Cut the Cord: Alternatives to Cable

It took me years to convince Greg to quit cable when he lived by himself in SE Texas. In the end, he only did it because he was nearly ready to move back with me. I had failed in my mission to get him to cut out that outrageous expense, but I did manage to convince him not to restart it at the new house.

We make do with other means to get our television fix.

Currently, we use Hulu and Amazon Prime. Although we don't live in the best area for streaming, we still get reliable service. On nights when the internet refuses to cooperate we switch to our library of dvds.



I read a post on a frugal blog where the blogger shamed people for creating dvd libraries. The blogger thought this was most un-frugal behavior. Apparently, he doesn't live in the boonies like we do.

If we lived closer to a library, we'd borrow movies, but since we don't, we've built up quite a collection from garage sales, each dvd costing a dollar or less. That's less than the cost for streaming it, plus we get to keep it or resell it if we get tired of it.

There are many movies we re-watch regularly. Harry Potter movies, Lord of the Rings, any of the Marvel or DC movies, and the classics from the 40s and 50s.

If you're willing to give it a try, you can save a LOT of money by cutting cable. Here are a few options to try.

• Amazon Prime  (under $100 a year) Plus it has free shipping and other perks. Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
• Netflix  (under $100 a year)
• Hulu  (under $100 a year)
• your local library--FREE
• DVD collection from garage sales, or trade with your friends!
• Youtube: $12 a month, but some videos are free.

Bonus: Borrow and trade movies with your friends.

What movies would you watch over and over again? Do you have a DVD library?