Streaming & Bundle Choices
For decades, the cable and internet bundle was the default choice for American households. Combining your television, internet, and sometimes a home phone line into one package often came with a discount. Today, that logic is not always sound. It’s essential to evaluate whether a bundle is truly saving you money or just locking you into expensive services you no longer need.
The biggest component to reconsider is the traditional cable TV package. Many people find they only watch a handful of the hundreds of channels they pay for. Take a moment to list the specific shows and channels your family truly values. Is it live sports, local news, or a few premium channels? An internet-only plan from your provider, combined with one or two lower-cost streaming services, might provide everything you need for a fraction of the cost of a full cable bundle.
If you decide to “cut the cord,” you can adopt several frugal strategies for streaming. Instead of subscribing to five different services year-round, try rotating them. Subscribe to one service for a month or two to watch a specific series, then cancel it and switch to another. This prevents subscription fatigue and keeps costs low. Additionally, most major streaming platforms now offer cheaper, ad-supported tiers. Watching a few minutes of commercials can often cut the monthly subscription price in half, a tradeoff many find well worth the savings.
That said, sometimes a bundle can still be the right choice, especially if you have an older, deeply discounted package or if you genuinely use all the included services. When negotiating, ask about smaller, more tailored TV packages. Instead of the all-or-nothing approach, many providers now offer “skinny bundles” with just local channels and a handful of popular networks. This can be a good middle ground between a full cable package and a streaming-only setup.
The most important thing is to do the math. Calculate the total cost of your current bundle. Then, price out an internet-only plan and add the cost of the one or two streaming services you would actually use. Compare the two totals. Often, unbundling can lead to substantial savings, giving you more control over your media consumption and your budget.
