That's the sound of me cutting the cable TV cord. I've thought about it for at least two years, threatened to do it for at least one year, and finally just bit the bullet and called Comcast last week.
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| Our one TV, finally cut loose from cable |
I was dreading making the phone call to Comcast, but it went surprisingly well. I explained my situation, said I wanted to downgrade, and Pat, the actual friendly representative, explained the options. I'm completely happy with my internet service and definitely wanted to keep that, and Pat checked a couple things to see what my bill would be if I downgraded to really, really basic TV (we already had basic TV) but that didn't help. So I ditched cable TV completely and kept my internet service which increased by $20/month because it was no longer part of a bundle but still managed to save about $75/month. The few times I watched something on cable TV were definitely not worth that price. I returned the cable box over the weekend and I feel freer already!
I have Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu for streaming services and I'm going to have to resist adding lots more. I am considering Britbox for Vera and Miss Marple and maybe PBS Masterpiece so I can watch All Creatures Great and Small. I have finally learned that it's not a big deal to add channels for a month or two and then cancel them when I'm done watching, so that's just what I'm going to do.
If you have any recommendations for channels or shows I need to stream, I'd love to hear them!
Yay for you! We use PBS Passport and that gives us so many amazing things!
ReplyDeleteWe've been talking about canceling our cable and going to YouTube TV for a while (but we still need to break down the costs). There are really very few cable channels that we watch. I mainly watch the networks and PBS; really my daughter is the only one who watches cable channels (Nickelodeon and Disney). Like Kat, I use Passport to watch a lot of PBS shows, and we subscribe to Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Apple TV+. I'd like to get HBO Max, but adding that on top of the cable bill would be a bit much. So we really need to sit down with a calculator and figure this out!
ReplyDeleteWe did the same a couple of years ago. I also recommend PBS Passport. We really like Apple TV+ and HBO Max. Because Tom DOES watch sports, we have ESPN+ (which came bundled with Hulu and Disney +). Streaming is as much a racket as cable, I think. But it feels more . . . optional . . . to me. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHere to also recommend PBS Passport. If you're a sustainer you get it for free. We still have cable, mostly because of watching our local meetings and stuff - Dale really enjoys watching our Board of Selectmen meetings live and it's the only way to do that.
ReplyDeleteBravo! I would love to do this, but convincing Fletch is my problem. He watches a lot of TV - mostly CNN, The History Channel and Magnolia (used to be the DIY channel). We have Amazon Prime, Netflix, Acorn and Britbox. I'd like to have PBS Passport and ditch the cable...but can't do that yet.
ReplyDeleteI think it's been 9-10 years since I cut cable! I bought a Tivo because I really like recording shows & the ability to FF through commercials, but with Hulu and all the other network streams out there, I could possibly revisit that someday. I agree with Kym that it's ALL a racket... the individual paid services can really add up. I have regretted cutting the cable only a few times in all those years, though, and see no reason to ever return.
ReplyDeleteI will probably cancel Dish sooner than later...I just dread the call. It took my brother over 40 minutes to convince them he didn't want a better deal and just wanted to cancel.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, Debbie! I dreaded making the call to Comcast, mainly because of my prior experience with them. When my father died and I was trying to cancel his cable, they required an original death certificate and it took forever. I wish you a short call with an understanding representative!
DeleteWe still have Direct TV, but I don't really watch a lot on it. My husband does not want to let satellite TV go since it is his main form of entertainment. I do watch several streaming channels quite a lot. Like most above, I highly recommend donating to your local PBS station who in turn gives you Passport year round to watch whatever you like in their current catalog. I love Masterpiece! I do subscribe and unsubscribe to streaming services as they have things I want to watch. I have a tendency to sign up for the cheaper streamers, like Britbox and Acorn first as lots of streamers have much the same catalog, so it pays to check before you sign up. I also sign up for streaming channels through Amazon because it is the most customer friendly way for me to do it. I have had some bad experiences signing up for streamers, downloading apps, and trying to unsubscribe and resubscribe. Oh, and I highly recommend streaming through Roku. They are cheap devices and very easy to use. Good for you in cutting the cable!
ReplyDeleteIf you make a donation to PBS, you can get the Passport app for a mere $60/year which is very low per month and a great platform!
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for sorting out the cable TV thing. I think all the TV viewing services are so confusing. My husband is the TV watcher so I let him sort it out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I eventually move out I plan on not getting cable at all, just internet for work and streaming. I have a ton of DVD's to catch up on and plan to watch them when I don't have cable channels to flip through. My sister dropped it a few years ago and just has the internet. She usually only watched sports but she goes to bars and/or friends for the local games she doesn't want to miss or listens on the radio.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good plan!
DeleteWe cut the cord in 2013 and have never ever looked back. We use a Roku for hulu, netflix, discovery+ and amazon prime. Also PBS!!! We have a thingie that with an antennae and wifi gives us the locals. I can't remember the name of that thing, but we use the sling app for free to access the over the air channels. welcome to the club :)
ReplyDeleteSuggestions: Longmire, Virgin River, Anne, with an E and I also subscribe to our local PBS station and love Broadchurch, Grandchester, Call the Midwife, Hotel Portofino and some of the other series.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recommendations! I've loved Longmire and Broadchurch, but haven't watched many seasons of Call the Midwife. I'm currently catching up on Endeavour, and will watch more PBS after that.
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