Cutting the Cord: How to do it the Right Way

More and more households are cutting the cord and streaming their favorite TV shows. Some people are still cable TV fans, but most people like the freedom and lower costs of streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu.

If you’re one of the millions who are looking to cut the cord and make the switch, navigating how to end your cable relationship is easier said than done. It’s not always clear whether you can save money by switching to streaming or staying with a traditional cable plan. There are too many options, and not every streaming platform has all the TV channels that you want. Some cable TV programming packages, such as Spectrum, have reasonable prices.

You still have to pay for the internet.

If you’re looking to cut costs by cutting the cord and switching to streaming, don’t forget to factor in the price of the internet in your calculations. Cutting the cord is great and can initially save you money, but you still need to pay for the internet and sometimes you need to go for a faster internet package to handle streaming.

There are different internet packages available at different speeds. It can get overwhelming to look at all the different options and you’re probably wondering which is the best for your situation. Before you choose a package, make sure that you research the speed requirements for your chosen streaming platform. For example, Netflix requires download speeds between 5 Mbps and 25 Mbps for quality service. To stream on more than one device at a time, you will need faster speeds.

Once you know what speed you need, go to your local providers and research what packages they’re offering. Find the internet speed that you need for a price that you can afford.

Cost of adding multiple streaming platforms

You can add as many streaming services to your collection as you want, but the more you add, the less likely it is that you are saving money by cutting the cord. Some households can live with only Netflix, while others have more diverse interests and end up subscribing to three or four services.

What is the real cost of multiple streaming services?

• One parent likes sports and subscribes to Hulu’s Live TV plan for $54.99 a month.
• The other parent likes binge watching Netflix originals, which costs $12.99 a month for the two-screen plan.
• The kids enjoy watching cartoons on Disney+, which costs $6.99 a month.
• The entire family watches HBO movies together, which costs $14.99 a month.
• Every month, the family’s bill is $89.96. This doesn’t include the price of their internet.

Your options

Before you can determine whether cutting cable is for you and whether it will save you money, you need to make a list of all the shows you enjoy and can’t live without. Do research on which streaming services offer those channels and shows and how much it costs to watch them.

Most streaming services don’t have contracts, so you can always try them out and cancel if they don’t work. You can watch Hulu with Live TV for a month and then switch to YouTube TV for the next month and compare.

If you’re not much of a TV person, you can also check out Netflix’s DVD-by-mail plans. The premier plan offers unlimited rentals with two discs at a time for $14.99 a month.

Conclusion

Cutting the cord can save you hundreds of dollars a year, which makes it the perfect choice for households who don’t watch a lot of TV or don’t need a lot of channels. For larger families with diverse interests, keeping your cable subscription is likely better because it saves you the expense of signing up for multiple streaming services at one time.

In the end, the right choice depends on your preferences and how you think you plan to use the service you choose.