do about money, you're actually paying not just for cable but for premium cable? That's astoundingly bad money management.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by MrSquicky: Syn, With all the complaining you do about money, you're actually paying not just for cable but for premium cable? That's astoundingly bad money management.
yes yes yes, I know, but they suckered me in with free cable for a month and also cheap internet and I can't even downgrade it until next month. I was aware there might be a catch in it from the beginning... Lecturing only makes me cranky because I already know and plan to downgrade it or get rid of it altogether very soon.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
The only thing I miss about not having cable is sports. Between Netflix, the library and the Internet, my family and I have our needs covered (although I wouldn't mind eventually being able to up my entertainment budget so I could buy more books and pay for more magazine subscriptions -- and maybe eventually a console gaming system).
EDIT: I should add that even though I miss sports [although there still is quite a bit of stuff on network TV (albeit nowhere near what there used to be)], live sports events are also the easiest thing to find outside of the home i.e. sports bars, friends and family, TV displays in retail places.
AND: There isn't much stuff there now, but factor in the Netflix on demand content too. For example, you can watch episodes of Red Dwarf and Dr. Who using this service (your downloadable content hours per month are equal to how much your subscription is).
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
We love our Netflix. We only have the one-movie-at-a-time plan to control our TV time, but it works so nicely to have a new movie in the mail every week or so.
Like Zalmoxis, though, I wish we had ESPN. I really miss sports. I wish I could get all the sports channels a la carte.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
If I could get college football and NBA basketball games live online, I might pay for those. MLB isn't my thing.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by MrSquicky: Syn, With all the complaining you do about money, you're actually paying not just for cable but for premium cable? That's astoundingly bad money management.
yes yes yes, I know, but they suckered me in with free cable for a month and also cheap internet and I can't even downgrade it until next month. I was aware there might be a catch in it from the beginning... Lecturing only makes me cranky because I already know and plan to downgrade it or get rid of it altogether very soon.
The lesson: never sign a contract or agree to a term of service. This is the reason we didn't go to the satellite companies, although their prices are lower. They require a 2-year service contract and the price is only guaranteed for a few months. So basically, they can take you for as much money as they want.
Phone companies are now offering satellite without a contract. We tried that for a while, but got lousy reception. They even moved the dish a couple of times.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
P.S. The other reason we got rid of cable is that we were sooooo upset with them for not having a basic package that included all the channels we watched for a reasonable price. If you're into sports, cable can be a great deal but if all you watch is, say, USA, Comedy Central, Scifi, and TLC then it's a royal rip off. All in all, it amounted to about 4 hours a week of viewing time. When we did the math, it came to over $4 an hour to watch television!!!
I wish they'd go to a la carte for cable channels. For some reason, this is something the FCC and congress are debating. I'm not clear on why the government should decide whether a business should offer a la carte pricing, but that could be my Libertarian leanings talking. Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:I wish they'd go to a la carte for cable channels. For some reason, this is something the FCC and congress are debating.
Um, I thought that was already decided a few years ago in our favor -- they don't advertise it, but if you ask for it, they have to give it to you.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
If that's the case, the cable companies are not just not advertising -- they are out and out refusing to do it. I have asked them about it specifically. Do you have a source? I did a search for a la carte pricing for cable and didn't come up with anything on the final decision.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm sure a la carte would be bad news for a number of cable channels that people might not pick on their own. It would mean a whole lot more marketing to consumers by the channels. But it would be SO nice for me, the consumer, to be able to put together my own cable package with only the channels I wanted--especially if it represented a significant savings per month.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
No a la carte yet. I believe what they are currently forced to offer is a "family friendly" package that is quite stripped down (and, in most cases, doesn't include sports channels).
quote:Originally posted by Christine: P.S. The other reason we got rid of cable is that we were sooooo upset with them for not having a basic package that included all the channels we watched for a reasonable price. If you're into sports, cable can be a great deal but if all you watch is, say, USA, Comedy Central, Scifi, and TLC then it's a royal rip off. All in all, it amounted to about 4 hours a week of viewing time. When we did the math, it came to over $4 an hour to watch television!!!
I wish they'd go to a la carte for cable channels. For some reason, this is something the FCC and congress are debating. I'm not clear on why the government should decide whether a business should offer a la carte pricing, but that could be my Libertarian leanings talking.
USA, Comedy Central, Scfifi, and TLC have always been included in the basic cable around here. I upgraded to digital later anyway, but...are those channels not basic everywhere?
posted
I should rephrase...they call it basic cable but it's $70 a month so it doesn't seem all that "basic" to me. It is, however, the cheapest package you can get aside from the "family friendly" package.
The "family friendly" package, btw, is ridiculous...basically comes with Nickelodeon and Disney.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Christine: If that's the case, the cable companies are not just not advertising -- they are out and out refusing to do it. I have asked them about it specifically. Do you have a source? I did a search for a la carte pricing for cable and didn't come up with anything on the final decision.
