Pros and Cons to Getting Rid of Cable TV

Looking to cut costs? You may be evaluating your monthly bills and expenses and wondering where the best place to cut spending is. Maybe you eat out less or vow to not buy new clothing for several months. As you begin to crunch the numbers, cutting cable may seem like the best option.

While many people are doing exactly this, and claiming they don’t miss cable, it’s best to still weigh the pros and cons before cutting the cord.

Pros of Getting Rid of Cable

Cable Costs A lot

Cable is expensive, and the cost only seems to be rising. With monthly bills costing north of $150, many people are giving up the ability to channel surf for more money in their pocket. Many people combine their Internet and cable bill to save money but cutting cable and opting for a few streaming services is still more cost effective.

There are Cheaper Options

As of when this article was written, subscriptions to Hulu, Netflix, and HBO, will cost you a total of $30 a month. Each service offers multiple plans and different prices so you can choose which works best for you. You can also cancel whenever you’d like, no fighting with a service provider on the phone required.

Cable Can be Difficult to Use

You don’t realize what a luxury it is to search for the exact show you’re looking for is until you can’t. Channel guides can be tedious and glitchy and you often have to buy additional channels in addition to the $100+ you’re already paying per month. With streaming you can watch what you want when you want.

Cons of Getting Rid of Cable

While of all of that sounds well and good, there are still a few cons to consider before you call your cable provider to cancel.

Where do you Watch All Your Shows?

With cable, you have access to all your shows and channels in one place. You can hop from Fixer Upper on HGTV to Family Guy on Comedy Central with ease. With streaming services, you need to know what service offers what TV shows, so you know where to go looking when there is a new episode.

Several Tiny Bills

You’ll ultimately end up subscribing to several streaming services to be able to watch your favorite shows. With this comes several small bills being charged to your credit card at different times throughout the month. It can be challenging to stay on top of the numerous bills, although you can set them to auto pay. Just be sure to check your bank account regularly!

A Delay in Programming

Hulu’s big appeal is that it offers subscribers episodes of TV shows that are currently airing. The downside is that many of these episodes are available 12-24 hours after they air live on national television. You can pay more for a live TV function, but it’s a significant amount of money and we’re trying to save here. If you can be patient and avoid spoilers about that crazy season finale, you’ll be okay.

Streaming vs Cable

Ultimately it is your decision whether you want to keep cable or cut the cord. At Shaker Run we provide residents with cable and internet-ready apartments so you’re ready for whichever route you decide to go.

Schedule a tour with us today, we can’t wait to show you around!