How to Save on Cable and Internet
Do you want to save money on your cable or internet bill? Well you have come to the right place! I have put together several tips an tricks to help you save money on your cable and internet bills.
My Experience
So the other day I was going through my bills and noticed my bill for the internet had increased $20 a month…5 months ago! Pay attention to your bills people. Don’t be like me. I should have fixed this 5 months ago. That was $100 down the drain. Anyways, I called up Grande Communications, my internet provider, and asked them why my bill increased. Apparently the “promotion” I had been on expired. How I was on this promotion for 4 years is beyond me. So I asked them if there was another promotion I could get on. There was but it would only reduce my bill $5, what the? That doesn’t seem fair. So I told them I would think about it and asked if there was anything else I could do to reduce my bill.
Low and Behold! There was!
Apparently I had been renting a modem from Grande for the past 4 years for $13.99 per month. So over the past 4 years, I have paid grande $671.52 for a dinky little $150 modem. UGH. DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THAT IS A SCAM???
Guess what, you don’t have to rent a modem from them, you can buy your own and use it! I had no idea, but thankfully the customer service rep was kind enough to point that out so I wouldn’t be ripped off for the next 4 years. So she gave me the specs of the modem I needed. I am getting 300Megabite internet service, and the modem specs I need are:
Docsis 3.0
and at least 16×8 channel bandwidth
Easy enough. I hopped on over to the internet and started searching for a modem to buy to replace the one I had been renting. Most of the new ones were $100, so I checked ebay, and score! I found a used one in good condition for only $28 (including shipping). Woohoo! You can find similar modems on amazon too. Click here to find a modem for your internet.
Now all I have to do is switch out the modems, dump the old one off at Grande Communications, and voila, no more $13.99 modem rental charge on my bill.
So I called them back and told them my plan and asked if I could also switch to the promotion that was $5 less than my current price and they said sure and they even bumped up my service to 300Mbps instead of 100Mbps. Wow, I feel special.
The moral of the story is:
- Always call the utility company as soon as you see an increase in your bill.
- PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BILLS!
- Never rent a modem from the cable company because you can buy one yourself (if they will let you).
So What about Me?
Well that’s all fine and dandy but I bet you are wondering how YOU can save on your cable and internet bill. Listen up and learn…
Cable TV Options
Cable
Traditional cable tv is going to be your most expensive option most of the time. You may be able to snag a deal on a cable, telephone and internet bundle, but after the trial period is over, your going to be stuck with a high cable bill.
Satellite
Satellite TV is going to cost you about as much as cable tv. Satellite providers such as Direct TV offer very cheap introductory rates, sometimes as low as $29 per month. However, after the promotion period is over, you will be paying over $100 per month for the cable services. Satellite channels differ from cable channels. They may not have as many local channels, but they do have more international channels, and more channel offerings overall. Satellite is affected by the weather while cable is not. Satellite also usually requires a contract, unlike cable which you can cancel at anytime. The two Satellite providers in the US are Direct TV and Dish. 12 FREE PayPerView Movies from DISH
Sling TV
Probably the best cheapest option at this time is Sling TV. It costs $25 per month for the basic plan which has about 30-40 channels depending on your selections. Or there is a premium plan with more channels for $40 per month. Sling is a streaming tv service that is watched over the internet. So if you have internet service you can watch it through a variety of devices, such as LG smart tv’s, the Roku stick, AirTV Player, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and the Xbox One. Sing also has a DVR service for $5/mo.
Philo
Named after the electric tube television inventor, Philo Farnsworth, Philo is a similar streaming TV service to Sling, but it is only $20 per month. Philo is cheaper because it doesn’t offer and sports channels. So if you don’t watch sports, Philo would be a good option. It also comes with several channels that other streaming tv services don’t provide, such at nick, MTV, and Comedy Central. Live and On-Demand TV on Philo!
