Cutting cable just using digital tv and online

[living20057]

Has anyone cut the cable and moved to watching digital tv through the antenna and online? I am seriously considering. My cable is 200 a month, 2400 a yer just to watch TV. When I only watch a few channels. I have looked into getting a cheaper option, but with tax it is still around 150. I cant do a dish, it's against our condo rules.

 

[Mom_Rides]

We've never had cable. We just use the converter box and we have Netflix. I can handle the $10 a month that we pay for the Netflix. I cannot afford the $100+ it is for cable. Give it shot. You can always go back to cable if it doesn't work out.

 

[living20057]

I'm already paying for Netflix too

 

[nuke]

Cut cable last June. Every now and then I wish I could watch HGTV it but really it's not missed.

 

[1Mouse2RulethemAll]

I have been living off of internet and antenna for 18 months now. I pay $45 for internet and $10 for Netflix and use the internet to watch Hulu. Don't forget that many tv station websites post videos of their shows too.

 

[DawnM]

Your cable is $200/month? Wow, that is the highest I think I have ever heard of TV costing. I would be looking to cut too.

 

[Captain Hindsight]

Do you also use cable for internet?

 

[sissy_ib]

I can not fathom paying that much for TV. I don't have television service of any kind. The few shows I like to watch I watch online when the networks put them up a day or so after they air.

 

[cglaura]

I cut the big cable bill down to basic. The only reason I kept basic was because it is actually less than internet alone for Comcast.

I also have Netflix 1dvd at a time/unlimited streaming and HuluPlus. With HuluPlus you can watch a show a day or two after it airs.

So my total internet, tv and movie per month is $75. I could probably go down to $57 with a slower internet but I need it fast for work.

I have a Roku box that we stream the Netflix & HuluPlus to our old-school crt tv . It is 32" from the late 80s or early 90s. It was free to me some years ago, and I just can't get a new one when this is still working well.

DD streams hers through a PS3 in her room, also on a crt tv.

 

[Leshaface]

I'm also considering cutting Directv...

It's $80.00 a month with basic channels, no movie channels, and not even the OXYGEN NETWORK!!!!

Is there a fee for deactivation of an account?? And can you keep the equipment in case we changed our mind??

 

[usnuzuloose]

I have the internet and I use a roku box. So hulu and netflix for 20.00 a month. I dont miss the cable bill.

 

[enchantingodin]

We haven't had cable for just over a year now. For the most part - we're all ok with it. We actually just finally got a HDTV on black fiday and a antenna. Before that we didn't have TV (meaning broadcasting) of any kind and relied on the internet for news.

I'll be honest - we miss it. For me it's HGTV, Travel Channel, Bravo and Food Network. Hubs misses TBS, Spike, and SyFy. Kiddos miss Disney (as do I) and Cartoon Network. Then again I'm not willing to pay $70 a month for cable either. So...

We have been looking into Dish and DirectTV. Still can't decide if they're worth it or not.

 

[JCMHutch]

We dropped cable 18 months ago and use Netflix with a Roku converter box. We save about $75 a month compared to what Comcast charges in this area. Netflix has tons of tv shows & movies and access to Stars Play. We also watch the Newscaster Channel for our weekly Suze Orman fix. It's great and we love not having a huge cable bill.

 

[Nayan]

I'm also considering cutting Directv...

It's $80.00 a month with basic channels, no movie channels, and not even the OXYGEN NETWORK!!!!

Is there a fee for deactivation of an account?? And can you keep the equipment in case we changed our mind??

It depends on how long you have left on your account, but yes there's usually a fee for cutting it off. You don't get to keep the equipment, you have to turn that back in as well.

I've thought about cutting cable as well but after looking at what we do watch and what's available online it would never work for me. I am the female version of Al Bundy and like my beer and sports, especially since it's Nascar and Baseball season. Live sports you can't watch online.

 

[n2mm]

We went down to basic (the local channels) last year and it's fine with us. We do miss HGTV too, but that was it. We found we were not interested in all of the trash TV that was out there. We are paying $23 a month now. I manage to fine some cartoons on PBS when the grandkids are here some mornings, other than that we would put a movie in for them. We also cut our phone/internet bill by half too. We still have a basic land-line with no long distance and internet through the same company and paying $60 a month for the 2. We could probably drop the land line, but kept it for sentimental reasons -- same phone number for almost 40 years. So buy cutting both we save $1200 a year now -- which means we have more for gas and groceries.

 

[Marionnette]

Your cable is $200/month? Wow, that is the highest I think I have ever heard of TV costing. I would be looking to cut too.

That's pretty much what I pay for 2 phone lines/fiber optic internet/HDTV with HBO. We have 2 HD DVR boxes and a basic cable converter box. Since we rarely eat out, go to the movies or do guys/girls nights out, I consider it to be the bulk of our entertainment budget for the month. But I also think that if we had to scale back our spending, this would be the first on the chopping block (or at least it would be getting a trim).

 

[h2oophelia]

We haven't had cable TV in over three years. We use a ROKU box and a tv antenna and would probably never go back to cable tv. The only thing I miss is Food Network but I've found that there are a lot of cooking shows on PBS on Saturdays so I can get my fix!

 

[lucyem]

We were cable free for years until we moved. Now we have basic cable because our internet and cable come from Comcast and it is cheaper to get both then to get just internet. And honestly we only watch 1 show a week on it, and that show is available online the next day.

 

[Judique]

We haven't had cable TV in over three years. We use a ROKU box and a tv antenna and would probably never go back to cable tv. The only thing I miss is Food Network but I've found that there are a lot of cooking shows on PBS on Saturdays so I can get my fix!

Where do you get internet? What service do you use? How expensive is it?

We have basic cable with 2nd tier internet for just under $70 a month from comcast.

I am busy revamping my services and just rearranged phone service so I'm on a roll.

For many years we had no cable and had internet by phone. Then we got cable with net, and kept 2 phone lines plus 3 cells so the cost was outrageous to say the least.

Now, we still have one landline and 3 cells, plus basic cable and net.

 

[DawnM]

Yes, but OP said this was for only TV.....if she included phone and internet that would make a difference.

Right now we have:

Ooma phone service (less than $1/month)
Cable modem- $39/month
Directv- $75/mo (although it is going up to $81)


Dawn

That's pretty much what I pay for 2 phone lines/fiber optic internet/HDTV with HBO. We have 2 HD DVR boxes and a basic cable converter box. Since we rarely eat out, go to the movies or do guys/girls nights out, I consider it to be the bulk of our entertainment budget for the month. But I also think that if we had to scale back our spending, this would be the first on the chopping block (or at least it would be getting a trim).