Cable television is expensive but it doesn’t have to be. When most of us signed up for our cable service, we spoke with a sales representative who convinced us that we were getting the deal of the century on the 300 channels we signed up for. She made it seem like we NEEDED seven HBO channels and six Cinemax channels. And then there’s all those sports channels, cooking channels, basket weaving channels, all kinds of channels.
By signing up for these channels, you figured you were going to expand your horizons, learn so much and be constantly entertained. Then you actually got the service installed and watched the same three or four channels 90% of the time. All of those movie channels rarely show anything you feel like watching but you need HBO for The Sopranos, right? Uh, that’s no excuse anymore.
CANCEL the pay channels.
Most of us can cut our cable bills in half by merely canceling the channels that are not part of the basic package. Don’t fall for the sales pitch you’ll receive when you call to cancel. It will sound like a great deal but it’s not. It simply doesn’t make sense to pay for expensive pay channels you never watch. If a great show like The Sopranos does come along again, you can be sure that the show will be available on iTunes within days of its airing.
In New York City, the basic service plus HBO and Cinemax can cost upwards of $75 a month. If you rarely watch pay channels, it is simply not worth the price.
