Advice needed - Cancel my cable tv or not?

[sasaxrah]

I've been seriously considering canceling my cable TV package after being continually ripped off by Time Warner NYC. Internet is here to stay. I'd love some feedback.

Pros to canceling:
- Saves $51.95 a month
- There's at least a potential for less brain rotting.
- I can watch most of my favorite shows online.
- I have Netflix, and could up my subscription. Between that and "watch instantly" I could maybe still get my visual entertainment fix.
- If I really care, I could watch anything else at Dave's.
- I'll listen to music more to counteract the silence in my apartment. That can never be a bad thing.

Cons:
- I live alone, so I like the background noise.
- I like stupid bad tv at random times, and couldn't watch it then.
- I'd have to wait until the next day for shows to post online (like Lost, the Office, etc.)
- I have a decent DVD collection, but nothing even close to sustain me.
- Inevitably I'd miss some shows I really like.
- It's nice to just watch TV with company sometimes, and I couldn't do that.
- No hosting TV-related parties.

 

[KrazieDog]

Like I said, only you can decide that. Saving the money is always a yaaay. If you don't have to see things the night they come out, then you can probably make do without it. As you said, between Hulu and Netflix on demand, you can definitely survive. Maybe I'll just move closer, (or better yet, you crazies move here) and I'll share my dvd collection. 🙂

 

[slacker2114]

Looks to me like the pros far outweight the cons. The cons seems to be of something more of a social thing while the pros are more along the lines of common sense. If you can pretty much get your fix for things online, it's not really a big deal if you have to wait an extra day. Plus as you said, you always got Dave's tv.

 

[EcEu]

cancelling your cable means you'd be hanging out with dave more if you wanted to watch tv, and you'd save money. ++

I still have 12 episodes of heroes to watch, it's not that big of a deal to miss it for a day when you can watch it online and pause it whenever you need to 🙂 and just hit up a youtube playlist or la radio if you need some back ground noise.

 

[locker669]

Do you have a bundle package, or would you consider one?

 

[Renegade Lotion]

i would just drop down a basic package (if thats not what you already have) and just get your basic channels.

dont know how your set up to watch things online, but i know i couldnt do that kinda thing cause i like to relax on my couch while watching tv, not be confined to a chair on a small PC screen lol i dont have all that fancy hook the net up to your tv stuff, or i might concider killing mine too.

 

[Bugman]

Right now basic service is included in my rent so money is not an issue.I find the basic package gives me everything i need such as The History Channel,Discovery and such.I would keep the basic service even if i had to pay for it.

I like having the tv on as background noise while i'm online if i'm not listening to music and i'm not a big fan of using my computer to watch tv.Just my two centavos.🙂

 

[Carsomyr]

Personally I never watch TV anymore, except for when there's a good hockey-game on... It is perfectly possible to live without, though! 🙂

As for the cons you list, several of those are easily helped by the use of your computer or going to Dave's. Also, you're saving 600+ bucks a year. That's lots. And lots of monies is epic win! 😀

 

[Mistress Aura]

Due to financial hardship, we lost our access to regular television awhile back. However, we use the Xbox Live and Netflix co-op, which works out way cheaper for us in the long run; Netflix is $9.60 a month for 1 DVD at a time and unlimited instant viewing (both on pc or streaming through the Xbox) and the XBL Gold membership needed is only $50 a year.

The majority of the tv series we like are already on DVD and there are a lot of movies available, so we can either purchase, stream or rent them as needed--and it comes to about $14 a month now, which equaled a savings of about $84 a month for us. Not too shabby... 😀

~ Mistress Aura

For the record, Xbox Live gamertags - Mistress Aura or Xtreme Nation for Bill (MrLegacy). 😉

 

[kis123]

Can you go satellite? Dish Network is giving some sweet deals for a year contract. After it's up you can decide if you want to continue. Right now I'm on direct tv from hell; that's after I cancelled time warner. I told them as long as they are the only cable provider in my city they could kiss my.......

If you can get satellite, call dish network-you can get a sweet deal. Or follow mistress Aura's example because netflix and even blockbuster have some great DVD deals. My daughter has no cable in her apt because she has gotten blockbuster to a science.

