How I Save: Cable Edition

B and I LOVE our TV shows. Like any couple, we have those special ones that we can't wait to watch together every week.  But unlike most people, we don't spring for cable. I'm not going to bore you with bylines like "we can't afford it," because it's probably about 40/30/30: "it's way too expensive" / "I hate cable companies" / "There's a better way to do it."

Our solution is simple: streaming. We pay the monthly subscription fees for Netflix and Hulu Plus (which both have apps for Bluray, Wii, Xbox, etc), for about $8 each. With a Netflix streaming account, we have access to movies and TV shows that are somewhat older or not as popular, but we still find plenty of options to interest us. And with Hulu Plus we have access to MOST currently airing TV shows, with the exception of one major cable network, which allows you to stream these shows from their website. For free. Boom.

So, I'll whip out my mental calculator real quick: we pay $16 per month for access to 1000s of movies and TV shows, including currently-airing favorites. We watch them whenever we want after the original air date. Cable companies charge between $100 and $150 per month for cable channels - after the 3 to 6 month promotional rates sky rocket again. And don't forget those extra fees.... $10 here for "HD channels,"  $10 there for your DVR, $5 every few months to see if you're paying attention to your charges...

Why would we pay $100 + per month to gain access to the same content we can get for $16 per month? 

Plus you can find plenty of special free-month trials for each.  This plan may not be for everyone, but it works for us. We may go back to cable one day for the convenience factor, but for the moment, the extra money toward debt is totally worth it.

+ $84/mo = $1008/yr toward feeding Everest.