Should You Cut the Cable Cord?

Helping the Money Guy Show family save money is kind of our thing, and that includes cost-saving tips on regular day-to-day expenses.

Many people have opted to cancel cable to save money and get a more personalized viewing experience thanks to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video. And let’s be honest, most of us have had a frustrating experience dealing with our cable companies. It’s almost like you have to pysch yourself up to call them because you know you’re going to get routed to three different people, all of whom can’t solve your problem, before you finally get the “manager” who isn’t particularly helpful either.

Cable is expensive, and the customer service takes the cake for being one of the worst industries. So, do we really need to pay exorbitant prices and accept bad service to watch the shows we love? We say nay and share why in this week’s short episode.

Brian did extensive research about which solutions offer the best alternative to cable. Tune in to this week’s episode to find out how you can cut the cord without sacrificing your favorite shows. Here’s a quick rundown of his findings and how he went from paying $135 a month to $40 for television programming:

• DirectTV Now: $35-$70/month; no DVR option
• Hulu: $39.99 -pretty good; does offer DVR and competitive package; interface not as slick as YouTube TV
• Sling TV: $20 – $40/month; no DVR option; live only
• YouTube TV: $40/month (Brian’s favorite)
  • Pros
    • Great interface
    • Get all your local channels
    • You still get sports
    • Unlimited DVR
  • Cons
    • No HGTV
    • Can’t fast-forward commercials with on-demand service
    • Commercials play at 2-3x the audio volume (very annoying; almost criminal)
    • You need hardware to use the application if your TV doesn’t have the built-in apps, but Roku Stick Plus is a great solution

Additional resources mentioned in this episode:

• cordcuttingreport.com
• tomsguide.com

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