SOCIAL MEDIA

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Cutting the Cable

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Have you cut the cable? We did at the beginning of the year and it has been the best decision.

It all started off with our Direct TV bill going up $56 in one month to bring our cable/internet total to $227 and that didn't include our $9 Netflix subscription. Ouch. I was fed up with the price and our service was just plain awful. Half the time, we couldn't get to our DVR'd items and had to search for them to watch them On Demand. And the other half of the time, the feed was just bad. So I made the decision to cut the cable.

So how did we do it? Well first, I asked my co-workers what they were using to watch tv. The overwhelming response was either Apple TV or Roku paired with Hulu Live TV and Netflix plus Amazon Prime (if you have it). I also did my own research and found the same to be true. So the first step was to buy two different Roku's. I bought one for my tv in the living room which is 4K and our main hub area and the other one was for our kitchen which is just a basic flat screen tv.

The next step was to get a better internet. If you want to cut the cable, you need a great quality internet and we had awful internet. So I went online, set up an install of the new internet and waited 2 days for that to be installed. On the install day, they hooked up our new internet, I hooked up the new Roku devices (super easy) and purchased Hulu Live TV. Now Hulu Live TV is $39 per month and you get all of your local channels (like local news broadcasts), NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, plus about 50 other channels. Before purchasing, I checked what shows I watch were available. Everything except the shows on HBO and AMC (which still might be available once the show starts) were available. You can purchase HBO or other channels through your Roku or Hulu. I also added on the $14 package where I can fast forward through commercials and have 200 hours of DVR service.

Once that was all set up, I called Direct TV to cancel my service. I told them it was my New Year's Resolution to watch less tv and that I wanted to cancel it. I made sure I wasn't in contract anymore and I was firm. You have to stand firm and not back down. They will try to keep you by doing almost anything. Once I got past the initial talk with them, we cancelled my service and they gave directions on how to return my boxes, router, etc. I was told to take them to my local UPS store along with my account number and UPS would send them back. They will give you a paper with your cancellation confirmation and your shipping info. You need to keep that. Once everything is shipped back and it has been received, you should call Direct TV or whoever is your cable provider and make sure it is fully cancelled. They will try to get you to come back once more, but just deny them.

So I have had my service for about 3 weeks now (I started the process right after Christmas) and I love it. Sure, it was a learning curve to figure out the Hulu interface, but now I have all my shows in the My Stuff tab, I can search for things easily and I also have Prime and Netflix. I can get everything I had before and I pay $100 total per month. That is a savings of $127 per month. Way better. And if I am not watching as much tv, I can downgrade my Hulu, get rid of any channels I am not currently watching and just simplify.

So have you cut the cable? I also got my in-laws to cut their cable at the same time. They already had Apple TV, so they are using that, but have Hulu Live, Netflix and Prime. They are just as happy as we are.

Any questions?

31 comments :

  1. Over half in savings...that is great!

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  2. We cut cable a few years ago and have never missed it. We have a few fire sticks, as well as one roku tv. We use Netflix and Amazon Prime, both of which we already had. We also added an HD antenna to watch local channels, and Sling tv for $25/month. Way to go on saving money!

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  3. It's amazing what you can save! J and I have an HD antenna from Amazon that works great for all the local channels (i like ABC and live football games), plus Google Wifi pods for internet through out the house work so well!

    Amanda @ Cupcake N Dreams

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    1. I need to get a HD antenna for local nbc. We have the other ones, but I also want our local sports station that broadcasts football games.

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  4. We have been thinking about it but haven't done it yet. It seems daunting because everything is on one account - tv, phone, and internet, and dropping it would cause a lot of change!

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    1. That is what we thought too, but with a tiny bit of work, it was done quickly. I am beyond happy about it and wished I would have done it sooner.

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  5. Yessss! We did this too and it took a lot of convincing for me but after tons of research we made the switch from Directv to SLingTV plus amazon prime and netflix. Its been over a year now and I simply love it! $39.99/month for life? YUP!

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    1. It is the best!!! I love it soooo much. Best decision ever!

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  6. I know you've been thinking about this for awhile - good for you getting it done! You wont look back now. I dont know what we were so afraid of. There's just SO MANY options now that cable companies are a thing of the past!

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  7. Such a great idea for a post... and YES! We cut cable a couple of years ago and the cost savings is ridiculous (in a good way!). We have Apple TV and Netflix right now but I'd love to consider trying Hulu or Prime.

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    1. I love adding Hulu in there so I can watch all of my current favorite shows. I have had prime for a long time, so that is why I still have it.

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  8. I cut cable a few years ago and it's been a great choice. I use a combination of Sling TV, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. We also have my dad's login for cable so we're lucky enough to use it on various apps (NBC, FOX, ESPN) on our Fire Stick.

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    1. Oh that is awesome that you can use your dads login. I wish we had that. But it is the best decision, right?

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  9. We switched to Roku last year and just use Hulu, Netflix and Amazon-- and we LOVE it!

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    1. It is the best decision. I have no idea why we waited so long. Ok, I do. My husband wasn't too sure about it, but now loves it.

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  10. WE have totally thought about it and just need to do it.

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    1. That was our problem, but I finally just did it. Totally worth it.

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  11. We have gone almost 7 years without cable and it's fabulous! We pay $49 per month for internet and that's enough for us, since we can stream our Netflix and watch other shows with our Amazon Prime subscription. It's the BEST!

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  12. We cut our cable over a year ago and we haven't missed it a bit!! Between Netflix, Amazon, and accessing local channels with our antenna we're good to go! Glad y'all made the move. You won't miss cable!

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    1. I just need this antenna and then I am all set. Which one do you use? I totally don't miss cable!

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  13. I have yet to cut the cord...and don't think I will ever, haha! I just love it all too much, and I got a really good deal when I moved. So maybe after that is up. :)

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    1. Oh we had a great deal for 2 years and then when it went away, I cut the cable. But use your good deal until they take that away.

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  14. We cut the cord with cable a couple years ago and haven't looked back! xo, Biana

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    1. I love how many people have already done this. We just took forever to do it.

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  15. We cut the proverbial cable in 2017 and haven't looked back! We paid SO MUCH for Dish (Ryan wanted NFL Sunday Ticket way back when), but the bill was astronomical for, basically, football and Disney. So, we cut it! We have a Fire Stick, Prime Video, Hulu and Netflix, and we pay for HBO because...GoT ;) Love that everyone is doing this!

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  16. I cut the cord when the ex and I broke up and have never looked back. I have an apple tv on both of my TV's with an HBO now subscription that is free through my at&t phone service and netflix. And an antenna for local channels. I do not even miss my beloved Food network, because there is a PBS channel with all food and HGTV like shows! Good for you for cutting the cord, those are awesome savings! Now If I could just get all the LSU games on my TV so I could save money going to a bar!

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  17. We cut cable maybe two years ago now and haven't missed it at all. :)

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  18. We are feeling the same way about DirectTv and are preparing to cut the cord. Between Netflix and Amazon streaming we'll just need some basic channels on Hulu. Could not love this post more <3
    Green Fashionista

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  19. We have gone back and forth about doing this! I have a feeling it will be happening sooner rather than later.

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  20. I'm wanting to get rid of cable, but Chris likes his sports too much and thinks he would miss it. I'm tired of the prices going up!

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