Have you started working on your budget and realized that cable is one of your top monthly expenses? Have you considered trying to cut cable, but decided against it? Are you often frustrated about how much you pay for cable only to realize that the competitor’s prices are just as expensive? Unless cable is the most important item you value in your budget, you need to cut it. And if cable is the most important item in your budget, ask yourself why and if there are really not any less expensive options that could fulfill your needs.
Why it’s important to cut cable
Cable is such a huge expense and the value that it brings most people compared to the cost is incredibly low. I haven’t had cable in over seven years and 99.5% of the time, I truly don’t miss it. Sure there’s the occasional time where it would be convenient to have cable, but for me it is not even close to worth the cost.
How to successfully cut cable
Determine what you typically watch and find an alternate solution.
If you’re mostly watching movies or reruns of TV shows, consider Amazon Video through Prime, Netflix, or Hulu. These services are much less expensive than cable and still provide plenty of options for shows and movies to watch. Check the terms of service to ensure you don’t violate any rules, but some of these can even be shared with family members, lowering the cost even more. If you don’t have a Smart TV, consider buying a Fire Stick or Roku Express to access streaming services.
If you’re mostly watching news and weather, switch to online or mobile sources. You can even stream the video weather online. You can also purchase an antenna, which will give you access to basic cable channels.
If you’re mostly watching new live tv shows, think about where else you could watch. Do you have a friend whose house you can watch the show at so you two can hang out and watch show at the same time? Does your gym have TVs so you could watch it there? Is it easier to wait a day or two until the network has posted it on their site and then stream it on your computer? You can even connect your computer to your TV using a HDMI cable.
If you’re mostly watching sports, consider where else you can watch, what channel it is on, or buying a sports streaming subscription. Can you watch it at a friend’s house, at a bar/restaurant, or at the gym? Is it on NBC, ABC, or another local channel and you could watch it using an antenna? Or do you watch games enough to justify buying a subscription to Hulu Live, or Sling TV?
If cable is something that brings you a lot of value, find other places in your budget where you can make cuts. If you think cable is something you need, try going without it. Commit to making the change for just 3 months to see if you can. As you get past the first few days of your cable free challenge, I bet you will find that you don’t miss cable nearly as much as you thought you would.