Got Rid of Cable/Satellite

[rhpearson1]

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal about giving up cable a week or so ago. It was interesting to read because I didn't realize how popular this was. There are gadgets that make it easier to use the keyboard and if you buy an antennae you can get all of the HDTV channels free to your television - and those are small these days. I haven't gotten one to try yet, but apparently you can grab one at Big Lots for less than $20.

Here's the article: Cutting the Cord on Cable - WSJ.com

[Louidam1]

I always thought about cutting off my cable but I love watching tv. I don't know what my family and I would do without it.

[Happy2BeHome]

We haven't had TV for over a month now and we haven't really missed it. We have Netflix and watch things online. It's a huge savings and so far we are happy with our decision!

[Flourish]

These days all you really need is Netflix, and Hulu. It just costs too much money to pay for cable/satellite TV. You end up paying for way too many channels that you never watch.

It's easy to survive with nothing but the basic channels CBS, NBC, FOX, ect...

[MsKatrina]

It was less of ditching cable and more along the lines of could not afford it in the first place.

Every time I think about getting cable, I just look at the prices and cringe.

If I could get DSL, I wouldn't even pay for my overpriced cable internet.

But I am saving a tons of money by not having cable.

I watch most things online, either either via Hulu or via the channels site directly (because Hulu won't play on my shiney new Blackberry Playbook).

I have not even invested in Hulu Plus or Netflix...I just exercise patience until the episode becomes available.

I even ditched my phone bill by having a MagicJack for the house and a prepaid cell phone for on the go!

[matt mortenson]

Yes for sure! With the internet nobody really needs tv anymore.

[simpleliving]

Originally Posted by queen

I read a Yahoo article about getting rid of your cable bill so I finally took the leap a few months ago and cancelled Directv. That saved me over $100/month. My kids (and I have 5 kids - ages 11, 9, 7, 5, 2) had a panic but they're ok!

I watch TV on hulu.com and other network websites. Most networks post their shows next day. One of my favorite shows House is on Fox and they post 8 days after the air date (and of course, local channels are free anyway - you just may need to buy a digital converter). Other than that, I am able to watch my cable TV shows the day after they air.

I subscribed to Netflix for the movies -- it's only $8+ per month. We enjoy watching the instant movies on our computer. We have a Wii that you can apparently use to hook up your PC/netbook to your TV but I haven't tried that out yet.

We have a desktop and a couple netbooks and 1 laptop so it works for us. Best of all, my kids are reading more and have more imaginative play. It was all around a good decision for us.

Sounds like a pretty good plan as I try to totally simplify my living arrangments. Many thanks! Joe Hoye

[annwe]

and it has worked for us. You can view just about anything on the internet & Netflix is a better deal than cable. We have not missed it at all - if we want to watch anything, we do it when we want & view what we want on the internet.

[MyKat]

I think it has been more than a year already since we gave cable tv up and no one in the family misses it at all.

[Ms.Billie]

Originally Posted by queen

We haven't missed it one day. Even when my husband goes over to my mother-in-laws, he finds himself watching TV on the internet instead of her TV.

I will surely have to try hooking my netbook up to the TV through our Wii. I know it can be done but haven't tackled it just yet.

You don't exactly "hook" it up to your computer, laptop or netbook. Once the Wii is connected to the tv, you download the Netflix app to one of the blocks and follow the steps that will walk you through the process of detecting your internet connection. Then you will have to go to your netflix account to get the code to enter into the Wii system so that it can connect to your account. Get that done and you will be streaming from your tv in minutes. The Wii, however, is still connected to your tv...not the computer. Hope that helps. Give it a try...you won't regret it.