Money Saving Tip: Is Cable TV Worth the Cost?

Here's a money saving tip that will be about as popular as my posts on how much pets cost. But it's food for thought and can save you a bundle. Here goes:

Cancel your cable. How often do you flip through the channels and find nothing that piques your interest? Turn off the TV and spend some quality time with family or friends.

I have friends that spend anywhere from $40 to $90 per month on cable. Think about it -- that's $480 to $1,080 per year or $4,800 to $10,800 per decade (not counting the lost earnings if you had invested the money). Is it really worth it? Aren't there better things to do with your time and money? Do you really need to watch this much TV anyway?

Now before I get a ton of emails and comments on how I'm the "pet-hating, have-no-fun-because-I'm-saving guy", I want to say that I am NOT saying that you should cut out all the fun things (or in the case of pets meaningful companions) in life just to save money. That would make life very dull and boring -- why even be alive in that case anyway? All I'm doing is pointing out that the cost of many items is much more than people think, and that you need to take this into account as you decide what to spend and where.

So if you choose to spend on cable TV, that's fine. That's a choice. The problem comes when you spend on cable TV, have 5 pets, smoke like a fiend, need a weekly manicure, can't live without a new car every three years, buy a new set of clothes for every new season, and on and on. That's not a choice -- that's spending like crazy and is, unfortunately, how many Americans live their lives.

Comments

[Hazzard]

Ahhh yes. Moderation. I think one of the most important things I've discovered in life is that everything is best in moderation.

My daily struggle is finding that life balance. Save everything for a point in time in the future that might never come? Or be responsible, save a reasonable amount, and spend a reasonable amount. If you have to err on one side or the other, I'd definitely say err on the side of saving too much, but don't ruin your life by taking it to the extreme. Good post.

By the way. I'd give up cable TV in a heartbeat (except that my wife wants the basic channels. No premium channels though), but I'd never give up my high speed internet connection through cable.

http://elym.blogspot.com

[Frugal Momma]

Great post! No I don't need cable but we have it. It our form of cheap entertainment and basically we would get snow without it. Personal finance is personal but if you have the give mes for everything you will never dig out of the financial hole that you are in.

[Mark]

Cable TV is not worth it the cost.

[Bobby McLovingDunkings]

Yeah it's not worth it, play with your five dogs!