anybody go completely cableless?

[eliza61]

I thinking of getting rid of my cable. Well not entirely because we have a package that includes or internet access.

I think my major peeved is that the price is going up (again) and it seems like there is NEVER ANYTHING ON!!. Sorry for shouting.
We have a HBO package and except for Saturday night when they show a new movie, the rest of the week is old reruns. I mean last week one of the HBO channels aired "The Wiz"!!! Not the classic with Judy Garland, the crummy remake with Diana Ross (at age 45 trying to play Dorothy)

I'm thinking about cutting back to the lowest allowable to keep internet and then just using Netflix (we already have it).

Anybody else got rid of cable and managed to survive.
My teens of course think I'm trying to send them back to the "dark ages"

 

[bettymae1121]

Not yet but we are thinking about it. DH's hobby is computers, so we have a PC hooked up to our tv, and plan on just watching new shows online and downloading older tv and new movies from Netflix (plus still the odd DVD in the mail, of course). Cable/Internt together is $142 a month, and we don't even get any movie channels! Canceling cable gets it down to about $50 a month for just internet, so we are seriously considering doing it. We may wait until spring, so DH can put up an ariel antena so we can get broadcast stations.

 

[defendthehill]

Comcast just lowered by monthly bill by 15 bucks....really just because I asked them to. I have internet, cable, and land line phone with them.

 

[rigs32]

I haven't had cable for five years. Since I moved in August, I haven't even hooked up my digital receiver box. I make good use of Netflix - both DVDs and online streaming - and DVDs from the public library.

 

[Mickeypooh99]

We are thinking about it. We rarely watch cable. Actually we have sattelite. I think we could get by with netflix and watching tv from the internet.

 

[HLDisney]

We've never had cable and it hasn't been a problem. We do get a number of the regular network stations (CBS, NBC and ABC), as well as PBS for my DD.

I used to be a major TV junkie before I adopted my DD but since she's been home (7 years), the only time I watch TV is if I happen to be home from work for the day....and honestly, I haven't missed anything. As for my DD, I'm glad she doesn't have the option to watch so much TV, as well as the fact that she doesn't get to see all of the toy commercials

Helen

 

[ericamanda01]

We just dropped off our box on Sat and are now cable free. I was sick of how much we paid and there never seemed to be anything good on. Between Netflix, Hulu and all the shows online, we are set for entertainment.

 

[dex08]

My sister has never had cable. Her boys are teenagers now and don't even know what it's like to have it. She has her internet through her phone company and that's it.

 

[rubato]

We've been debating this for the last 2 years. With Netflix, internet and books, I would be fine (well except for Top Chef). My 10 yr old son would freak though. He is so into Nickelodeon still that it would be a big adjustment. We also got rid of our home phone, but then got it again when we moved because it came free with cable and internet. So, we could lose that again. It drives me crazy to not know which # I gave people and go through the list of 3!

 

[akcire]

I don't have cable. I get a couple of network stations. I prefer to Hulu, etc so I can watch things on demand. I don't feel like we miss out on anything.

I tend to read a lot (from the library). My in-law's have teenagers--I think they spend more time on the internet than actually watching TV. Occasionally, I will ask them if there is anything on cable worth watching (the no cable thing in our house was never planned--when we bought the house my husband thought he wanted a dish, I told him to pick his package and set it up--he never did anything about it--so we have no cable or dish) and they tell me no, so I haven't bothered calling the cable company.

My husband's lack of dish decision has saved us about $4500.00, I figure $75 a month by 60 months. He has also been saving money each month to buy a new TV (seriously he now has enough money to buy a car) but he can't decide which TV he wants. I figure at some point he will just buy a new TV and order a Dish--just don't know when that will be? Since I am not a big TV watcher--I am happy enough to let him continue to decide on a new TV.