There are tons of ways to entertain yourself without time warner. I hate them; as far as I'm concerned, they can be best served with a dropped scud missle!!!

 

[Cosmo_ac]

go without cable. I remember when i first moved in with my brother and he had no cable, it was a little strange for the first while, but after a few months, you really won't know what you missed. All the best shows tend to be released on DVD anyway, so if you can wait, rent them. Also,their is a multitude of online places one can watch tv's shows, movies, and other things.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

i would go with direct tv, i have it and its only 39.99 a month for 250 channels

 

[venray]

We havent had cable in over a year. We do have a digital antenna and a converter box so I get about 10 channels of perfect background noise and we get all the major networks for regular nonsense TV,,,

or I use internet radio to listen to the BBC while on line (with windows media player.)

We watch very little on TV other than news and a program here or there but watch movies and tv series on line or on DVD.

So I say chuck it and save the $$$....

 

[Laffy Daffy]

As much as it will hurt at first, I say ditch the cable. You'll be better for it in the long run, between saving some extra cash and the direction most cable TV is headed these days. You'd be amazed how convenient watching TV using the web is once you're using it exclusively.

 

[Homer28]

I must admit that I am impressed with the amount of debate that you have put into this🙂 One thing I would like to point out is if you get rid of cable its not like you can't get it re connected. In the news paper last week there was an article about people getting rid of cable due to lack of income. If you do get rid of it they may make you an offer to either keep you as a customer or get you back as a customer.

 

[*persimmons*]

i recently downgraded my cable: instead of cancelling it completely i switched from the family cable with hundreds of channels to basic where i get only the first 22 channels. i don't know if your service has that option, but it cut my cable bill in half. so, i think you should just go for it and try it out for a while. i think you might find you don't miss it at all.

 

[Excess]

If I have high speed internet, I don't even feel a need to bother with cable. Many things can just be watched online now, and too many cable/satellite places suck you dry.

 

[JPie1]

homer, I like your thoughts...I think if enough people end up cancelling because of financial hardship a lot of people are experiencing even sweeter deals are bound to come up. Even though David and I are ok at the moment this whole economy things can scare you to the core and we have been watching where we can save money. Not a bad idea, plus if you get desperate, besides nextflix there are these boxes around called red box where you can rent a movie for $1 a night...not too bad!

 

[BlackestLily]

I've gone without cable since I moved to my new apartment. It does stink hearing people talk about some super-awesome-spectacular show you should see and you can't because the cable is non-existant. But because I'm not watching TV anymore, I have found time to do a million more things. Regular TV still has the new shows come on once a week on Thursdays and such for a lot of them. And to me? 50 bucks is quite a bit of money. I'd love to have an extra 600 in my pocket every year!

 

[Skipadeedoodah]

Your cons are pretty much solved by your pros. (Con: Background noise - Pro: Listen to music) Get rid of it - save your moneh <3

 

[Homer28]

these boxes around called red box where you can rent a movie for $1 a night...not too bad!

I LOVE RED BOX!!!!!🙂 I use them all the time!! If you sign up for text from them on your phone you get a free rental every monday. Also if you go to redbox.com you can reserve your movie and then pick it up.

As far as getting better deals go, if you have an online service in particular such as netflix, blockbuster online, game fly to name a few you can get deals. I went to cancel game fly due to it being to expensive and they offered my X amount of months almost half the price to keep me as a customer. Netflix and blockbuster do the same thing. You just can't go over board with it.

 

[MrMacphisto]

Cancel your cable TV, but keep your broadband internet.

You can torrent all the shows you wanna see.

 

[Musicroxmysox]

I say cancel it, it really doesn't seem worth it. Plus you can watch a ton of stuff online for free. 🙂

 

[baldadonis]

Its much easier to afford a kick ass cable package when you share the bill with two roommates. Guess you'll have to come over and enjoy it.

 

[sasaxrah]

Thanks everyone, I REALLY appreciate your responses. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, but you've given me plenty to consider.

Its much easier to afford a kick ass cable package when you share the bill with two roommates. Guess you'll have to come over and enjoy it.

I love how you post this with me being right next to you.