Getting Rid of Cable

oudixon
oudixon Posts: 389 Member
in Chit-Chat
I am currently debating on getting rid of my cable bill- basically I am getting charged 144 dollars a month for cable and internet.

I was debating on getting rid of cable(Keeping internet)

However, I was wondering what others have thought about this?

I say a program called Playon- not sure if it's worth it or not.


I was thinking netflix and hulu plus would still be good enough to get about every channel I watch at a small fraction of my monthly cost.

Any information is greatly appreciated.
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Replies

  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I have been cableless for almost two years. Get a Roku, Netflix, and Hulu. That way you can watch TV shows and rent movies through Amazon when you wish.
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
    If you chuck your cable, you should get a Roku to watch Netflix and Hulu Plus (and other stuff) on your TV. It's a pretty cool device.
  • Superchikanthem
    Superchikanthem Posts: 362 Member
    I have a bundle but don't even have a TV lol :laugh: I just have it like that because its cheaper. I would rather be at the gym or out with friends than be watching tv.
  • oudixon
    oudixon Posts: 389 Member
    My only concern is Espn and sports. but I know I can watch those online at times.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    Got rid of mine in 2008. Roku is the way to go - all I have is Netflix - and that's plenty for me. I never even used my Amazon Prime for digital viewing, but it's a good deal especially if you have a Kindle, or get items shipped from Amazon..
  • rocky7741
    rocky7741 Posts: 30
    If it wasn't for sports, i would have cancelled long time ago.
  • oudixon
    oudixon Posts: 389 Member
    I have an Xbox 360- So I watch Netflix through it and have wondered if Hulu plus is worth it compared to just regular Hulu
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    My only concern is Espn and sports. but I know I can watch those online at times.

    That is what I miss. Ocassionally I'll miss not having local news, but not $700-a-year-miss.
  • bluskies01
    bluskies01 Posts: 72 Member
    There are a few ways to watch sports without cable. A lot of them require subscriptions but it may work out to be cheaper for you in the long run. If you have a game system (I have a Wii) you can stream Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon through them. The Roku is nice though if you have an interest in their channels, or don't have a game console. If your TV is not digital you may want to look into getting a converter box, and depending on where you live/how much you care about broadcast TV an antenna. I just use rabbit ears and I pick up most of the broadcast channels. They discuss the sports options on this link:

    http://lifehacker.com/5475091/how-can-i-ditch-cable-and-watch-my-tv-shows-and-movies-online
  • RainbootsToBikinis
    RainbootsToBikinis Posts: 465 Member
    We've been considering the same thing. We have netflix and hulu plus and we realized we were watching stuff on hulu the next day more often than we were watching it on TV even with a dvr.
  • jneill69
    jneill69 Posts: 22
    As a couple of others have mentioned, the only negative IMHO is sports. I am a die hard hockey fan and a huge Steeler fan to boot. I cannot give up my sports.

    Not to mention, I need internet for my job (computers), and I wouldn't honestly save THAT much by dropping the cable part.
  • Jonesie1984
    Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
    Bumping. Considering getting rid of cable myself.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I have a bundle but don't even have a TV lol :laugh: I just have it like that because its cheaper. I would rather be at the gym or out with friends than be watching tv.

    How is your bundle less expensive with cable? I'm assuming by "bundle" you mean Cable/Internet/Phone.

    Internet - $55
    Phone - $20

    Bundle - $99+
  • ellie78
    ellie78 Posts: 375
    I ditched cable a few yeas ago and did the netflix and hulu plus streamed through the xbox, maybe for 7 or 8 months total. It was worth it for me to do the hulu plus because most of the shows I wanted to watch were not available on regular hulu. If I remember correctly it also let you put shows in a queue to watch so you didn't have to search around for them which was nice, not sure if you can do that with regular hulu.
  • Rockytop_relic
    Rockytop_relic Posts: 208 Member
    I would ditch mine but Step Brothers is on:)
  • oudixon
    oudixon Posts: 389 Member
    I know of an online site that you can stream most sports each night- at least for now. So I am just curious. The games I hate to miss is college football.