 

[NHMom4]

I wish I could find it...there was a website mentioned on NPR this week. It is basically a TV guide with how to watch most shows without cable. I would love to unplug ours. A big waste of $$$. We could be saving towards Disney, right? We called Directv in November and told them to disconnect it. They said oh, wait we will give you 3 months free and then lower it to the next package price down. My hubby jumped on it. I just want it gone!!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Yep, we just canceled ours after the latest price increase. We were basically paying $92 a month and rarely watched anything.

No regrets from me, the kids may be another story. They spend so much time reading, on the internet and playing Wii that they rarely watched anyway. When they complain I'll tell them to read a book. DH will miss his Military Channel but he rarely got to watch that either with everything else going on.

 

[crl]

We cut back to the $12 (or so) plan just to keep the high speed internet. (We homeschool so I use the internet for many teaching resources.) At first we were nervous since that meant loosing the Disney channel and Nick Jr for the kids. But they haven't noticed it. So we've been almost cable free for more than 2 years now. Anytime we've been somewhere that has cable or satellite tv, we've been amazed at the garbage on tv.

 

[Purseval]

I'm like crl, we get the least expensive plan just so we can have Internet. If we could have Internet by itself we wouldn't have cable at all. I think I could live without another episode of House Hunters, especially the ones with the fake Suzanne.

 

[browniemtb]

I was thinking about trying this......Our cable bill alone is $152, not including phone or internet. Just wondering if it can be hooked up to the TV and what the quality of picture would be, any experts.

Streaming Internet TV

 

[Dani4girls]

We got rid of ours last year. I have 4 kids ages 9-14 and they don't miss it. We have Netflix, just the 9.95/mo. package. And my husband will watch shows on Hulu and Fancast. We found cable to be such a waste of money, especially because we make so little to begin with! And there really is nothing good on!! My advice: Get rid of it!! Take the money and put it in your Disney fund!!

 

[Pigeon]

We don't have cable. I had it for a few years when we lived in a house opposite a huge ridge that got no reception at all without it. But other than that, most of my life I've lived just fine without it.

I don't think I'd want it if it were free. There's just too much junk on it, and I'm not sure I want that stuff brought into my house for my kids. Yeah, there are a few good shows, but most of it is trash. Even most of the Disney channel stuff I find negative.

Watching TV is a waste of time as far as we are concerned. We watch a little, but don't have any desire to watch more. I'd rather we were all reading if we have free time and want to relax.

We have internet through the cable company, but it's much cheaper than having cable also.

 

[georgemoe]

I have been cable / sat free for over a year with only Verizon DSL for internet. All TV is OTA Boston market using just indoor antennas.

My DirecTV hardware was starting to die and replacing anything meant another 2 yr commitment. I was tired of playing that game and we were waiting for FiOS anyway. Still don't have FiOS due to some engineering issues with my part of the city.

Aside from some sports and favorites like FoodTV that we miss, we are surviving just fine with OTA and a Tivo HD. We also have Netflix and use streaming through the Tivo so that helps.

We will still probably add FiOS at some point but maybe just for the higher speed internet. Right now I'm enjoying the $100 a month savings that is now part of the Disney budget.

 

[shamrock30]

We've never had cable since moving out of our parents' houses after college, and that was a long. LONG, time ago. Our reception with an antenna is not too bad. When we want more to watch, we get a Netflix subscription.

The main drawback is that DSL isn't available in our area of town because the phone lines won't support it, and cable internet costs $60-70 a month if you don't have cable television too. They have 6 month specials, but I've repeatedly heard on "bargain boards" that they seldom budge on the price of "internet only plans" after that period's up.

 

[Andreas Mom]

We have the $15 a month plan just so we can get clear reception on the regular sations...2, 4, 6, 8, etc......We have about 15 stations. We have netflix and our own movies to watch.

I never had cable growning up and we have been cable free pretty much since we have been married except for on apartment that came with it

I don't think I would want it. For me i dont want my kids watching all the garbage, even regular tv has things i wont let them watch! There are only so many kids with attitudes that can be watched before they start acting like the ones on tv!

I wish there was a package that you could pick just 10 or so of the channels you wanted and that was it.....i would be all over that.