Cutting The Cord: Pat’s Ultimate Guide [BLOG]

Last year, we decided to get rid of cable/satellite TV. Here's everything we've learned in the past 12 months.

1) JUST DO IT! Don't get angry; that had nothing to do with Nike. 

The biggest hurdle was making the phone call to disconnect our service, return the equipment and try something new. I won't tell you the white lie that I used on the customer service rep, but they WILL do EVERYTHING to keep you as a customer, so you may have to stick to your guns.

2) Prioritize your television viewing

You'll probably be worried about some of your favorite shows, and whether or not you'll have access to them. What we have found is that a lot of our "must-watch" shows were nothing of the sort. If you have a list of shows that you follow faithfully, figure out where they stream and when.

EXAMPLE: Showtime's Shameless. You can watch every episode, including the new ones, instantly if you subscribe to Showtime Anytime. Or, if you don't need to be up-to-date, past seasons show up on Netflix. Again, your preference.

3) Feel free to subscribe and unsubscribe as you please

We started to figure out that certain streaming services are not needed year-round; only when a certain show or sport is on. One of the HUGE perks of cutting the cord is having NO contract. Most streaming apps offer a month-by-month plan, which means you can turn on HBO Now when Game Of Thrones is on, and cancel it when the series is done for the season.

4) Yes, you need the internet, but don't worry

Honestly, I've always thought that our internet was shady at best, but the price is consistent for us. One of our biggest concerns was whether or not we'd have the bandwidth for multiple streaming devices. Guess what? We do!

Overall, our basic internet package does the job for three-to-four streaming devices at a time. Might you need to improve your plan? Maybe. But don't do it BEFORE you cut the cord - you'll find out eventually.

5) Over-the-air TV is awesome

I worked at Sears, selling TVs back in the early 2000s when HD was all the rage. People would come back in and say, "It doesn't like HD to me." We had to remind them to give the TV something in HD to show - HD packages were barely available back then.

GET AN HD ANTENNA! Do your research; they don't have to be expensive, but not all are created equal. Ours cost under $50. But I bet you'll be amazed at the sheer video quality of over-the-air network TV. Sports, especially. We always watch the Super Bowl on our HD antenna for a reason.

Plus, there are all types of sub-channels with tons of entertainment.

*************************************************************

There ain't nothin' to it, but to do it! My grandpa used to say that, and it's true. We're saving $150 or more per month since we cut the cord; there's a lot less mindless TV watching and more purposeful viewing.

In short, if you've thought about it, JUST DO IT!