We did it! We canceled our cable/internet. I'm still kind of in shock. Perhaps in denial too. I hate to admit it but we watch a lot of TV. Let me say that again... A LOT! I'm a bit confused, wondering what we are going to do with all that time!
Anyway, let me get to the story... My husband texted me on Friday saying that he thought we should get rid of our cable. I almost had a stroke! Although the idea was in the back of my mind, I never thought he'd go for it. So, I immediately agreed. I've been struggling with ways to reduce our monthly budget so that we could build up our emergency savings and start paying down our debt faster. Cable and internet are nice to have but definitely not necessities in life - especially when you're in debt like us. So, he made the call and canceled our service.
We went in to our local cable office on Saturday to drop off our cable boxes and internet stuff. While in the office, they had about 12 different TV's going at the same time and I could see my husband starting to second guess himself. Believe me, I was too! We stayed the course though and handed in our dusty old equipment.
I should explain that we are not going completely without some form of home and couch entertainment :) We have decided to still keep our Netflix account active. For about $10 a month, we do get a good amount of use out of it. Now, we're planning to get a lot more! There's got to be some old shows that we missed and good movies to catch up on. Also, I do get internet access on my work phone. Although the screen is tiny, it's still access! Lastly, I was able to score a wireless internet card for my work laptop, so I could use that at home as well. Although the speed it dreadfully slow, we're hoping it'll be sufficient to get us online as needed.
Yayyyy! So, that's my good - no, GREAT - news. It's only $120ish a month, but will certainly help us out. Oh yeah, one more bit of news - my hubby also willingly canceled his wrestling show account (about $4 per month). So, make that $125 going towards savings and debt. Today is a good day!
Question : Have you ever given up cable? If so, was it difficult? What did you end up doing instead to fill up all your spare time?
We have been contemplating getting rid of cable. I think we are right there, we just need the final push. I don't think I could get rid of internet though. Kudos! Even if you do have it on a phone, it's not the same.
ReplyDeleteYou are my hero...I wish I could do it...but, alas, we are couch potatoes..maybe in the Spring? I do need to lower the bill a bit, so I'll have to figure out how to do that.
ReplyDeleteYour saving over $1200 a year..that should pay a bill or two!
That's a ton of savings! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteI have mentioned this to my husband and he won't budge on it. I think my kids might harm me as well. We got a notice our cable company is raising prices next year too. We have our phone, cable and internet bundled and I've thought about getting rid of the landline and just doing basic cable.
We do not have cable right now and are trying to hold off until BF's parents come to visit in February. (His Dad will go nuts without being able to watch sports.) We do have internet, which I need for school work. I figure we are saving $30 per month or so (x 5 months = $150)! Yayyyy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kudos! We'll see how it goes :)
ReplyDeleteBefore my hubby moved in the apartment, I went without cable for about six months, and I loved it! At the time, I had a fair amount of DVDs, so if I needed a TV fix, I would watch them. But I also used the time to study and read books for fun.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on letting the cable go! That's a big step! :)