Author Topic: Getting rid of cable TV.  (Read 20983 times)

financialforager

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Getting rid of cable TV.
« on: August 14, 2014, 08:42:47 PM »
I am throwing down the challenge. Getting rid of cable TV. Have any of you took the plunge? Here is the way I did it.

http://www.financialforager.com/?p=126

SingleMomDebt

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2014, 08:48:27 PM »
Yes. been without cable for a year now. Have netflix and the county's free sub channels ('normal' channel 5 is on sub channel 5.1). So I don't feel I miss anything at all. In fact, with the sub-channels, I still get ION, AMC, Spike TV, Cartoon Network. Its all good. And you'll do fine, too. Happily saving more money. :)

Primm

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2014, 08:49:38 PM »
Never had it.

That was easy! :)

gecko10x

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2014, 08:55:50 PM »
Dropped it about 5 or 6 years ago :-)

Ethernet

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2014, 09:06:21 PM »
Convinced the family to drop it a month ago. Kids at first complained about how they didn't get their nickelodeon shows, but after subscribing to Hulu they were quickly pleased.

Although nobody really watches TV in my house anymore, to be honest I think that's a change for the better.

Roland of Gilead

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2014, 09:09:55 PM »
If we had any other way of getting high speed internet I would ditch cable, but all we have out here in the boondocks is Comcast.  Every year or so I threaten to switch to DSL and Comcast offers me a deal on internet + tv that is as cheap as DSL + phone (wouldn't use the phone).

Just today I *downgraded* to save $50 a month and the downgrade included the same channels but added HBO.

jennifers

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2014, 09:46:04 PM »
I never had cable but my boyfriend was paying almost 200$ a month for premium cable that he barely ever watched.  We decided not to get cable when he moved in with me last month.  So far it's going great with just Netflix and Amazon Prime. I told him we can buy or rent the DVDs for any shows he misses. 

Mike2

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2014, 10:07:31 PM »
I dropped cable about 5 years ago and don't miss it at all besides some sporting events.

dycker1978

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #8 on: August 15, 2014, 07:55:45 AM »
I got rid of the whole TV... none at all... life is good

kelladoo

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #9 on: August 15, 2014, 08:12:12 AM »
Awesome! We would love to get rid of our cable bill since we never use it. EVER. However, we do use the internet all of the time, and the cheapest way to have internet is to get the bundle, with cable. Lame. Any experience getting around this? Our house is very weirdly and inconveniently located in a dead zone too (in a very populated Alexandria, VA) so we literally would have no cell service in our house without an internet connection (we have a network extender), so we definitely need the internet. Any tips? We would love to drop the cable bill.

Roland of Gilead

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #10 on: August 15, 2014, 08:20:16 AM »
Unfortunately, no, there are not any great alternatives to Comcast and the amazing speed of their internet.   I consistently get 30mb/s download.   I just consider the TV portion of the package to be a freebie and ignore it for the most part (except for a few shows like GoT).

I considered Frontier but you have to have quite a bit of equipment installed and I have heard some horror stories about customer service, contracts, and true speeds.   Better the devil you know IMO.

minimustache1985

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2014, 02:21:13 PM »
I would love to- I had Netflix and Hulu plus for years and am perfectly satisfied with those, but the husband is a sports addict.  I'll be broaching downgrading the package when football goes to post-season in January or so, but before that there's no way he'll be receptive to downgrading while his Steelers are on TV so I'm working some other angles like decreasing restaurant visits right now.

solon

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #12 on: August 15, 2014, 02:33:19 PM »
More Americans subscribe to cable internet than cable TV

Quote
You can now officially think of American cable companies as internet service providers with a declining side business in television.

http://qz.com/250254/for-the-first-time-more-americans-subscribe-to-cable-internet-than-cable-tv/

Davids

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #13 on: August 15, 2014, 04:53:48 PM »
Technically yes. I have Comcast Limited Basic Cable (which is just network channels) and Internet for $50/month. If it was just Internet Only it would be closer to $70/month which makes absolutely no sense from a pricing perspective.

financialforager

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #14 on: August 16, 2014, 10:32:44 AM »
I pay $44.99 a month for internet. 30mb up 4mb down.

jrhampt

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #15 on: August 16, 2014, 11:18:06 AM »
Dropped it a couple of years ago and haven't missed it.

pachnik

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #16 on: August 16, 2014, 04:50:29 PM »
We dropped cable 2 months ago and I haven't missed it.  I only really watched the news.  My husband does miss sports a little.

MrsPotts

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #17 on: August 16, 2014, 05:15:39 PM »
We dropped it about a month ago.  I was really afraid to bring it up with Mr. Potts but was pleasantly surprised.  We have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and a cheap costco antenna that allows us to get local stations (according to Mr. Potts; I haven't tried to watch it.)   This saved us 70 bucks a month (we already had Prime and Netflix.) 

