topic Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month in Community Chat

Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

cimeranrose — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 03:04:58 GMT

It was painful to pay our $230 a month cable bill and we didn't watch many of the channels. We've had a ROKU for a few years now. We finally decided to drop cable TV and go with HULU Live TV that is streamed through our ROKU. Hulu Live TV costs $44.99 a month; our internet costs $60 a month. So now we're only paying $105 a month for TV and internet - we'll be saving $1500 a year. We started in April but wish we would have done it much sooner.

In looking for a streaming service to use with our ROKU (there are several streaming options out there), there were certain channels DH and I each wanted. With HULU Live TV we both got the channels we wanted.

The channels we get with HULU Live TV are: Our local ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox channels; A&E, Boomerang, Bravo, BTN, Cartoon Network, CBS Sports Network, CNBC, CNN, CNN international, Disney, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNEWS, ESPN-U, Food Network, FOX Business, FOX News, FreeForm, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, Golf, HGTV, HLN, Lifetime, MSNBC, Discovery, TLC, Motor Trend, Animal Planet, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, NBCSN, Oxygen, Pop, SEC Espn, Sprout, Syfy, TBS, History, Travel, TNT, TruTV, Discovery, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Motor Trend, Animal Plantet, Turner Classic Movies (East and West), USA, Viceland, Cozi tv.

We have HULU Live TV on 2 TV's. DH has a third TV in his office but he just put an antennae in his office and he gets some local channels, METV, HSN and a few others - all for free with the antennae.

My husband has had Amazon Prime for a few years because he orders quite a bit from Amazon. One of the perks of that is on our ROKU we get Amazon Prime TV for free. I've found a few good movies on there and also some old TV shows I used to like. For instance, on Amazon Prime TV I get all the seasons for Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, The Waltons, The Andy Griffith Show, That Girl, The Dock Van ****** Show - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I think Cable TV is going to become a dinasour because people are tired of paying their ridiculous prices - I think streaming services will be the wave of the future. I know my kids who are in their 20's won't waste their money on cable - they rarely watch TV.

I like TCM and what's neat about the HULU Live TV is, there's a TCM East and TCM West so if there's a movie I missed on TCM East, I can catch a few hours later on TCM West.

At Christmas time I do like to watch some Hallmark Christmas movies, so my husband found another streaming service for $20 a month that includes Hallmark and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries - so in November and December we'll pay an extra $20 a month for that streaming service and we can get Hallmark/Hallmark Movies and Mysteries but then we can drop the extra $20 streaming service after December.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

Nightowlz — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:16:07 GMT

Thanks for posting. I have been thinking about doing this for quite some time & just keep putting it off. I don't watch that much on TV plus have so many shows on our DVR plus another hard drive with a lot of shows I will never watch. LOL!!! Paying over $125 for nothing per month for DISH.

DH is always streaming what he watches. I need to cut ours back to basics while I check out Hulu & what else is out there.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

beckyb1012 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:25:56 GMT

I did this back in Oct. 2015 after thinking about it for a couple of years. At the time I rounded up each month and sent in $100.00 for expanded cable. I only watched about one to two hours a night and never turned on during the day even on weekends. What a waste it was since I read so many books. I finally made the decision when they were forcing me to get new equipment and a higher bill to keep the same number of channels many of which I could not speak the language or had any desire to play the sport. I told the guy when I called to complain, JUST SHUT IT DOWN. He did not think I was really serious, I repeated to him shut it down NOW. My own movie collection, books, and grandchildren fill my nights and weekends. I have about 35 animated Walt Disney movies and love watching Cinderella over and over again.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

sundrops — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:27:35 GMT

We have had Hulu + Live TV since January. We got rid of cable too. Our bill was also over 200.00 dollars. I’ve have no complaints about the Hulu. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. There is so much to watch!! I want to add Acorn soon to get the shows from Britain.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

alicedee — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:33:26 GMT

I had high speed Internet and basic cable....and the price just kept increasing. I have an Amazon Prime membership which I use several times a month....,so I now have a Firestick and small antenna for local channels. I save about $70 a month, and get more good channels and movie options than I ever had before. Should have done it years ago!

