37 Responses to Cutting the Cord – How to Get Rid of Cable

    • Yes, we watched our first HBO show last night!! As if there weren’t already enough things to suck me in on Netflix and Amazon Prime…hehe.

  1. Love it, Meredith! Mark cut the cord on me one summer without even asking me…guess he didn’t realize how much I enjoyed a lil TV now and then (during my summers off from school) while he was at work. But between hulu and Netflix, I haven’t missed it in the least! And I LOVE knowing how much we’re saving every month. We’re not looking back either!

    • Haha, that’s so funny he did it unbeknownst to you! I wasn’t super excited about it at first either, it was mostly Matt’s idea…but I’m so glad we did it too!

  2. Good for you! If I didn’t have my 3 disabled adult children living with me that’s exactly what I’d do. They rely on it. I think if we could get out more it would be a non-issue. I have satellite and it’s so darn expensive even with the smallest package. Kuddos to you ♥
    *hugs*deb

    • That’s tough…it’s definitely not for everyone, though. We still watch more TV than I’d like, even without cable! So I think it will be a gradual process to watch less and less..though hopefully we will be getting out more too now that the weather is nicer!

  3. Thanks for sharing. We too have recently cut most of our cable and are probably about to do it all together. We too stream Netflix and Hulu and have found some great shows that way. Found you on Moonlight & Mason Jars Link up!

    • Yay for you! I don’t think you’ll miss it if/when you do. I was surprised by how little I missed it once we cut the cord! And we’ve discovered some great new shows now with Netflix too…LOVE House of Cards, and several others!

  4. We have Roku with Netflix & Hulu. We also use Plex Media Server for current shows (sometimes it’s buggy, but it’s free & nice when it works).

    • We use Plex too for storing some digital files and streaming them to the TV! My hubby set that up, though, so I’m not sure how it works, haha.

  5. I have thought about this but my mother in law lives with me and she only watches the Christian channels ( she loves Joyce Meyer and Charles Stanley) and the Hallmark Channel ) she is 80 and it is hard for her to have change as she has altimeizer

    • It’s funny how that older generation is so attached to television…I can definitely understand how that would be difficult for her. Cutting cable isn’t for everyone, and especially if you only have the basic cable package it can be pretty affordable. We had HD and DVR service, so we were paying significantly more for all of that, which made our cost savings when we dropped it that much bigger!

  6. I love that you wrote about this. It has been something I have been debating for awhile! Maybe I need to try a week or two without it to see if it is doable. I do love my dvr though.

    Thanks for stopping by Creative Spark Link Party. Hope to see you back next Wednesday!

    • Doooo iiiit! Especially if you’re mostly watching on DVR, that’s essentially the same as watching your shows on Hulu Plus or the network websites. I think you’ll be surprised how little you actually rely on live TV!

  7. I’m glad you posted this.. I’ve FINALLY convinced my hubby to allow me to go away with cable… it was easy because Game of Thrones on HBO is over and wont be back for about a year. so I’m cancelling cable STAT! I’m going to look into the antenna you mentioned. We currently have Netflix and will keep internet svc…

    • Yay! Good luck. You won’t look back! And make sure you tell your hubby about the recent deal with Amazon streaming and HBO too!

  8. Cable is completely overrated. I grew up in the country where cable and satellite weren’t even options, so all I ever knew were bunny ears and a roof top antenna to watch basic tv. However, when my husband and I moved in together, we purchased cable since nothing can be picked up with bunny ears in our apartment. I finally had enough though when our bill reached $86/mo for just basic cable. Absolutely ridiculous! So, a couple years ago we made the plunge and dropped our cable, signing up for Hulu and Netflix. We have an xbox in our living room and a wii in the bedroom, and we just stream the apps through those devices and watch tv that way. There are a few shows we miss, but there are also a few shows we’ve discovered that we’d never see on regular cable AND $16/mo for both apps vs. $86/mo makes it worth not seeing those shows anymore!! lol

    • I know! Isn’t it just ridiculous how much it costs?? And of course then they get you with the added fees for HD, DVR, expanded channels, etc. Honestly, I think we’re watching more TV shows than we ever did before…but it’s in place of just mindlessly turning on the TV and turning something on that I really didn’t have any desire to watch in the first place. Now, we’re much more purposeful about choosing what shows we want to watch. I just wish we had gotten rid of it sooner!