Astatine

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #18 on: August 16, 2014, 05:25:12 PM »
Never had it.

That was easy! :)

Me too!

To be honest, I'd be happy living without a TV at all (and have done so on and off all my life) but hubby likes his big screen TV for watching movies and the occasional TV show.

greenmimama

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #19 on: August 20, 2014, 11:43:37 AM »
I just looked up what antenna to get for my house, if I get one, it says I could get one channel, ABC.

One channel would be better than none, but I was hoping to get CBS, I've kind of gotten into watching football, I don't even know who I am anymore.

I did cut cable just last week and haven't replaced it with anything, we are just getting DVDs free from the library or watching our own small collection.

unix_kung_fu

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #20 on: August 21, 2014, 01:48:08 PM »
I live in a heavily populated urban area, so I get all the OTA channels just fine, just don't even watch most of those. I get a couple local PBS affiliates which is all I need. I have my Roku 2 device I bought a few years ago that still works (no need to buy the Roku 3 model for now) and it has a lot of free apps on there, including the PBS app which has most of their shows available for download for free.

Also use the Roku to stream internet radio through my receiver, have the Crackle app (free, unedited movies but commercial breaks every 20 minutes or so), among others. Sports is the big thing but for ESPN I go to a friends or a bar (not mustachian but it's budgeted in at least)

financialforager

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #21 on: August 21, 2014, 03:05:27 PM »
I live in a heavily populated urban area, so I get all the OTA channels just fine, just don't even watch most of those. I get a couple local PBS affiliates which is all I need. I have my Roku 2 device I bought a few years ago that still works (no need to buy the Roku 3 model for now) and it has a lot of free apps on there, including the PBS app which has most of their shows available for download for free.

Also use the Roku to stream internet radio through my receiver, have the Crackle app (free, unedited movies but commercial breaks every 20 minutes or so), among others. Sports is the big thing but for ESPN I go to a friends or a bar (not mustachian but it's budgeted in at least)

Have you tried ESPN3 it allows you to stream sports if you have a internet connection. It will ask you for your ISP first. If it is on the list, your all set. Roku is ok for internet TV, but XBMC has so many more options. I can watch any show I want online for free.

Roland of Gilead

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #22 on: August 21, 2014, 05:35:42 PM »
Those who totally cut the cable, where are you getting your wifis?

unix_kung_fu

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #23 on: August 21, 2014, 05:39:16 PM »
Have you tried ESPN3 it allows you to stream sports if you have a internet connection. It will ask you for your ISP first. If it is on the list, your all set. Roku is ok for internet TV, but XBMC has so many more options. I can watch any show I want online for free.

Yeah, ESPN3 doesn't always have everything though.

I do have XBMC, actually built my own PVR from raw parts (using OpenELEC)  w/ Sickbeard and Couch Potato enabled, but that is beyond the scope of this post :)

Rezdent

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #24 on: August 21, 2014, 09:47:36 PM »
Those who totally cut the cable, where are you getting your wifis?

No cable.  Few OTA channels but I really don't watch "television".  DH sometimes uses Netflix.
I did spring for an air card from Ting because I am frequently the "on call" tech support for my work.  Nice thing is I only pay for what I use.

Primm

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #25 on: August 22, 2014, 03:17:02 AM »
Those who totally cut the cable, where are you getting your wifis?

ADSL2+.

unix_kung_fu

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #26 on: August 22, 2014, 08:06:47 AM »
Those who totally cut the cable, where are you getting your wifis?

I guess not completely cut, where I'm at Comcast is the only option for high-speed. I'm paying like $60 for about ~22Mbps working speed. It's that or AT&T which will get me about 1.5Mbps for half that price.

Jack

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #27 on: August 22, 2014, 08:44:56 AM »
Those who totally cut the cable, where are you getting your wifis?

I guess not completely cut, where I'm at Comcast is the only option for high-speed. I'm paying like $60 for about ~22Mbps working speed. It's that or AT&T which will get me about 1.5Mbps for half that price.

I cut Comcast TV (when possible), but still use Comcast for Internet:
  • $30 / 20Mbps two years ago
  • $40 / 20Mbps last year (and basic cable -- they wouldn't let me pay less for Internet-only)
  • $20 / 30Mbps currently (the speed went up when they EOL'd DOCSIS 2... but I had to buy a new modem so I was annoyed anyway).
(Note that these prices have required many hours on the phone and/or web chat (and in the case of 2 years ago, multiple Better Business Bureau complaints) to achieve because Comcast has a habit of promising me a good price then trying to renege. When (or if) Google Fiber gets rolled out in Atlanta, I will switch instantly and never, ever become a Comcast customer again if at all possible.)

