Is cord-cutting cheaper than having cable or other pay-TV services? People like to act as though there is a big debate around the issue. But there is not one. The only way to spend more or as much as you did when you had cable is to overspend. Here are some tips to help you navigate this question.
Don’t automatically pay more for your internet
Standard Internet speeds are getting pretty fast. And what you need in order to stream content is less than you think. Unless you have a big family and a huge house you are not going to need much more bandwidth than what most ISPs deliver. These days lots of cable ISPs pump out 200 Megabits per second. You are not going to have any trouble streaming to your heart’s content as long as there are not multiple streams going on concurrently including Internet-based gaming. It may be that you need faster more expensive Internet. Maybe you will be streaming a ton and your provider has caps on some plans and unlimited data on another. But to automatically just say “well I don’t have cable anymore I shud pay $50.00 more for the Internet” is a terrible move to make.
Don’t try and get another Internet provider just because
You hate the cable company. Ok. Bad service, scammy promotions connection problems. Yeah, I get it. I have yet to see a perfect ISP. And it doesn’t matter who it is. Just because you decide to stop paying for TV does not mean you should divorce your cable company, any more than you would stop going to a grocery store because you found a better price on one item somewhere else. It might be that whichever service that provided you TV was the best place to get it where you live. In some cases, cable companies are the only ones that deliver high-speed internet. You definitely don’t want to drop to DSL.
Don’t look for a solution just like cable
Ask yourself. Do you dislike having all of the things that you get from cable or do you dislike the price? Not paying for cable does not mean that you need all of the channels you got on cable. You probably didn’t watch most of them in the first place. So really what you need to do is think of the shows you liked to watch in the first place and figure out if you can do so without cable. Are there streaming services that have the latest episodes of your favorites? Where the shows network-based and replaceable with services like Hulu or Paramount+? There are a lot of inexpensive streaming services with a lot of focuses. One of the latest, Discovery+ almost replaces 20 lifestyle networks on its own for $5.00. Hulu, also $5.00 streams all of the top shows from Fox, NBC, and ABC less than 24-hours after they air. For a few bucks more you can get either without commercials. But what you do not get is the big grid, you don’t get everything in one system. Is that important to you? If so you can sign up for a true cable replacement service. But it’s going to cost substantially more. The hardest thing to do is get certain sports in their fullness. ESPN and its family of networks is a reality. And in order to get that programming, you will simply have to pay for it. But there are a number of services that carry ESPN starting with Sling TV for $35.00 per month. Not a sports fan, boy you have a bevy of cheaper ways to watch.
Consider other ways to save money
If you love what you get with cable/satellite, U-Verse maybe you should fight to keep it. You may be able to save money by switching to a competitor. You may also realize that you enjoyed the idea of some of its features but never actually used them. How much did you use the DVR? What are your top 60 channels that you receive? How much money do you want to save? If you want to make a major change go for it. But sometimes, if it is an option you can get a lot of mileage just switching to something else and getting new customer deals, then switching up again when the deals run dry. There is nothing wrong with enjoying convenience and familiarity.
You don’t need every single streaming service on the planet
Once you add up the cost of Showtime and HBO Max and Youtube TV and Hulu and Netflix and Disney+ and Discovery+ and STARZ and Locast and Paramount+ and Peacock and Shudder, and Acorn and Britbox and…… you may as well pay for cable. I mean yeah you got me there. Once you add up the cost of dozens of services it gets expensive. And your point? Yes if you tend to spend too much money then you may find yourself without much at the end of the month. Is a house more expensive than living in an RV? Once you have to pay for premium gas, deluxe campgrounds, insurance, an extra trailer to tow two cars, the cost of going out to eat all the time, wear and tear, window tint, bug spray,…….. Is it cheaper to shop at the grocery store or go to 5-star restaurants? Well if you have to buy a cow and kill it and have it butchered and then buy all organic vegetables for a salad and pay for a personal chef to come to cook for you….
Can you spend more money without cable than with it? I mean yes of course you can. You can spend more money making coffee at home than going to Starbucks if you don’t know how to shop. But you sure don’t have to. But these are our own choices. Nobody ever said you have to watch Wandavision if you don’t have cable or that you need HBO Max. Figure out what you actually watch and plan it out. I see cable bills reaching far past 200.00 per month. Trust me, you can watch a lot of TV for less than that.
