Cable TV can be really expensive! In our area, it costs $40+ per month to have the standard cable package. Add digital cable, a DVR, HDTV, and it could very likely cost over $100 a month for TV.
Although we live in a suburb of a fairly large city, our analog TV reception was not very good. We could get ABC very well, but forget Fox or CBS (which made it very frustrating to watch pro football). So, about 6 years ago, we decided to add basic cable, which was basically just the normal free broadcast stations, plus a few extras like the weather channel and QVC. It was pretty inexpensive when we signed up (about $11.00 per month). However, this spring, the cable company had increased the prices so much over the years, that we were up to $17.50 per month (for free broadcast TV, mind you!).
Because of the digital transition, we purchased some digital conversion boxes this spring and discovered how wonderful the digital stations are. They come in crystal clear, and we get multiple stations (for example, we get 3 PBS stations). So, we made the decision to cut the basic cable and just use our antennas with the digital box. The federal government was giving out $40 coupons to get a digital box, but the funding has run out. They do have a waiting list for any funds that become available from expiring coupons. Click here to sign up, if you have not requested a coupon already)
We haven’t looked back…the quality on the digital stations is great (much clearer than analog) and the reception is great. If you are paying more than you like for cable TV (and can live without ESPN…that’s a hard one for us), then borrow someone’s digital box and rabbit ears and see if it works in your area. Maybe you can save on this monthly expense too. And, there’s always Netflix (which still works out cheaper than cable), if you’re looking for something to watch.
For more frugal ideas, visit Biblical Womanhood.
Photo courtesy of romexico at stock.xchng.
Corrie is a "cents"able wife and stay-at-home mom of 2 boys.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
We have basic + the news channels, History, Food Network, etc…we pay $60, it’s outrageous. No premium channels at all, like HBO or things like that…I can’t imagine what those folks pay.
I wish we could cut out the cable, but we are hooked
We are really working on budgeting and cutting back so we can pay off our debt. We have been waiting for the end of College football to cancel cable. Since the Championship game was last night, it is time! (I am hoping that we will get so used to not having it that we will be able to enjoy the games via Sattalie Radio in the fall. That will be hard but I am really focused on paying things off.) Our phone is also through comcast so we are going to cancel it and just use our cell phones. This is going to save us a lot of money!
We can’t get cable out here in the country so that $17. looks pretty reasonable to me. No matter what we have to pay almost $30 for dish. We got the digital thing too and that is working out pretty good. Sometimes the bad weather causes problems but I think we could update our attena.
We can’t get cable where we are, either, and we tried the new box thing for the changeover in Feb. and that doesn’t work in our area because it’s too mountainy. So it looks like we won’t have any TV at all starting next month! You can rent library movies for free, though, and keep them for a week.
A fantastic frugal option
We got rid of cable in 2007.
Just this month, my husband found Hulu. (www.hulu.com) They have many tv shows for free. There are a few (one each time for about 17 seconds) commercials, but as long as you don’t mind watching on the computer, it works just fine.
Thanks for the idea about Hulu, Prudent Homemaker! I’ve heard of it before, but never tried it. I just checked it out, and it looks pretty neat.