Roku
The Roku stick is a device that allows you to watch many cable tv channels worldwide through your internet. You can also watch other streaming services through the Roku stick such as Sling TV. See all Roku Players
Streaming Movie & TV Show Services
There are several streaming Movie & TV services that are also available. These do not have live channels, but you can pick your movies and tv shows to watch individually.
Hulu
Hulu has several plans, anywhere from $5.99 to $11.99. They also have a live streaming tv service for $44.99. Hulu
Netflix
Netflix is the popular streaming service that offers TV shows, Movies, original TV shows and Netflix original movies. They have 3 different plans at 8.99, 11.99 and 15.99 per month.
Amazon Instant Video
Amazon instant video is a similar streaming service to Netflix and Hulu. It comes free with Amazon Prime, which is $119 per year. So if you already have Amazon Prime, you can get this for free! The best thing I like about Amazon Instant Video is that it comes with the Nickelodeon shows, which many other streaming services don’t have.
PlayStation Vue
This is a live tv streaming service that is available through the playstation. It comes with 3 different tiers of channels at $44.99 per month, $49.99 per month, and $59.99 per month, and $79.99 per month.
YouTube
You can watch all kinds of stuff on YouTube. Whether it be music videos, original content, tv shows, or movies. TV Shows and movies cost extra in some cases, but all other content is free (with ads of course). YouTubers are funded by ads placed on their content. YouTube monetization is a way for amateur actors, personalities, and other YouTube channels to make money from their videos. Anyone can create a YouTube channel. It is a great place to find unique and creative content that is very entertaining.
Vudu
Vudu is a streaming movie service. It has free movies (yay!), movies you can rent (yay!) and you can even purchase movies (yay! yay! yay!). I love movies, can you tell? What’s cool about Vudu movies is that when you buy them, they are saved to your account so you can watch them anytime! It’s so cool. They never go away. I have a growing collection on my Vudu account of movies that I love. Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes home to VUDU 4/1/16. Watch it now!
Local Channels
You can get several channels for free with an HD Antenna. To see what channels you can get, check out Tablo TV to find out what channels are available in your zip code.
Indoor or Outdoor HD antenna
You can purchase an indoor or outdoor HD antenna for your tv. Outdoor antenna’s are going to be more powerful and are able to pick up more channels than indoor antennas. However if you live in an apartment indoor HD antenna’s will be the best choice. With HD antenna’s you’re not going to get any premium cable channels like Disney, or MTV, but you will have access to basic local channels.
Internet
Your best bet for finding the fastest and cheapest internet provider is to just shop around and compare offers in your area. Every location is going to have different companies and offers. You can check the providers and offers in you area at Broadbandnow.com.
Types of Internet
Fiber & Cable
Fiber and cable internet is going to be the fastest choice of internet. You will be able to download at speeds of 1000 Megabytes per second.
DSL
DSL is offered by AT&T and allows for much slower download speeds at around 18 Mbps.
Wireless
Wireless internet is available for more rural areas. It has download speeds of up to 30 Mbps.
Satellite
Satellite internet is similar to wireless internet and its availability in rural areas. It also has downloas speeds of up to 30 Mbps.
All of the different types of internet have similar price tiers around $50 to $100 per month. Many times they will offer promotions that last 12 months at a lower price. After the promotion is up, you will be charges full price for the internet service. If this happens, you can always try to call, like I did, and see if they can give you a better deal. Also, don’t forget to find out if you can use your own modem instead of renting a modem from the internet provider. Modems can be found in good condition on eBay for less than $100. I was able to find the perfect modem for $28!
Conclusion
Hopefully I have helped you figure out how to save some money on your cable and internet bill. Whatever program or plans you choose, remember to keep an eye on your bill to make sure your price doesn’t increase. If it does, give the provider a call and find out why. It could save you some money! Also, don’t be afraid to shop around or switch providers. Most cable and internet plans don’t require a contract so you are free to leave at any time.
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