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

ScarletDove — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:58:20 GMT

Smart move! And you have figured what your options are without cable. I cancelled cable 10 years ago, never missed it. No longer have a television set and stream everything on computer. I cancelled because I was working long hours and not watching much TV. Streaming was available and becoming more popular so I started streaming on computer and decided to cancel cable. Never missed cable because of streaming, did not mind waiting a day or 2 to watch network shows since they were available online at the network sites and Hulu had become available. Have saved a huge amount of money over the years.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

faeriemoon — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:59:09 GMT

Lots of people are streaming now. I don't feel sorry for the cable companies at all. They have gotten away with too much for too long.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

tansy — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:22:47 GMT

Comcast has spoiled me with their DVR box, so I hesitate to cut the cord. I like the ease of recording shows, On Demand, pausing shows, fast forwarding through commercials and the newish voice feature.

That HULA package sounds good, with a wide variety of choices.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

Suzeecat — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:26:01 GMT

The geek squad tech who delivered and set up my new television said that he has been using Hulu for a few years instead of cable and he loves it, as well as is saving lots of $$$. I'm locked into a Comcast contract right now but when it expires I will definitely consider dropping them. I have been having nothing but problems with both my internet and cable for the past month.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

Mz iMac — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:58:43 GMT

@Suzeecat wrote:
I have been having nothing but problems with both my internet and cable for the past month.

You will need internet for streaming. When you do decide to "cut the cable," suggest you get the highest internet plan Comcast offers to avoid the "buffering syndrome." Bundle if you can-internet & phone.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

Lipstickdiva — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 20:03:36 GMT

We've been talking about doing this but we cannot find a streaming service that offers every channel that we want. And by the time we'd pay for what we want plus a high-speed internet, we wouldn't be saving that much.

The other thing I worry about is we have a Roku tv in our bedroom and it runs through the Spectrum App. I swear that app is down constantly and we have no tv I worry about that if we switch to a streaming device. I also DVR more shows than I watch live.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

Nuttmeg — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 20:23:40 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@Suzeecat wrote:
I have been having nothing but problems with both my internet and cable for the past month.
You will need internet for streaming. When you do decide to "cut the cable," suggest you get the highest internet plan Comcast offers to avoid the "buffering syndrome." Bundle if you can-internet & phone.

I would like to add. I'm NJ, Comcast allows me to stream 1TB of data each month with my Blast plan. Some markets charge a fee over a cap.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

Sparky3333 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 20:53:20 GMT

Its nice not paying all that money isnt it!!?

We got rid of ours feb of last yr and got Roku and sling blue and have not regretted it at all....I added the cloud to record and hallmark package(for husband) for a total of 34.99 month.....My internet is 68.00....100 less than what we were paying.We get alot of good channels on sling blue.We also have amazon prime and husband watches some on that.....If something comes on tv and i want to watch but dont get channel i can sign in to my sons cable and watch it online that way....Pretty cool.The shopping channels can be watched on Roku along with other stuff.....I am so happy not paying those ridiculous prices for tv ....I dont even watch much tv but husband does when not working and he is happy with what we have now..

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

cimeranrose — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 21:00:25 GMT

Just an FYI @tansy - with the basic Hulu Live TV that we have for $44.99/month we get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. If we wanted, we could upgrade to 200 hours and gain the ability to fast-forward through recorded commercials for an extra $9,99/month.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

cimeranrose — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 22:15:45 GMT

@Nightowlz - we were like you, we kept thinking about dropping cable but kept putting it off but we're so glad we finally did it - we just regret we didn't do it sooner!

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

IMW — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 22:20:40 GMT

Good for you!

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

sunshine45 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 22:37:50 GMT

@tansy wrote:
Comcast has spoiled me with their DVR box, so I hesitate to cut the cord. I like the ease of recording shows, On Demand, pausing shows, fast forwarding through commercials and the newish voice feature.

That HULA package sounds good, with a wide variety of choices.

@tansy

i am the same way and have not even been tempted to get rid of xfinity yet. two phone lines, high speed internet, DVR, voice remotes, movie channels, tvs all over the house (some smart, some not.)

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

elated — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 02:44:01 GMT

@cimeranrose wrote:
It was painful to pay our $230 a month cable bill and we didn't watch many of the channels. We've had a ROKU for a few years now. We finally decided to drop cable TV and go with HULU Live TV that is streamed through our ROKU. Hulu Live TV costs $44.99 a month; our internet costs $60 a month. So now we're only paying $105 a month for TV and internet - we'll be saving $1500 a year. We started in April but wish we would have done it much sooner.