I tried AT&T DSL, but my house is going on 70 years old and DSL flat out doesn't work at any speed.

Roland of Gilead

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #28 on: August 22, 2014, 08:53:23 AM »
Those who totally cut the cable, where are you getting your wifis?

I guess not completely cut, where I'm at Comcast is the only option for high-speed. I'm paying like $60 for about ~22Mbps working speed. It's that or AT&T which will get me about 1.5Mbps for half that price.

I cut Comcast TV (when possible), but still use Comcast for Internet:
  • $30 / 20Mbps two years ago
  • $40 / 20Mbps last year (and basic cable -- they wouldn't let me pay less for Internet-only)
  • $20 / 30Mbps currently (the speed went up when they EOL'd DOCSIS 2... but I had to buy a new modem so I was annoyed anyway).
(Note that these prices have required many hours on the phone and/or web chat (and in the case of 2 years ago, multiple Better Business Bureau complaints) to achieve because Comcast has a habit of promising me a good price then trying to renege. When (or if) Google Fiber gets rolled out in Atlanta, I will switch instantly and never, ever become a Comcast customer again if at all possible.)

I tried AT&T DSL, but my house is going on 70 years old and DSL flat out doesn't work at any speed.

You must have held a gun to their head to get $20 a month for 30mb service with no TV subscription required.   I should let you negotiate my next job, you could probably get me 500k a year!

Jack

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #29 on: August 22, 2014, 10:06:38 AM »
You must have held a gun to their head to get $20 a month for 30mb service with no TV subscription required.   I should let you negotiate my next job, you could probably get me 500k a year!

It was actually an advertised rate that they sent as a mail flyer! Now, they initially tried to claim it didn't apply to me (despite the fact that they mailed it directly to my house, which was also the service address), and then they made it a big hassle to actually switch to it, but in the end I got it.

Also, keep in mind this was in Atlanta, not an expensive market.

(I called on the phone and the person claimed I could only sign up for it via online web chat. Then I went online and the web chat person said I had to cancel my TV service over the phone. I had to go back and forth between phone and web chat a couple of times and have the CSRs make notes on my account for the others to read in order to get it done.)

I wish I were that good at negotiating salary...

DEBt DEBs

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #30 on: October 13, 2014, 06:53:34 AM »
Dropped it this year and have plenty to watch with OTA antenna.

TeresaB

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #31 on: October 13, 2014, 09:09:54 AM »
We've never had cable. We do have Comcast internet, and the rep on the phone tried to get us to sign up for cable. (With our plan, the cable is free, but not having it doesn't increase the price. I think that the building we live in worked out a deal to get "free" cable for the building out of condo association fees.) We told him we didn't want it. He kept saying "but it's free!". We finally had to tell him that we don't own a TV so cable is worthless to us.

The Architect

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #32 on: October 13, 2014, 09:33:07 AM »
Dropped it over the summer and immediately saved $70 on my Comcast bill. I'd love to get OTA channels, but apparently the major broadcasters make more selling their programming to Comcast in my area than broadcasting. We now watch all our shows on various apps with an ipad mini connected to the TV; works great, all the network stuff is available a week or so after it airs - and we pay $0 for TV service (but still $75 or so for internet).

tracylayton

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #33 on: October 13, 2014, 09:39:09 PM »
My contract runs out next month, and I am going to go with an antenna. Looking forward to saving $87 per month!!

iris lily

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #34 on: October 13, 2014, 09:42:15 PM »
I've never had cable.

But that said, I watch too much tv/film as it is, though, with a disc Netflix subscription, the Library's huge collection, and Hulu on my computer. And then, my friend invites me over for streaming shows so I've seen the latest hot series like Oragne and True Detective and Homeland Season 3, etc at her house.

Spartana

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #35 on: October 14, 2014, 05:26:55 PM »
No cable here either - never had it. Have a rabbit ears antenna on top of my 32 inch TV and it gets pretty good reception and lots of network channels (plus crazy-ass local stuff and lots of PBS) since I'm less than 50 miles from LA. Other than news and the occasional PBS show I really only watch a couple of 2 TV shows and generally just channel surf so no need to get cable. Occasionally rent/borrow DVDs from my local library which has a big stash of them or from Redbox.

Public Hermit

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #36 on: October 15, 2014, 10:24:37 AM »
I just cut cable a month ago. Best move I ever made!

I just purchased a cheap OTA antenna on Amazon last night, hoping to pick up 1 or 2 local channels in addition to Netflix.

Bob W

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #37 on: October 15, 2014, 10:29:38 AM »
I got rid of the whole TV... none at all... life is good

That rocks -  obviously you still have a computer with internet?  Do you hulu or just forego the whole waist of time altogether?

