Have You Cut the Cable Cord?

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Aug 30, 2012
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Looking to tighten budgets and save money can start with figuring out ways to lower monthly bills or even cut out certain bills and services you can do without. Many families have already seen the savings from cutting out landline service and relying solely on cell phones and now a lot of us are cutting the cable cord as well.

Instead of doing without TV all together, many families are turning to internet options that can provide entertaining shows and movies for a fraction of the cost of a monthly cable bill. With the help of internet tutorials, users can connect their online accounts so that they can view movies and TV shows directly to their TV’s. A recent MarketWatch report discusses the growing trend of cutting out cable in favor of online options like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant. And the trend is definitely on the upswing as Bernstein Research reports that cable and satellite companies lost more than 670,000 customers in the quarter.

Though having access to hundreds of cable and satellite channels is something many would not want to do without, others who have managed to cut the cable cord have found the commercial free online entertainment options to be just as (if not more) satisfying. CNET reviewer, Matthew Moskovciak, recently wrote, “Sometimes the cord-cutting experience is just flat-out better than having cable. The 100% commercial-free experience (which you get on Netflix, Amazon Instant, and iTunes) particularly lends itself to high-quality cable shows like “Mad Men,” which I can’t imagine watching with commercial breaks.”

Have you cut out cable or satellite and turned to online options like Netflix in an effort to lower your monthly spending?

Do you miss cable or have you been satisfied with other ways to find entertainment?

 

 

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kriszabrowski by kriszabrowski | San Luis Obispo, CA
Nov 27, 2012

I was admittedly not thrilled about cutting the cord, I simply love TV. We got Netflix and Hulu Plus subscriptions though (and my parents also recently hooked us up with an Xfiniti On-Demand account that allows us to stream an almost unbelievable amount of TV shows and movies, including premium networks like HBO and Starz!) and for less than 20 bucks a month, I feel that we have so many choices I don't miss cable at all. In fact, I love the no commercials thing and find myself getting annoyed when I do sit around watching cable at a friends'/family members' house and find myself feeling like I'm just aimlessly watching whatever's on instead of actively selecting shows that interest me. I don't see myself going back to cable, it's a huge rip off!

zoeybeth10 by zoeybeth10 | NORTHAMPTON, PA
Nov 06, 2012

I cut the cable cord about a year ago. I got netflix instead. It does save a lot of money, however I do miss being able to see the new seasons of my favorite shows right away. Netflix takes too long to get the new seasons. Still worth it because of the savings however.

mamireyna by mamireyna | Shelbyville, TN
Oct 29, 2012

I haven' had cabe for quite some time in efforts to save money. Recently I had it connected with a special, but I don't think I will keep it long. The price is too high and I can't find anything I care to watch anyway. It is crazy. My husband manages to find something ridiulous on somehow.

graceed1963 by graceed1963 | WOODBRIDGE, NJ
Oct 08, 2012

@noellenyny8403 - I agree. I have been waiting years for the cable companies to offer à la carte!

scrappingsteph by scrappingsteph | BROKEN ARROW, OK
Sep 12, 2012

I wanted to cut the satellite, but hubby said no. He wouldn't do without his sports and tv shows. So we just signed a 2 year contract with dish. That means I have 2 more years to try and change his mind.

JosieJadore by JosieJadore | STAR PRAIRIE, WI
Sep 08, 2012

Making the switch from cable to netflix is the best thing anyone can do! You can watch all of your fave tv shows on it as well as HULU. I recommend to anyone to buy a Roku box...it has netflix, amazon and I believe hulu as well! If you're looking to cut some costs out of your life, it's an awesome way to go!

Groovyduo by Groovyduo | LELAND, NC
Sep 05, 2012

It's been a number of years since we had satellite service. Other than cutting out a monthly bill for what had gotten to be an expensive luxury, we were watching very few channels on the satellite. Instead, we were watching a number of networks an antenna picked up. When things went digital, that was a bonus as far as picture quality. For movies and a few shows on different networks, we switch from Netflix to Hulu Plus. Of course, you can still view a lot of shows on Hulu without subscribing.

carrielyndall by carrielyndall | Vass, NC
Sep 05, 2012

We cut our cable last month, and surprisingly don't miss it. We have a roku player and a netflix and hulu plus account, so I can still keep up with a few shows that I don't want to miss. At first we missed having the news on in the evenings, but we keep up with the news via radio and internet now. We've spent more time together as a family and still sit down and watch television, too. We save almost $100 a month now, and have no regrets!

humblefoodsnob by humblefoodsnob | LOVELAND, CO
Sep 03, 2012

We haven't had cable for 6 years now and we very rarely miss it. We don't like American tv so aside from one or two shows on the Travel channel or Discovery we couldn't care less about cable. The few shows we do like (American and British) are on Hulu or a number of other free tv sites and our kids can watch shows on Youtube, etc. We do Netflix on & off when we have the extra cash but we don't go to movie theaters because most of the movies are stupid, low brow comedy or vapid, poorly written supposed "love" stories that are nothing but meaningless sex with the thinnest of story lines to give them a cover and not have to label the movie as porn. Come to think of it, all of that describes today's tv shows too. Why would we want to spend money on cable when we can just read?!?!

poohbear10219 by poohbear10219 | GREEN BAY, WI
Sep 03, 2012

We got rid of our cable and don't regret it at all. We have Netflix which is great for our son. And now we watch way less TV.

THORBLITZER by THORBLITZER | Alabaster, AL
Sep 03, 2012

We haven't had cable for over 3 years and love it! We have an antenna and get most major networks that way. We had Netflix for a while, but stopped when they changed their plan. Now we just check out lots of things from the library. Free!

smiley123 by smiley123 | BUCHANAN, MI
Sep 02, 2012

We got rid of our satelitte tv. We do not miss it at all, realized how little tv we actually watched. we watch tv with a converter box, or watch on-line using various options. We certainly do not miss the bill.

mamatomom by mamatomom | Topsham, ME
Sep 02, 2012

We cut out cable almost two years ago and haven't looked back. We use cable internet so we kept the basic local 8 channels and still get the bundled price for the web access. Our bill dropped from more than $100.00 a month to around $40.00. We use Netflix and Hulu for most of TV needs. My daughter was six when we made the switch and still hooked on Nick Jr and Disney. I know that most of the Nick Jr programming is available streaming through Netflix. I'm not sure about Disney, but there are lots of alternatives. If you have a gaming system or TV that stream Netflix, you aren't losing much by cutting the cord.

princessbt by princessbt | DALLAS, GA
Aug 31, 2012

We have Dish which is much cheaper than the cable. We might do so one day, but that day is not here yet.

noellenyny8403 by noellenyny8403 | DOUGLASVILLE, GA
Aug 30, 2012

it would be great if cable companies offer an al a carte option where u pay for the channels you want only instead of a lineup u don't even watch 10% of the channels in. I've been saying this a while but nobody listened yet. :-(