Frustrated with not getting the cable or satellite TV service you really want? Are you tired of wasting money on channels you don’t watch? It’s time to stop wasting money and start getting the value you pay for.
It’s all too common to let the cable or satellite TV bill sneak out of control until you have no idea what your bill includes anymore. This is why it’s important to evaluate all your household expenses (not just your cable TV bill) and make certain you…
- Know what you’re paying for
- Are actually getting what you’re paying for
- Aren’t paying for things you don’t want
When it comes to cable or satellite TV, the channels are packaged together and services sometimes bundled, making it easy for customers to be unsure of what they’re being charged for when the bill arrives every month.
Even if you started out with a plan that was right at the time you signed on, introductory offers may have expired, causing your bill to creep upward, unnoticed.
In addition, your tastes, lifestyle, and television programming has likely changed over time. For these reasons you want to re-evaluate your TV plan on a regular basis. Don’t know where to start? I recently followed the case of a particular cable TV customer who decided her bill was higher than she wanted it to be.
Her experience in reassessing her TV viewing options may prove inspirational and help you get more entertainment for your money — or at least avoid paying more than you need to.
Here’s how this cable TV customer reconfigured her entertainment choices and found better options for a much lower monthly cost:
Review Your Current Bill
Examine your bill to determine what kind of plan you have, what exactly you’re paying for and how much. It’s common for cable companies to offer networks in packages, and to get the few channels you wanted, you probably opted-in to a package that included many more channels than you wanted or ever actually watch.
Put a mark next to questionable charges and fees you don’t recognize, or don’t remember signing up for. When you call to update your service plan, you can ask customer service about these fees, and see if you need to keep them on your plan.
This is also an opportune time to check for extraneous charges. This particular cable customer discovered she’d been paying $4.95/month for an extra box she no longer used.
Evaluate Your TV Watching Habits
Take inventory of the current channels you subscribe to and see how they measure up to the programs you really watch. Are there channels you don’t watch at all?
In this case study, when our cable customer did this, she realized she almost never watched her premium movie channels, yet she paid dearly — and regularly — for them. Are you guilty of this? Evaluate your current TV watching habits and compare what you’re paying for to what you actually watch.
Look for Better Options
Our case study customer recently heard of alternative means by which to watch TV shows and movies that don’t involve a cable or satellite company. She did some research to see if it would cost less to get a few programs she wanted to watch instead of upgrading to the next cable TV tier.
Programs like like Amazon Prime Instant Video, Netflix, and Hulu Plus, provide entertainment to homes and devices at a very affordable price so it’s worth checking out.
Many viewers have been won over by the vast array of programs and movies that are instantly available from these services — many without commercials — which is why your satellite TV company might be willing to negotiate with you to keep your business.
Choose the Best Solution
After a consultation with those in-the-know, this cable TV customer implemented the following plan to save on her entertainment viewing:
Phase 1: After years of paying for first-run movie channels, she decided they were obviously not an important part of her television watching. She then was able to painlessly and significantly cut her bill by cancelling this service. By switching to a more basic package, she retains and pays for the channels she actually does watch, all while enjoying a $40/month savings — which is a whopping 28% of her present cable bill! That’s almost $500/year back in her pocket!
Phase 2: She purchased two Roku devices (a one-time purchase of $100 for both) which enable her televisions to access the Internet and stream hundreds of channels and current TV programs through Hulu Plus, CBS app, and more.
Phase 3: She subscribed to Netflix for $8.99/month, and can now choose the exact content she wants from their extensive library of episodes and movies, that stream to her TVs via her Roku connection. She can also view Netflix programming on her laptop or other devices.
If you’re ready to take back control of your cable bill and start getting the channels you really want, just follow these simple steps. Examine your expenses, review your bill, and evaluate your current TV watching habits.
With so many new technology advances and options available in the current entertainment marketplace, there will always be great alternatives for saving money.
What’s one way you’ve saved on your current TV service? What’s another tip to share to help save money on entertainment expenses?
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With HBO’s announcement of a stand-alone version of HBO Go coming in 2015, I think we’ll see more and more people cutting cable. I recently realized that I really only watch TV for HBO shows and a couple other shows on AMC. I canceled my cable subscription, plan to order HBO Go when it comes out in 2015, and now just download the couple AMC shows from Google Play as they air. They’re only $1.99 each on Google Play, so ordering them a la carte ends up being much less expensive then paying for all of cable.
I’m a weirdo who has never had a cable bill. Internet and bunny ears are what work for me (regular bunny ears do still work if you have a newer tv with a digital tuner built in)
Great post! So many people pay their monthly bills each month without even checking to see what they pay for. One of the simplest money saving tactics we suggest to our customers, as you have here, is to check your bill each month, are there things they don’t watch? Are they paying extra for a service that’s not being used? Evaluating every bill line for line is the easiest way to save lots of money. Also, checking for new promotions each month is a great way to save lots of money. If you have an outdated plan, chances are your price has already increased since the time you updated your services. For those who are too lazy or don’t have the time to do it themselves, BillCutterz is a great easy alternative for saving lots of money!