I used to get cable, with HBO. I was sort of amazed that there was not one HBO channel, but something like 10 (!) I had it, and I watched it. Most of the TV I watched was on the premium side. I kept taking advantage of sale rates to pay less. Then I got rid of the HBO to save money - sure I liked some of the stuff I could get, but it wasn't that important. Then I moved and dropped basic cable, too. I have never been a big TV person and decided I had better things to do with my time. Kept my old tube TV and VCR (!) and DVD player to watch movies. Mom gave me an extra flat-screen recently so now I have a nice TV for $0. After a year or two here I got a subscription to my super-awesome movie place (
Facets) - for DVDs, it works exactly like Netflix, $10/month for one at a time, you can get them in the mail but they're 5 minutes from my office and 20 from home so I just stop by in person. Plus they are a theater and I get free or super-cheap admission, special monthly screenings, etc. It is a hard-core film-nerd place so their DVD/tape collection is outstanding. On top of that my girlfriend is an academic librarian and can get almost anything from her university's collection to watch. Movies are all I have any interest in using my TV for, so I'm as set as I can ever get for $120/year. I do like to watch a few cable shows like Better Call Saul and the Walking Dead, but I have a friend who hosts viewing parties or I can use her account to watch them online. I marvel at people who pay $100 / month or more for TV! I would rather read a book or something nearly all the time, so that is what I do instead. I get a ton more value out of spending $1000/year on cool trips overseas or bike parts or whatever, or just leaving it in the bank. Turn off the TV and do something else!
