Untying myself from cable

[OrionGrad]

DH and I have been talking about getting rid of cable for a while, but seeing our most recent bill for $200+ finally pushed me over the edge. I'm a person who LOVES tv (especially my Bravo shows), so this transition isn't going to be easy!
I figured I'd start this thread a) to keep myself accountable and stop myself from re-signing up, and b) so I'll have a place to ask for ideas about how to watch certain shows.
I'm not planning/willing to give up any of my favorite shows, so I'm sort of turning this into a challenge to see how I can get access to everything without cable. So far I've switched from having the Today show on during breakfast to GMA (live streaming through AppleTV). Let's see if I can do this!

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I do love me some Bravo and HGTV. But usually we stream through Netflix, HBONow or Amazon Prime. If anyone could stream Bravo or HGTV, I'd quit cable entirely.

[OrionGrad]

I do love me some Bravo and HGTV. But usually we stream through Netflix, HBONow or Amazon Prime. If anyone could stream Bravo or HGTV, I'd quit cable entirely.

I can't give up those networks, either. I'm using my parents' cable login to stream those shows on my laptop or iPad. I won't be able to watch them on the big TV, but our desktop screen is large enough that I think I'll be OK. I might have to wait until the next morning to watch some shows, too, but that's not a problem since I usually DVR everything anyway.

[Thirteen]

We cut the cord before DS2 was born, and are loving it!
(From the expanded package and a DVR)
Our bill is still around $75, but that's because we went up a tier on internet speed (lots of devices).
We have Amazon instant video and Netflix. I love the fact that there are zero commercials when I watch something now - nothing to even skip or fast forward through!
I would consider picking a few of your favorite shows and purchasing the season (if possible) through Instant Video or another provider. We also have a Roku, which is great - my BIL set up his HBO Go on our TV, so we can watch if we want to (but we don't).



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[rufflesanddots]

I don't think I've paid for cable in at least 7 years. We watch shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. I am totally not up-to-date to Bravo anymore, but I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. Our internet is $45/mth which really irks me already. We've gone so long without a cable bill that I can't fathom handing over MORE money at this point. We'd also need to buy a TV.

I think the only time I missed it recently was last night during the series finale of Mad Men. I'm waiting to watch it tonight on Amazon Prime and avoiding social media in the mean time.

[oceanchild]

I won't be able to watch them on the big TV, but our desktop screen is large enough that I think I'll be OK.

Could you get a Chromecast for that? They're pretty cheap, and they work.

We pay a fortune for cable, and I don't see us giving it up any time soon. DH loves watching sports.

[MsSassyBaskets]

Netflix, hulu, Amazon prime streaming, and chromecast are all I need! Oh and the password to a friend's hbo go account!

[OrionGrad]

Could you get a Chromecast for that? They're pretty cheap, and they work.

Is that Google's version of AppleTV? Comcast prevents us from doing AirPlay (or whatever apple calls it) when you're using their app on a mobile device. I'll have to check out whether that's possible with Chromecast.

Right now DH (another sports junkie) thinks he's found ways to watch everything he likes live, using a combo of apps/services, etc. I'll have to keep you posted on how that ends up working out.

[oceanchild]

I... don't know? If I'm playing something in a website on Chrome, I can pretty much always cast it to the TV. It works via a button on the browser.

[WolfpackWife]

We seriously considered doing this about six months ago. Sports was the deal breaker for us (well mostly DH). I've heard rumors that ESPN will soon move to something similar to HBOgo, but until then "we" don't want to forfeit the red zone package.


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[ides]

We stopped cable about 4 years ago. We are not sports people and only had basic cable before. I do miss hgtv and the food network though some hgtv is on Netflix now. We stream Netflix and a Amazon prime. I love not having news channels and commercials.

[OrionGrad]

I sometimes like having the TV on as background noise while we get ready in the morning, so today I started streaming cnn (live) on AppleTV. This afternoon I started missing my hgtv, so I watched an episode of Flip or Flop on Netflix. I'm such a TV addict, changing all my habits isn't going to be easy.

[spotty_dog]

I confess, I don't think there even was a Bravo when we last had cable, so I don't know what shows are on there. In the past five years we have cared enough about two AMC shows to want to keep up; we bought those on iTunes. Good luck! My friend recently told me that when his girls (6 and 8) were grounded from TV for a weekend their reading minutes soared, and their sibling fighting decreased. It isn't all bad!

[gem]

I think not having cable really helps us limit screen time for the kids. We just got back from vacation at a place that had cable and DS (4) was just amazed at this magical occurrence when a new show would come on after one ended. It was a lot harder to get him to turn the TV off than when we say you can watch one episode, and when it's over it stops.

[Vishenka69]

We canceled cable 2 yrs ago and recently also got rid of Amazon Prime. Everything is streamed from various sources. We do have Roku and the Chrome stick. Kids are addicted to iPad instead of TV.

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