$180/mo cable bill - no wonder so many folks are going BK!

[JackBondLove]

An interesting article on how to negotiate down one's cable bill.

http://gizmodo.com/5715428/how-to-talk-your-way-into-a-cheaper-cable-bill?skyline=true&s=i

It says that some folks' bill is $180/mo? Geez, even when I had cable TV AND internet cable, my total bill was only about $60/mo. Of course, the internet is absolutely necessary , and I could see the benefit of basic cable (although sites like channelsurfing & justin.tv all but obviate the need these days ), but after that, how much TV past that can folks watch? Folks that want movies can get NetFlix for what, $20/mo?

[shark66]

Where I am, there is NO competition of any kind when it comes to this type of service.

One cable company. Period.

One phone company.

One electric company, although that's about to change...to a degree...

Want Internet? Cable. Or a dial-up. Or a T-1 if you've got money to burn...

My cable + high-speed Internet bill is something like $130 a month...

[free2breathe]

Our cable bill just went up by almost $25. I called the company, the girl asked me if this was something I was just having a hard time paying now, or if I'd never want to pay that much. I heard an inflection in her voice that led me to believe she was trying to hint at something. So, I answered, "Having trouble right now." She said that because of the economy, they were authorized to repeat our initial cost for the first year and extend it for one year. Glad I called!

We do have Netflix, and if you don't opt to have the dvd's sent to your home (some of the newer movies are only on dvd), then it's $7.99 per month. With dvd delivery it's only $9.99.

[crabcakes]

I always ask my cable company for any new promotions. I always get it for six months. But I see to it that I call them before my promotion ends. I also downgraded. I do not need 300 or more channels. I have my telephone, cable and internet with my cable company. I pay $100 a month if I do not call overseas and $105.00 the most.

[jetsfan2010]

I cut the cable a month ago...just keeping high speed internet...dont miss it at all

[clevelandmom]

My cable bill is about $60/month and our cable company has monopolized the market too. Unfortunately, I'm addicated to the "can't take your eyes off the train wreck" real housewives shows, so I'm stuck. LOL (Beverly Hills chicks are NUTS!!!)

[2011]

I continually play them all against each other... one year bundle promotion with Company A... when that runs out, I ask if anymore deals.... if they say no, I cut off service, I wait 2 weeks, they usually call with a "Please come back offer"... if they dont, I call Company B... rinse & repeat... by that time Company A is looking at me like a new customer & is willing to give me that bundle promotion again....

[mtngirl47]

I read recently that in France people pay about $33 per month for cable, high speed internet, and phone combined!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/op...21Benkler.html

[DYLAN150]

my cable, telephone and internet combined at 220 a month. My cell is only 20 for emergency calls only.

[momofthree]

We canceled our cable and got Netflix instead. People always look at me like I'm a complete crazy when I say we don't have cable TV or cell phones. lol. We can't afford them.

[chicagoannie]

We canceled our cable and got Netflix instead. People always look at me like I'm a complete crazy when I say we don't have cable TV or cell phones. lol. We can't afford them.

Same here. Except we don't even Netflix!

[Logan]

We canceled our cable and got Netflix instead. People always look at me like I'm a complete crazy when I say we don't have cable TV or cell phones. lol. We can't afford them.

I can afford cable but I cancelled it a while back. I use HULU, ($7.99), Netflix (11.99) and Playon ($20 for the year). We get all the tv we need and since I already had Netflix my only extra costs are Hulu and Playon. I'm saving $68 a month.

Logan

[WhatMoney]

There is no reason to pay for cable TV if you live within 30 miles of an urban area. High speed Internet connections are more of a problem if you are really rural, but any city over 5,000 probably has ISP/DSL that offer some form of cheap high speed (enough to stream movies) connection.

As I've mentioned before, I pay $30/mo total for my high speed Internet, broadcast TV and telephone. Cable TV, other than the most basic in rural areas, should not be allowed as a claimable expense for BK.

[BKlooker]

Keep in mind it depends on where you live and what setup you have. My cable, internet, and phone (collective bill) is about $200 even each month. Included in that is the rental fee for the modem and the 2 cable boxes. Here in Baltimore, that's about normal, if not on the light side. I have "standard" cable, plus HBO (they throw in showtime and encore for free with my package). If you take away the landline, it's about $165 month. I need high speed internet for my job (i am a web developer).

So I don't think it's always fair to say some types of cable should or shouldn't be allowed in BK...some people have complicated issues, and here in the city, no matter what you get (cable, FIOS, DSL), if you got the triple package, there is no way you are coming in under a buck thirty a month plus taxes. In Oregon, I am sure it's a different story....but not here, my friend.

[bcohen]

I am proud to be CABLE-FREE! We do not waste money on cable television (since the antenna works fine) and don't own a cell-phone (since our home phone works fine). Just for telephone and internet, we pay $55-70 a month, depending on usage.

I quit paying on my cell-phone long ago when my income decreased, and it charged off in 2008. It will be one of the many debts that I hope to discharge when I file for bankruptcy next year.