  9. This is great. I forgot to pay my dish bill and they cut it off today. I went online to check on it and they wouldn’t let me view any account details until I paid…really? I get e-bills but you won’t let me see it? I’d already been thinking about it, because it’s just not worth the money. So, they actually did me a favor, because I’m not restarting it. I’m going to pay my final bill and that’s that. I look forward to saving $80+ per month.

    • It is crazy how poor customer service these companies are able to get away with. It’s so great to just stick it to ’em, isn’t it? Haha. Good luck with cutting the cord, I’m betting you won’t look back!

  10. i have to use my phone company for internet, it is price on how much GB’s you use! and talk about $$$!!! and Satellite for TV.
    I would love to have Cable internet!! but they say they do not come out to my area yet. :(

    • Oh, bummer! Yeah, with paying by the GB it is really expensive to stream TV shows and movies. Hopefully you will get cable internet to your area soon!

  11. Great post! My husband and I did the same recently, and I love it. I live in NYC, so cable prices are insane. It makes me so happy to think how much money we’re saving each month!

  12. Welcome to the cable free crowd! I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve had cable. I actually grew up without it, and part of me wishes I had never been introduced. I watch so much TV through Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu!!

  13. We have been having this conversation at our house too. Our biggest concern is football season (GO HAWKS!) Any input about how many games we might miss or how to stream games live? Thanks!

    • Hi Jennie, unfortunately I don’t have a good solution to that problem. We were able to get all our Nittany Lion games last football season, though, either because they were on ABC (which we get via our antenna) or we logged in to stream ESPN online directly onto our TV via our chromecast (but you have to have a cable subscriber username and password for that). Other than that, there’s sports bars or inviting yourself over to a friends house! Not ideal, I know, but since we are really only college football watchers, it works for us. The other option would be to carry your cable subscription through the fall each year, but then ditch it for the off-season…you’d still save money that way!

  14. I ditched cable a little over a year ago. Like you, I thought I’d die without it. I didn’t. :)

    Since getting rid of the exhorbitant monthly fee, I’ve been watching TV free, using an HDMI cable and streaming from my laptop to the television.

    I won’t lie, there are days when I miss it, especially for the background noise while I do other things. But you’re right, playing music instead is a great mood enhancer and helps get housework done faster. Funny how that works. Those days, I now plop in a DVD. Since I’m not paying attention, it doesn’t matter whether I’ve already seen it or not, it’s just background noise.

    Congrats on making the switch!

  15. My husband and I have been considering this for sometime now. Comcast is getting out of control with this charge or that charge plus “rental” of equipment because it can’t be purchased. We have been with Comcast for a very long time. We never had issues with our internet or phone service, but cable is a monthly phone call for problems… Hours on the phone trouble shooting and then send a technician, just a complete waste of time for temporary fixes.

  16. My father brought me a chromecast last Christmas and at first I wasn’t sure how to use. I had direct tv at the time and I didn’t use it much until I got the internet on and the cable was turned off due to non payment. I LOVE MY Chromecast. I do not miss cable at all. I love that I don’t have to hear the troubles of the world on a daily basis. I still to watch all the popular shows and Hulu is awesome because whatever showed today on tv I’m able to see tomorrow. It’s the best decision I ever made.

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stay-at-home mom to three beautiful children, wife to an incredible husband, and daughter of a loving God. I freely admit that I am not always the most creative or original person when it comes to crafting, decorating, organizing, cooking, etc...but I love being inspired by great ideas and putting my own spin on them! Look around, stay a while, and I hope through my *unoriginality* I can provide some inspiration to you, too!
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