In looking for a streaming service to use with our ROKU (there are several streaming options out there), there were certain channels DH and I each wanted. With HULU Live TV we both got the channels we wanted.

The channels we get with HULU Live TV are: Our local ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox channels; A&E, Boomerang, Bravo, BTN, Cartoon Network, CBS Sports Network, CNBC, CNN, CNN international, Disney, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNEWS, ESPN-U, Food Network, FOX Business, FOX News, FreeForm, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, Golf, HGTV, HLN, Lifetime, MSNBC, Discovery, TLC, Motor Trend, Animal Planet, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, NBCSN, Oxygen, Pop, SEC Espn, Sprout, Syfy, TBS, History, Travel, TNT, TruTV, Discovery, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Motor Trend, Animal Plantet, Turner Class Movies (East and West), USA, Viceland.

We have HULU Live TV on 2 TV's. DH has a third TV in his office but he just put an antennae in his office and he gets some local channels, METV, HSN and a few others - all for free with the antennae.

My husband has had Amazon Prime for a few years because he orders quite a bit from Amazon. One of the perks of that is on our ROKU we get Amazon Prime TV for free. I've found a few good movies on there and also some old TV shows I used to like. For instance, on Amazon Prime TV I get all the seasons for Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, The Waltons, The Andy Griffith Show, That Girl, The Dock Van ****** Show - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I think Cable TV is going to become a dinasour because people are tired of paying their ridiculous prices - I think streaming services will be the wave of the future. I know my kids who are in their 20's won't waste their money on cable - they rarely watch TV.

I like TCM and what's neat about the HULU Live TV is, there's a TCM East and TCM West so if there's a movie I missed on TCM East, I can catch a few hours later on TCM West.

At Christmas time I do like to watch some Hallmark Christmas movies, so my husband found another streaming service for $20 a month that includes Hallmark and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries - so in November and December we'll pay an extra $20 a month for that streaming service and we can get Hallmark/Hallmark Movies and Mysteries but then we can drop the extra $20 streaming service after December.

I get Comcast/Xfinity for $146.00. It includes TV(2), Internet, Phone, Two Cable Boxes. I think that is a good deal. I went into their store and talked with a rep. I saved $30.00 per month. I do have DVR, Remote Voice Control and they threw in The Movie Channel.

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

hckynut — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 00:57:52 GMT

@cimeranrose

Glad it is working for you. My satellite bill, with all the sports networks I watch, plus all the networks my wife enjoys, is about what you say you are saving. Streaming will never replace "time shifting" for me, which I started enjoying back in early 1970's with my 1st VHS/VCR. I watch nothing live, much less wanting to watch streaming.

Before I would even consider giving up my form of entertainment, I would eliminate every other optional expense in our household. I am an electronic nut, so I an quite familiar with what's available in Video and Audio. Nothing out there go replace my satellite DVR comes even close to meeting my form of entertainment.

Saving $125 a month is BIG deal, but the $130+ a few bucks for our total monthly bill for Dish Network? Know nothing about cable nowadays, but if you were paying $230 a month? I would hope that includes every network that exists.

Hope it permanently works out for you.

hckynut

Re: Dropped Cable TV, saving $125 per month

Spurt — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 02:22:50 GMT

@cimeranrose

Im glad your enjoying the savings with your cord cutting....Thats pretty cheap for internet, but from what I read you need the max internet available or you will experience buffering....In our area it would cost $79.99 for what is recommended......At least your package includes TCM...some of the streaming services dont offer it...good deal

As a sports fan I did a comparison and would be losing and/or have to pay extra for channels like Red Zone, NFL Network, NBA TV....and local sports team live broadcasts are subject to blackout restrictions....big problems with live sports....I noticed you mentioned another $20 to watch Hallmark, I like the Hallmark Mystery Channel

Some areas have to buy an antenna to get local channels....

All in all for me it would cost more to cut the cord....With my max premium cable package and ultra sports extra pack I pay $139 for cable/int

I would urge people to do your homework and research it and check it all out before you ditch cable....Sometimes it amounts to what you want : certain channels OR do you want to save money. I know quite a few people that went back to cable....There was a chord cutting calculater, (google it), to help you make an evaluation.......

And dont you know that internet prices and streaming prices will be increasing too.....I read where they are already contemplating it