My understanding was that they were required to do it, but that so few people are aware of the option that virtually no one asks for it so most of the front-line cable folks don't know about it either. It's like flying without an ID - legally, it's possible, but very few of the people who have tried to do so have been allowed to.
The other problem is that there is little/no regulation on price, so they can offer a la carte channels for $10-$15 each, making it more expensive to get the 10 channels you do want than signing up for the plan that gives you those plus 50 that you don't.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007
| IP: Logged |
So, you all had pretty much convinced me to ditch the cable. I called up the company, only to find out that the prices for internet/phone on their website are only valid if you have some form of cable tv. Nowhere on the website does it tell you how much these services cost without the tv. Here are my options:
Downgrade to the lowest-priced cable, for a total bill of $97/month + tax
Get rid of the cable tv, for a total bill of $110/month + tax
Keep the status quo (all the channels plus HBO), for a total bill of $130/month plus tax.
Assuming that the tax is approximately equal for all three choices, I'll only save $30/month by downgrading. Adding a netflix account will take up 1/3 to 1/2 of that savings, leaving only ~$15/month for DVD purchases.
I may still end up downgrading the cable, but it will require a lot more pondering now. *sigh*
posted
Yep. Bundling services saves you money! It's for the benefit of the consumer. The DSL choices in my area are only: buy it from the local phone company or buy it from the local cable company -- with both of those it's incredibly expensive unless you bundle (and even then it's not as cheap as I was paying with SBC/Yahoo! DSL).
I wish this wasn't being pushed by the family values people so much. That will inevitably skew what ends up happening.
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
If a la carte becomes widespread, I would not expect cable prices to be significantly different. The cable company makes its money off an average X dollars per household. You can bet the average subscriber will be paying just as much for their 10 favorite channels as they are currently paying for several times that many now. Only those who want fewer channels than the average subscriber are going to save any money.
It's easier (therefore less expensive) to administer "packages" the way the cable companies do now, so the overhead of providing personalized packages may actually increase the average cost of cable.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
See, my last cable company actually listed the tv/non-tv prices for internet and phone on their website. They were very upfront with the costs of different bundles. This current one seems quite a bit less interested in accurately portraying their prices on their website.
posted
What, exactly, do you have? Is it cable phone and internet connection or regular phone/DSL? If the former, you can try switching to regular phone and DSL. That's what we have and it's much cheaper. I think a basic phone + DSL is about $60 a month. We don't do our long distance through the phone company so that's not reflected there. My DSL connection is quite fast enough.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
The problem with regular phone is that we hate Verizon, and they are the only phone company around here. Plus, nearly all of our phone calls are long-distance, so even with a cheap phone card that adds up pretty quickly. The cable phone has unlimited long distance built into the plan. The comparable plan at Verizon was considerably more expensive.
I may look at the numbers again, but when we were moving into our house last year it turned out to be cheaper to get phone/internet through the cable company than for the comparable services from Verizon. Granted, that was with the special package deal we got then, which has now expired. I guess I will look at the numbers again, but there would have to be a significant savings to make it at all worth it to have Verizon.
posted
If you've got high-speed internet there are a handful of other phone options, including Vonage. I was pretty happy with Vonage, but when I switched to a fiber-based all-in-one package I had a heck of time canceling their service. I was never able to successfully transfer my number, which really sucked.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Wow, we pay about $65 a month for phone, expanded basic cable (not digital, but we get everything but the premium channels-- HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Discovery Health, TV Land, etc.) and cable internet.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by theCrowsWife: Cable phone and cable internet.
The problem with regular phone is that we hate Verizon, and they are the only phone company around here. Plus, nearly all of our phone calls are long-distance, so even with a cheap phone card that adds up pretty quickly. The cable phone has unlimited long distance built into the plan. The comparable plan at Verizon was considerably more expensive.
I may look at the numbers again, but when we were moving into our house last year it turned out to be cheaper to get phone/internet through the cable company than for the comparable services from Verizon. Granted, that was with the special package deal we got then, which has now expired. I guess I will look at the numbers again, but there would have to be a significant savings to make it at all worth it to have Verizon.
--Mel
We make a lot of long distance calls, too, and none of the plans were good for us. So we use this:
posted
We do the same as Christine. Local phone + DSL through the local phone provider; long distance through calling cards (or cell phone on the weekends -- and we only pay $20 a month for ). And then Netflix.
Luckily, an $18 antenna (set on the top of the entertainment center) is enough to get all of the local VHF/UHF channels. And they all come in quite well (except, sadly, for the local PBS station which is a bit fuzzy).
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, I did it. I signed up for Netflix and downgraded the cable to the most basic package. The cable lady tried to talk me out of it, of course. She tried to get me change to a different plan, claiming that it cost the same. It didn't; it was seven dollars more. She had no answer when I pointed that out.
So. I have three movies on their way and a gazillion more in my queue, and I'm excited. I think we made the right decision.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
. If I didn't have them, it wouldn't be worth it to have cable at all.![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
(good thing I wasn't guessing, huh)?
