I just saved 20% on my cable in 15 minutes. I didn’t even have to fake like I was going to quit and go through their retention department to get a discount.
Instead, I just looked at my bill and realized that I was paying for two shows that I love that I no longer need. The first is True Blood. I’ve hooked since the first season when my friend said, “It’s like Buffy, but for adults.” Well, that was a boldface lie, it wasn’t similar in any way except for having vampires, but it was great in its own way.
Unfortunately True Blood was only on HBO, and only on for 3 months of the year. I scored a promotional deal on HBO, but I ended up almost exclusively watching True Blood. I don’t think I watched anything else. I tried Game of Thrones, but I just couldn’t get into it. Even with the promotional deal that comes to an absurd amount per episode. Sookie Stackhouse is awesome, but not that awesome.
The killer is that the promotion ended and I was paying $23 a month at the end. Fortunately, the series ran its course, leaving me no reason for HBO.
Next up, is the sports package with my cable company. There’s an extra $10 for a few sports-specific channels. The only one I watched was NFL Network for the games on Thursday. Turns out that CBS bought the rights to those games and is broadcasting them on their regular network. Thus I have no need for the sports package.
Combined Savings: $33/mo.
Consider this article a reminder to check your cable bill every so often. Though I guess the best way to keep your cable bill in check is to not buy these add-on services in the first place.
While I was signed in, I realized I was still getting a promotional bundle discount for having television/internet/phone from them. I don’t use the phone service, but it’s actually cheaper to get the bundle with the phone service than to get the other two services. However, next March the promotional discount ends, and I’m sure they are going to love charging me for the phone service that I don’t use.
I put the date when it expires in my Google Calendar, so I can either eliminate the phone service or negotiate something new at that time. Perhaps it is wise to put an entry in my Google Calendar every 4 months to check my cable bill and make sure it is the best fit for our needs.
You just reminded me I need to review my cable bill! I won’t be able to get rid of HBO though, we love Game of Thrones. Though I wonder if we can put it on hold until the Spring?
It’s crazy how there’s very little competition in cable.
If you are into binge-watching and can stay away from spoilers, you could catch up on the whole season in one month. Probably sign up the month with the season finale and try to catch up to the end as it airs.