What do you do for entertainment then?   I need replacement behaviors that are free or close to free.  Been thinking of taking up the guitar again.

drewski83

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #38 on: October 15, 2014, 11:32:49 AM »
I wish, I've been trying to convince my wife that we don't need it. It's sad when a bill for something as useless as TV creeps past your electric and gas bills every month.

vivian

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #39 on: October 15, 2014, 07:41:59 PM »
I realized recently how much I enjoy cable free life. We've been cable free for a few months. We just use Netflix when we want entertainment. My parents came to visit and insisted we needed live TV. They very first day, the went and bought an antenna so we could get a couple of live channels. They spent a lot of time watching TV and now they've left and I have a whiny child who insists on turning on the TV all the time. Hopefully it won't take too long for him to remember he survived without TV since we keep turning it off.

SpareChange

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #40 on: October 16, 2014, 11:07:44 AM »
No cable here. Just before I moved into my efficiency, my tv broke. Instead of replacing it, I bought a usb tv tuner and just use my computer monitor to watch local stations occasionally, basically for sports. Already used the computer to watch the few shows I follow and movies.

MandalayVA

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #41 on: October 16, 2014, 11:29:26 AM »
Got rid of DirecTV earlier this year--the only reason we had it was so I could watch hockey, but once I discovered Hockeystreams.com we cut it off.  Mr. Mandalay has a Netflix account but I don't know how often he uses it. 

Natcat

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #42 on: October 17, 2014, 10:43:13 AM »
I've lived mostly without cable since I was 21 (now 29) and until even toy without netflicks. At the time it was a difficult decision to make and one made before I became frugal. It was a decision necessitated by lowering expenses to make my student loans stretch further. At first I didn't know what to do with myself in the evenings but that quickly passed.

When my spouse moved in with me nearly 2 years ago he bought a little tv and hooked up cable as he insisted he couldn't live without it. Fast forward to this summer and I've got him off the cable and onto netflix. This is proof that even tv lovers can happily go without cable.

YK-Phil

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #43 on: October 17, 2014, 03:25:31 PM »
I cut the cable a decade or so ago, and never looked back. We do own an old big screen TV which is mostly there to hide a shitty drywall repair job I did a few years ago, and to watch the occasional DVD from the public library. We also recently cut our internet/land line combo and now only have home internet via hotspot on my wife's smartphone on a $35/month Windmobile plan which includes "unlimited" internet, which is enough since we do not watch videos, play music or video games. Unfortunately, because I work in an area where my wife's cheap plan does not work, I must subscribe to a call/text plan with Bell Mobility. Cheapest is $45/month, without a data plan which I can live without since I am connected to the internet practically 24/7 at the office and at my crashpad, for free.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #44 on: October 19, 2014, 08:59:55 PM »
Got rid of my cathode ray tube when I renovated my apartment last winter. I haven't gotten around to getting a new TV yet.

Actually, my friends gave me an old one -- flat screen! -- they were getting rid of. It's just sitting in the corner, not plugged in to power or cable. It looks like it should be worth something, but it doesn't seem worth my time to connect it or try to sell it.

GumbyPickles

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #45 on: October 20, 2014, 07:30:33 AM »
I would be great without cable except for SPORTS.  It's the one thing that I enjoy brain-dead watching and it's only available on cable.

Instead, I negotiate the hell out of my cable/internet contract.  Was able to get UVERSE 18 Mbps w/ whole home U300 HD-DVR for under $77.  Just had to ask to speak to supervisors 3 times to get the prices I wanted. 

ranDMC

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #46 on: October 20, 2014, 08:31:39 AM »
I just kicked Comcast out of my house in favor of a promotion a regional internet/cable provider was offering. $35/mo for 25mb/6mb and all the free stuff that I get when I plug the TY into the wall. saves me $45/mo compared to the "deal" I was getting with Comcast.

Cardinal12

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #47 on: October 21, 2014, 09:45:42 AM »
Finally got ride of cable this week!

Held onto it for an extra 6 months because it was cheaper to downgrade it than it was to flat out cancel! Weird how bundled deals work like that.

Now to trim back the $60 a month on internet...

financialforager

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #48 on: February 20, 2015, 07:24:16 AM »
There is no need for paying for cable any more. All you need is a antenna and an internet connection.

gluskap

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Re: Getting rid of cable TV.
« Reply #49 on: February 20, 2015, 02:24:49 PM »
We just got rid of cable this year.  We were paying $138 for cable/internet/phone.  Now we pay $72 for internet/phone so a lot of savings.  Unfortunately can't get rid of the phone since hubby insists on having an alarm system and we need a phone line for that.  We have Charter.  Wondering how some people above got cheaper deals with basic cable and internet?  Is it worth calling to see if adding basic cable might reduce the cost?