The case for getting rid of cable
Cable and internet are two monthly bills that most of us see as untouchable. But you can get by without either.
Cable and internet are two monthly bills that most of us see as untouchable. But you can get by without either.
I鈥檝e talked over the last few days about the value of reviewing monthly bills and subscription services. Today, I鈥檓 going to look at two bills that people often think of as 鈥渦ntouchable,鈥� but which essentially just boil down to expensive entertainment.
I鈥檓 looking at you, cable/satellite bill. I鈥檓 looking at you, too, internet bill.
Let鈥檚 look at each of these bills separately.
贵颈谤蝉迟,听a cable/satellite bill is purely for entertainment.听There鈥檚 essentially no information that you can get from your cable box that you couldn鈥檛 get elsewhere, and honestly, the vast majority of what it鈥檚 used for is entertainment.
The question is whether or not you could get equivalent entertainment (or information) from other sources. Is there anything you鈥檙e getting from your cable box that you couldn鈥檛 really get from your DVD player, a roof antenna, and a converter box 鈥� and no longer have a monthly bill?
With just local television, you can get the necessary news and weather alerts and a wide diversity of programming (especially since, with the advent of digital television, you can get ten to twenty channels almost everywhere). With a DVD player, you have access to lots and lots of movies, especially in conjunction with a Redbox kiosk.
What about the internet bill? I鈥檒l agree that听many people use the internet for work-related purposes, but it鈥檚 also used largely as a source of entertainment in the home.听Web browsing, movie watching, gaming 鈥� they鈥檙e all forms of entertainment enabled by internet access.
Again, can you find these entertainments elsewhere? Would a digital converter box and an antenna on the roof suffice for television programming? Could you use other resources, such as a library, for your other internet needs?
For many people, these two bills add up to well over $100 per month. In some cases, the bill can touch $200 or $300 a month. That鈥檚 a pretty big impact on a person鈥檚 monthly finances.
It鈥檚 well worth considering an alternative plan, at least in the short term, so that you can get control of your finances again. Eliminate the internet or the cable box (or both) from your home for a while and breathe a sigh of relief at the reduced monthly bills.
For many people today, I鈥檇 suggest choosing the internet over the cable box if you鈥檙e choosing between the two. There is a lot of entertainment that can be found online 鈥� often enough to replace the regular programming given to you by cable or satellite services.
Looking for another way to cut back on monthly entertainment bills? Consider cutting back on your mobile data plan. How often do you really use it for useful things that aren鈥檛 purely for entertainment?
The goal isn鈥檛 to live a spartan lifestyle. The goal is to stop paying for stuff you don鈥檛 use 鈥� or things that you can already get through another service 鈥� and put that money to better use in your life.
This post is part of a yearlong series called 鈥�365 Ways to Live Cheap (Revisited),鈥� in which I鈥檓 revisiting the entries from my book 鈥�365 Ways to Live Cheap,鈥� which is available听at Amazon听and at bookstores everywhere.听
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