How (& Why) to Cut the Cable Cord

Happy Wednesday!  This year I am joining up with some of my favorite bloggers for a weekly Wednesday Link Up! While the topic for the link up is open, I am going to try to have a theme or monthly topic. This month, I am focusing on Ways to Save Money! My husband and I try to cut costs in some areas of our lives so we can spend a little more in others (like travel and entertainment). One way we saved money in 2018 is by cutting the cable cord! I have wanted to get rid of cable for a few years now, but my husband was always a little resistant because he didn’t want to miss out on sports. Finally we were able to cut the cable cord and continue to watch all of our sports games. Today, my husband is going to guest post and share how we (he) got rid of cable!

Guest Post from my husband Brian:

Why to Cut the Cable Cord

I have to admit that we discussed cutting the cord many times over a couple of years before we actually decided to do it. We had a couple of good friends that did it but I thought that it was just a fad and that it was too complicated for a relatively non-technical guy. Every time we talked about it I would firmly proclaim… Sports!, I cannot live without live sports, so I cannot cut the cord!

Well, as I came to find out and you will too, this is an antiquated notion. Today’s streaming options are many and most of them have live sports channels available in their base packages. In most cases, this includes local broadcasts of your favorite teams on the main networks with upgrades available to include nearly anything you can think of. They also have local channels and most of the popular cable networks you watch most frequently. Upon doing some simple research I found that there were several options that worked for us, so we switched and started saving $80 a month over what we were paying for cable.(A savings of $960 per year!)

If you are thinking of cutting the cable cord, now is a great time to do it. In the spirit of decluttering and simplifying, changing the way you consume TV is a great money saving step to consider!

In this post I’ll give you my version of how to cut the cable cord in a few easy steps.This isn’t meant to be a completely exhaustive guide of all of the potential options out there, they are limitless. Here I’ll keep it simple and make it easy to understand what you can expect and how to cut easily!

Equipment/Services You Will Need to Cut Cable

First things first, here is what you will need to get started. Fortunately, you probably have some of these things already!

1. Internet Preferably wireless and relatively strong. We have used a 24 mbps for the past year and it has worked well. A faster connection would be even better.

2. Streaming Device This piece of equipment is the replacement of your traditional cable box. It is a one time investment and these devices are usually under $100. Popular streaming devices include Roku, AppleTV and Amazon FireTV. Many new TV’s have the ability to support streaming services. We have an Amazon FireTV for our main TV and a Roku on our second TV, both work great. You may have one of these streaming devices already that you use for your Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription. Research what works best for you. They each have some advantages, like integration with other devices. For me personally,  I kept it simple and choose less expensive streaming devices than some of the other offerings.

3. Streaming Service for Live TV. Lastly, you will need a streaming service to replace your actual cable service. The monthly fee you pay for this service is typically between $40-$80 depending on the package/company you select. The most common  streaming services are DirecTV Now, Hulu, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

What You Need to Consider When Selecting a Streaming Service

Today, there are several options of non-traditional cable to choose from. It all depends on what you watch and cannot live without. If you are thinking about switching, you will need to make a list of the shows you currently watch. Be honest with yourself. Ignore the stuff in your DVR that you never get around to watching. If you haven’t watched it in a month you probably never will. Remember the point is to get rid of things you aren’t using and reclaim the money you are wasting. Plus, if it is any good, it will end up on Netflix eventually anyway and you can binge it.

Surprisingly, when we listed the shows we refused to give up, the list was very short! I had a few shows like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones to go with live sports. Jaclyn listed just a few including The Bachelor, Fixer Upper and Real Housewives. When we boiled it down to this list we said to ourselves, “Why are we paying $120 a month to watch 6 shows!?!” Note, we already had Netflix and Amazon Prime subscriptions which we used more often than cable, still do. If you are honest, I think many of you will find the same.

Weigh Your Streaming Options

Now that you have the list of the shows you can’t do without, you can compare the plans, prices and channels available of the streaming services you want to investigate.

I kept it simple and looked at DirecTV Now, Sling TV and Hulu. We settled on DirecTV Now because it had all of the channels we wanted and was pretty inexpensive, $40 per month.  To enroll in one of these services, you can sign up online in a matter of minutes. Once you pick your plan you are good to go!

The only thing left to do now is decide what you will do with all of that money you save each month. Happy streaming!

*********************************************************************

Thanks to my husband, Brian, for writing this post! Feel free to ask any questions and I’ll be sure he sees them:) Next Wednesday, I will share some ways to save on groceries and household goods!

Time for a link party! Blogging friends, share your post below and meet your hosts! 

Stefanie at Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest / Facebook

Erin at Simple Purposeful Living / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest

Sarah at Sarah E. Frazer / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest

Lindsay at Lindsay’s Sweet World / Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter

Jaclyn at Coffee, Pancakes, and Dreams / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest

Keri at Keri Lynn Synder / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest

[inlinkz_linkup id=809820 mode=1]