I recently got notice that my "promotional rate" for cable was ending. That meant my cable/internet bill was going to increase by $77. Lovely. I knew I had to make some changes. Then, Friday I got a letter in the mail saying they were going to discount that increase by $52. That mean I would still be paying $25 more for the same services. Honestly.... most of what we watch is on the "basic" or "expanded basic" line so we don't need all the bells and whistles. And honestly, we just had those so we could pay less this past year than we would have for the more basic lineup.
So, Princess Penelope and I had a little chat about what our real viewing habits were. I realized that in most instances, TV was mainly background noise for other things we were doing, and we could totally get rid of the cable, as long as we kept internet. A converter box thing would get us broadcast services like news and some of the network shows we watch. And there seem to be a lot of internet streaming options.
I picked up the phone and called the cable company. We went 10 years without cable, so if they couldn't work a deal that would make it worth my while to keep it, I was fully prepared to ditch the cable. Good thing, because the deal they offered me for basic and expanded basic was "only" $5 MORE than I'm paying now for TONS of bells and whistles. Yeah, no thanks... so I ditched the cable, kept the internet and went on about my day. My cable cutoff date isn't until the 10th, so I've got a little time to explore the options.
I posted a question on my facebook page yesterday, asking my friends what cable alternatives they had experience with and to get their thoughts -- the good the bad and the ugly. I got a LOT of responses. People are LOVING some Hulu, Netflix, Roku, Amazon Prime.... all that stuff. There are a TON of options out there. So, I'm a bit confused -- I don't really understand the channels thing on the Roku --- probably because I've never heard of them! They say its like cable, but I'm not sure exactly how that translates......
Anyway, I'd like your thoughts...... I'm not a big movie buff, but the Princess is. I tend more towards sitcoms, news and the occasional drama.... and of course college football in the fall.
Anyone have any perspective -- fabulous? Horrible? Otherwise?
We *LOVE* our Netflix! Worth every penny! I'm trying to get rid of cable but we're currently "locked" in a contract... we pay a small fortune too. If we break our contract they charge us for every month we still have on contract. :(
ReplyDeleteHulu Plus!!! I love, love, love it!
ReplyDeleteWe have cable....but I could do with out it in a heart beat...Because you can watch thing through the internet... We have Netflix and my husband is always watching his sci-fi movies and shows...Netflix is worth the $7.99 a month.... My Husband is holding back the cancelling cable...He did that with the land line phone....After a few years realizing we were putting out so much money for the landline and not using it he said cut it....Haven't missed it...I know the same thing will happen with Cable...We are exploring Hulu plus... and while my son was on out of town he set us up with his account to try it out and the whole time he was gone we never watched it...granted it was the wrong time to sit down and explore... It was between Christmas and new years... so we are checking it out again... If my hubby gets laid off the cable will go right away...We have Ruko to and we watched it because we didn't have Netflix at the time....we never watch the Ruko but my daughter does and she pays for the Hockey channel beacause she loves hockey...
ReplyDeleteI know I really confused you now...sorry...if we had one choice it would be Netflix.... Lisa
I recently came across your blog while searching for finance blogs. Your post today really hit me because I have been dealing with Comcast myself for similar issues. I never gave it any thought about using the Internet for favorite shows so I learned something from your post. As a new financial blogger I look forward to your posts. Juliane
ReplyDeleteI think for now we are going with Hulu as that seems to be the stuff the Princess likes most. I'm definitely going to get a digital converter so I can get news and weather and The Big Bang Theory. The Princess is lobbying for Netflix too, so it has not been ruled out.
ReplyDeleteOK here's what you do-- you get the Roku and then you subscribe to Netflix, HuluPlus, and Amazon Prime. Think of the Roku as an iPad that you don't actually touch with your fingers but that you can hook up to your TV. With me so far? It's this tiny little box that is operated with a remote control on your TV. Ok so when you turn it on, you get the main menu and it has "channels" which are basically apps for different Streaming Services. So you use Roku to watch Netflix, HuluPlus, and Amazon on your TV. You can use it to play Pandora on your TV. They also have other "channels" including an anime one for instance. You don't pay a monthly fee for the Roku, just the one-time price to buy the little box. You pay the monthly fees on whatever services you subscribe to, and some of their channels have content you can purchase. Hope this makes sense. We don't have cable either. We use the Roku like crazy though.
ReplyDelete