Cutting the (cable) cord

I have not cut the cord, yet, because the costs just don't seem to add up to enough savings considering internet is the main expense anyway, the bundles save and I still want TV and certain TV without working for it. I've always thought people end up spending as much if not more anyway with all the streaming services. We have Netflix (have had it since getting discs), Amazon Prime since we have Prime and Disney+, which we got on their really super cheap introductory offer of three years. So none of those things are really something much extra for us. But that said, my family, mostly the kids, only watches those streaming services and YouTube. I am about the only one who watches regular TV at all. So next time my service comes up for discussion I'm going to have to take a look at it just because of all that. I will say doing stuff like adding Sling or Hulu Live it will basically cost the same as now.

 

Hulu has a DVR with limited space, but I only came close to it once when I was recording a bunch of shows that, in hindsight, I didn't need to be recording because the shows were on Hulu the next day. I only was recording them because my wife sometimes would want to watch things the night they aired but not necessarily live (like if we were out to dinner and she still wanted to see "This is Us" the night it aired).

 

So I did a spreadsheet because since we've cut cable, we basically subscribe to every major streaming service, and I wasn't sure if it was saving us money or not. We also subscribe to Frndly since Hulu Live doesn't offer the Hallmark Channel, and my wife watches their Christmas movies off and on year round. Turns out not having cable (we live in a Cox area) only saves us about $40. I didn't count the cost of Amazon Prime since we'd have it either way. But we'd also subscribe to several streaming services either way (Netflix and Disney+ for sure, but probably HBO Max and Peacock as well, esp. now that Peacock will have all the WWE Network content).

You can save more than we do if you don't subscribe to all the crap we do. And you can get bigger savings if you hook up an antenna. If you can get your local channels through an antenna, you can look at something like Sling TV to get the sports channels you want and save a lot of money over something like Hulu Plus and YouTube TV.

 

Upgraded my internet last year (from 100 mps to 200, and I typically get 233), and my bill dropped from $90/month to $74. I don't remember anything about a promotional rate, but it was supposed to go up to $94 (the measly $4 hike is why I did it, since we're getting a $50/month work-from-home stipend).

DirecTV costing me $135 (second-best tier) with no premium channels. Would love to drop a tier (or two), but none of the lower tiers offers Tennis Channel.

 

We get HBO and HBO Max through our cable package as well as Peacock. I don't know if we'd subscribe to Peacock without it but possibly and we have watched it. We definitely would get HBO. So those are costs built in right now that would add up if we went another direction.

All these networks doing their own thing and being exclusive with content is going to make streaming more ridiculous that a cable package soon enough!

 

I've done rough estimates, and we just wouldn't save all that much. We have cable but we also have prime, which I don't even count because we make that money back in shipping costs, Peacocks which is included with our cable. We're on a Hulu special right now for $1.99 a month, we have Disney and Netflix. We may have to juggle that around once some stuff comes out on HBO Max that I'd like to see. I'm also interested in Apple, but you have to draw the lines somewhere.

 

I am not a typical demo, as I watch zero network TV (except for NFL) and zero streaming series: I'll buy a movie a couple of times a year. Someone gave me an Amazon stick a few years ago but I only used it in December when I had to quarantine due to a friend's stupidity. Verizon years ago gave me HBO and Showtime for free, and I will very occasionally buy a movie. But, I will fill my DVR with whatever movies are on and watch, say, No Country for Old Men every night for two weeks. I watched Jurassic World maybe 30 times, and the latest Murder on the Orient Express as many times. I have bought DVDs but only in the $5 bin at Wally World, and none recently. The other people in the house want CNN and MSNBC, and the regular network shows such as Bachelorette.

I may just go pirate and call it a life.

 

HBO Max has a TON of movies.

 

I switched to Hulu Live about a year and a half ago after being a longtime DirecTV customer. Was a good move at the time for the price. But it's gone up nearly $20 a month to about $70 (with tax) thanks to at least two rate increases since I first signed up. And now Hulu (along with YouTube TV) no longer has the Fox Sports regionals, which really stinks for me and the sports fans in the house. I'm waiting on an end to that dispute between Sinclair (which owns the FS-regionals) and the streaming services, but I don't know where to turn if it lasts much longer, other than maybe reconnecting the cord going back to Charter/Spectrum TV, which is my Internet provider.

We also subscribe to Netflix, Disney+ (with a the Hulu/ESPN+ bundle) and have Amazon Prime. HBO Max is free with our AT&T phone package and I'm in a one-year Apple TV free trial. We use Amazon Fire Sticks in our TVs for this.

 

It’s all almost enough to make you want to drag out the rabbit ears. I get nearly 60 channels over the air.

 

Sling - sports
Amazon Prime - free with prime
Netflix - wife
Hulu - kid
HBO Max - me
Disney + - everyone
Antenna - local news and networks (plus for long power outages)

High speed internet about 100

About 180 for everything

 

But the quality of shows I get to watch is significantly better than with just cable.