dumping cable

Right before I moved into my new house, I wrote about dumping Netflix. Six months later, I'm dumping cable.

I knew going in that cable would probably be a temporary pleasure. But I was getting a great deal through the cable company, so I decided to go for it. Plus, they offered a great deal on a DVR, and I'd wanted one ever since I heard about them. (The DVR didn't disappoint—in fact, it was probably my favorite aspect of having cable TV!)

Today, I got my bill for February—the first bill after the end of the six-month introductory pricing. And I about fell over dead. My bill (which included cable, internet, and DVR) jumped from $67 to $117! No way could I justify paying that much, especially since the cable was only expanded basic—no "fancy" channels. So I called the cable company to try to negotiate a better rate. (When I signed up, the lady told me they were constantly running "retention specials" to keep customers.) No such luck. The best I could do would be to sign a 1-year contract and lock in an $83 rate for my current cable channels and 30 meg internet. Who on earth needs 30 meg? Not me! (I currently have 15 meg, and I've had both 7 and 5 before with no streaming issues.)

So, I decided to keep the internet and dump the rest ... thus saving me roughly $80 per month. As soon as I got off the phone, I went to Hulu Plus and reactivated my subscription. $8 vs. $80 ... It was a no brainer. Most of the shows I currently watch are on Hulu Plus, and I rarely watch shows as they air, anyway.

So what will I miss the most (besides the DVR)? Hallmark movies and Friends*, neither of which are on Hulu Plus. (Amazon Prime & Netflix do have some of the older Hallmark movies, but I'm interested in the new ones.) The solution for Hallmark was simple: take my VCR back to my parents' house and record the Hallmark movies there, which is what I was doing pre-cable. But Friends was trickier ... until I got an email from WBshop.com this afternoon. This isn't what it said, but it might as well have:

Dear Becky,

Congratulations on saving $80 a month by dumping cable! In celebration, please use all but $2 of that savings to purchase all 10 seasons of Friends. Thank you for your business.

WBshop.com

That's right: I just bought all 10 seasons of Friends for what I'm saving by dumping cable. Think of the things I could buy with that $80 each month! (Just kidding. I'm going to save it! Most of the time ...)

I am a bit sad to see cable (and my beloved DVR) go. I now have 36 hours to watch the most important things that I've DVR'd and not watched yet. (I'm thinking Sherlock needs to move to the top of that list.) But I'm confident I'm making the right choice. There's just too much of my father in me to be OK with paying more than $120 per month for cable and internet!

Goodbye, precious DVR!

*I have a storied history with Friends. It premiered when I was in junior high, and my brother and I would sneak into our basement to watch it (and other NBC sitcoms). When my mom found out, she banned Friends. Being a (fairly) good child, I stuck to the letter of the law and didn't watch Friends anymore. However, as Mom didn't ban anything else, we continued to surreptitiously watch a myriad of other shows she wouldn't have approved of. In college, I started catching Friends episodes here and there, and that sporadic viewing continued until I got cable. Then I realized that Friends is on TV constantly, and I've recently been watching an episode or two after work each night. Even though it's a 20-year-old show (crazy!), it doesn't feel like it. And it's certainly tame compared to what's on TV today!

why i don't miss netflix

When I wrote about dumping Netflix a few months ago, I closed with the following:

As of right now, I think I'll come back to Netflix someday. But maybe I'll discover that I don't miss it much at all.

Well, I was right ... about the second sentence. I don't miss Netflix, not one bit. Here's why: for the first time in my life, I'm experiencing the wonder that is the DVR.

When I moved, I intended to just move my internet service (through CenturyLink) with me. I hadn't paid for TV since I lived with a friend in Grand Island from 2005-2006, so I planned to move my antenna that picked up five stations (on a good day) with me, as well.

That all changed when I called CenturyLink to request a transfer of services and try to negotiate a better rate. I went through the appropriate menu options and waited. And waited. And waited. After 20 minutes without reaching a live person, I hung up and dialed CenturyLink's main competitor in my town: USA Communications. In less than a minute, I was speaking with a customer service rep, and I learned that, for approximately what I was paying for internet through CenturyLink, I could get internet, cable, and a DVR. These prices are the introductory 6-month prices, and the rep urged me to call back when those rates are close to expiring—she said they are nearly always running retention specials for their current customers. Sold!

When I called CenturyLink to cancel—thus pushing different automated menu options—I was on the line with a customer service rep in less than two minutes. So apparently you're much more important to the company if you're wanting to leave than if you're calling for any other reason. I get it, but it's still frustrating.

My introduction to the wonderful DVR commenced the next week, and I quickly fell in love.

What I love most about the DVR is it allows me to watch TV on my schedule. (Yes, the VCR I had hooked up to my parents' cable TV did this too, but the DVR is simpler and doesn't require tapes.) Rarely do I stay up late watching something—I can always record it! And if I have two shows on during the same timeslot? I can either record one and watch the other live, or I can record both and watch them later. This saved me last Tuesday, when NCIS (a show you know I'm obsessed with!) and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered at the same time, and I had a meeting at work. With the VCR, I would have had to choose the more important of the two (and NCIS would have won with no question), but thanks to the DVR, I could watch both!

Side note: The NCIS premiere was as great as I'd hoped it would be, and I can't wait for part two of Ziva's goodbye tomorrow night. S.H.I.E.L.D. was okay—I enjoyed the witty Whedon-esque dialog, but the plot didn't enthrall me. I still have it set as a series recording on my DVR, but I'm not sure if I'll keep watching.

The DVR is not essential—neither is cable, for that matter—but I'm certainly enjoying it! I realize that I've done this backwards—most people dump cable in favor of Netflix, not the other way around. But I didn't really dump Netflix for cable—the cable was just a happy, unexpected development. Seriously, though, with all of my expanded basic cable, DVR'd Hallmark and Lifetime movies, and Amazon Prime offerings, who has time to miss Netflix?

My current DVR'd programs. In between the girly movies and Lifetime movies-of-the-week, I do go for some culture. See? Henry IV!