Ways to Save Your Budget: Cut the Cord

I am sure by now you have planned your budget and you know exactly where you money goes every single month. Some things may have shocked you like how much you really spend on food or one of my favorites, the question of why does cable cost so much!

At some point you were gently lured into your current cable company by a big shiny sign boasting a great deal. “Triple your channels and internet speeds! Bundle it all for only $79.99/month!” and you thought yes, that makes sense because I am paying that much for crappy channels and one level up from dial up speeds. So you sign up for a 2 year contract not reading the fine print that says after year one your monthly fee increases to $200/month! Sound familiar?

Then you got upset and after you realized there was nothing you could do, in your anger you promised yourself that on the exact date that you could cancel the service, you would! They weren’t going to get a dime extra…right? And that date came…and went because you got comfortable with what you have and why rock the boat now, you are used to the bill. WAKE UP!!!! They got you! They suckered you into being normal. These companies know what works which is why they keep doing it. If you want to stop being broke…cut the cord!

So let’s break this down for a moment.

• How many channels do you have?
• Now how many of those channels do you really watch?
• Now take the amount you pay per month and divide it by those channels.
• Is it really worth it?

We cut the cord about 12 years ago and haven’t looked back. Now this is not saying that we don’t watch TV, but we do it in a different way.

My first suggestion is that you get a casting device like a Google Chromecast or an Amazon Firestick. We are a Google house so I will tell you how the Chromecast works.

It is super simple. You plug the device into the HDMI port on your TV, download the Google Home app, set up the device and voila, you are able to throw most things from your screen to your TV. This works for YouTube, Pandora, Netflix, etc. If you have an Android phone, (sorry iPhone guys), you can also cast your entire screen onto the TV. It can even turn your TV into a digital picture frame by connecting to your Google Photos account.

Once you have this in place, you are all set to watch whatever you like. Here are a few options to replace the budget eater cable or satellite company.

The Replacements

Over the air TV: OTA or TV using an antenna may get you a lot of what you need. You get all of your local channels plus 25 additional channels, depending on your location.

Subscription services: Netflix, HULU, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, Pureflix, Sling. You can choose whichever one you would like based on your show preference. Even some of the premium channels like HBO and Showtime are offering a monthly subscription if you are hooked on a certain show. Most of these services give you a free trial of some sort so choose one a month and go for it. When all of your free trials are over, pick the one you like the best.

On Demand: Many of the same tv channels you have grown to love have their own on-demand channels on their websites. This includes network channels like ABC and cable channels like HGTV. You may not get the latest episodes so check it out before you make the switch.

The internet is limitless and more and more apps are now allowing the cast feature. Even if you don’t cut the cord right away, looking into getting away from the traditional cable set up is worth it. Trust me, you will be glad you did it.