    I don't know much about Roku- I am now searching it. ha
  • m_snow
    m_snow Posts: 23 Member
    Got rid of cable a year and a half ago - wouldn't consider going back. Went from roughly $130/mo to $40/mo. Roku, netflix, and an antennae for local channels....which includes our football games! My hubby does miss out on many baseball games, but he seems good with his decision. Gives us a reason to either go to the game or head to the bar to watch.

    Should also note - tried hulu plus for a two week trial and didn't find a need for it in addition to netflix.
  • SlickFootAnna
    SlickFootAnna Posts: 611 Member
    I don't own a tv so, sorry no help here.
  • dancinmama
    dancinmama Posts: 47 Member
    I am getting ready to do the same thing. I have a roku and an xbox to stream on, I'm just going to get an antenna to get my local channels, and I'm done.
  • Fit_Mama84
    Fit_Mama84 Posts: 234 Member
    I have been cableless for a few months now. Don't miss it at all. I can watch most things for free. One good side is popcornandcoke.com And there are a number of other free places to watch as well. You can even look up shows and the website of the station that airs the show and watch it there as well. I don't think I'll bother with cable ever again!
  • RushBabe214
    RushBabe214 Posts: 469 Member
    We have been cable/satellite free for almost 13 years. Only have Comcast for high speed internet. I've never regretted it. Too much crap on anyways and I think it was one of the best things we did for the kids. Now we just utilize Netflix streaming and discs to watch exactly what we want when we want.
  • jneill69
    jneill69 Posts: 22
    In lieu of my earlier comment about not giving up cable due to sports, I can also say we have a Roku and an Apple TV. Both are great.

    Apple TV is awesome because it can stream your itunes library. And, if you are technically savvy, you can also stream movies from a computer on your network (PC or Mac).

    Roku is also awesome and has a lot of "channels" you can download to add more functionality.

    I don't think either would be worth it without Netflix and/or Hulu.

    Oh, and if you have Amazon Prime, the Roku can stream free movies from that. Apple TV cannot.
  • dancinmama
    dancinmama Posts: 47 Member
    Just got my roku, it's great!
  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,395 Member
    Bump
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    Get a roku and netflix and you'll be fine. I've been cable free for probably 6 years now. I was doing the Xbox 360 thing for a while with my Netflix, but decided to ditch the Xbox Gold membership (used to be $50 a year, but I heard they upped the price). I think the lowest end roku is like $50, one time investment and you're good. Also, there is an app for your roku (I forget the name) that will let you watch youtube videos as well. Pretty darn convenient. But then, I barely watch sports so that sort of thing was never a big deal for me. The games I do watch I go over to someone else's house and watch it on their TV :smile:
  • MorgueBabe
    MorgueBabe Posts: 1,188 Member
    We only have internet.
    No landline and no cable at all.. not even good old basic abc, nbc etc.

    It's fine.... you get used to it, you get more active.... and honestly with netflix/hulu and streaming on most channels websites I don't even miss it.
  • ldbuster0
    ldbuster0 Posts: 207
    I should give up cable. We have cable, Netflix, and a Roku. We just keep wasting money.
  • jumpingsquare
    jumpingsquare Posts: 10 Member
    Something I wrote when I cut the cord myself: http://www.jumpingsquare.com/2012/03/freeing-yourself-of-cable-a-proof-of-concept/
  • Eifersucht
    Eifersucht Posts: 34
    We ditched cable almost three years ago and I love it. We pay $52/month for internet and $30/year for phone (MagicJack). Netflix streaming lets me watch basically whatever I want, with the exception of The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy, which my fiance buys online because he's hooked on them. I watch Grey's Anatomy on abc.com for free.
  • Selunca
    Selunca Posts: 208 Member
    Two years cable free here. Best decision ever. I ended up getting more hobbies, doing more things with my husband, etc. We have Netflixs, and I watch some streaming online. I do miss the local news.

    If your worried about ESPN, Xbox live has that on it, if your a gold member. :)

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