I haven’t had a subscription to cable television in years. Can you imagine? No DVR, no on-demand, no television news coverage, no all-new season premieres. While it may seem like cutting the cable cord would set a person back to the Stone Age, I believe that it’s not only possible to stay current without cable, it can also be beneficial.

I used to be one of those people who couldn’t imagine a life without cable. The very thought of having no cable programming seemed like a crime against humanity. However, when I moved out on my own and had to start paying my own bills, I soon realized paying for cable was something I didn’t want to budget for.

In a world where everyone wants their entertainment to bend around their commitments, cable television is one solution that does not cater to the socially active. Unless you pay extra to have a DVR to record your favorite shows and movies, you are stuck watching whatever programmers want to offer you, at whatever time they see fit. On top of all the costs required to receive your desired content, you are also agreeing to be bombarded with paid advertisements which repeatedly cut into the time slot of a program in an effort to sell you something you may not need.

I guess some people are able to overlook these nuisances in order to enjoy their favorite programs right when they come out, but over the years of not having cable, I have found the lack of advertising to be one of many benefits to stopping my cable subscription. The biggest benefit to cutting the cord is obvious – the significant amount of money that can be saved. You can use that money to go out to eat with a friend or loved one, take a vacation, or fund a new hobby. Sometimes, I go out and buy a few used DVDs, which may cover whole seasons of the programs I missed. They are advertisement-free and sometimes contain exclusive content that could not be broadcast due to time constraints or content maturity.

I also find myself listening to a lot more music since I cut the cord. Music has always been a huge part of my life, but after I stopped my cable subscription, music has taken over that space where background noise used to be. Sometimes, I will even put on an album and just lay on my couch, close my eyes and listen to it. No advertisers, no over-dramatization — just my thoughts, the music and me.

When I really need to watch cable TV, there are plenty of services interested in my business. Netflix is a huge thorn in cable’s side right now because they offer a lot of the movies and a few popular cable shows available on television. Their offerings can be streamed and stopped at any point in time and new offerings are always being added. The content is also commercial-free and an entire TV series can be “binge watched’ or watched in one sitting if the viewer desires. I personally chose the “streaming only” option, which costs a whopping $7.95 per month. The fact that I can watch what I want to watch, on my schedule makes it possible to be social without feeling like I am losing out on getting my money’s worth.

For those more interested in television programming than films, a streaming service similar to Netflix called Hulu is very heavy on popular cable television content and when combined with Netflix — the two offer almost the entire spectrum available to cable subscribers at a much more cost effective price of around $15 per month.

After cutting the cord, you soon realize a lot of those TV shows that the networks try to convince us are “must watch” really aren’t that big of a deal when we are given an option on whether or not to watch them.

One thing I still haven’t figured out quite yet, is how to legally watch my favorite sports online. With a little bit of effort, it’s possible to find ways to illegally watch sports online, but the networks who pay “mucho dinero” to get those games broadcast on their stations aren’t jumping with joy about having that content available online. However, there are little trickles here and there that the idea is changing.

For instance, this year NBC streamed all the Sunday Night Football games online for free from it’s website (with a bunch of different camera angles for online viewers to watch the action however they want and for the first time, all of the playoff games were available online as well. I also believe there is an app released each year for the NCAA March Madness each year to allow viewers to watch the games for free. However, I think in order to watch the NFL playoffs, proof of an existing cable subscription was required.

This year, I caught a lot of my team’s — the New Orleans Saints — games on satellite radio. I enjoyed hearing the sports analysts describe the action as it unfolded. When you listen to sports commentators dedicated specifically to following one team, as opposed to the TV commentators who try to be indifferent to both teams, I have found you get more in-depth analysis of your team during the game, the players during practice and other information that the TV commentators just don’t have.

I think as the years go along, more and more people will be joining me in cutting ties with cable television. There are simply too many other options with lower costs that cater to society’s changing interests.



