How to Get the Cheapest Cable TV

I recently moved into my own place. Because I needed everything, cable was not in my budget. However, I have paid off a few bills, and I can now afford a moderately priced plan while still putting some money into my savings account. At the recommendation of a family member, I called the local cable company (while most towns have two or even three cable companies, my area offers only one) and ordered what I wanted. Imagine my surprise when they told my that my connection fee would be a hundred and ten dollars and that the plan I had selected ( seventy channels, nothing digital, no bells or whistles, advertised for fifty dollars) would cost me seventy dollars a month. I hung up the phone and then tried to figure in my head how a fifty dollar plan could possibly add up to seventy dollars a month. Even with the high tax rate we pay here, it didn't add up.

Here are a few suggestions for getting the best possible price for what you need.

1. Just because a plan offers all of the bells and whistles, it doesn't mean you have to get them. Before signing a contract or making an installation appointment, decide what you are going to actually need. If you won't watch thirty sports channels or listen to cable radio, than you might not need two hundred and fifty channels. Why spend the money if you won't use it?

2. Shop around. Look for the best deals. Select a price range and stick to it. I knew I didn't want to spend more than sixty dollars a month. After I got off the phone with the cable company, I quickly looked on-line at a few dish places. I found a plan which offered twice the channels, free equipment/installation, and a free DVR equipment upgrade. I added DVR service, and my plan is still only fifty-six dollars a month.

3. Let the companies know you are comparison shopping. When I canceled my cable installation appointment, I told them that I had found something much cheaper. They then offered me the best package they had (two hundred and fifty channels, DVR service, digital) for just forty dollars a month. (I did not accept this offer because installation was still a hundred and ten dollars, and the plan would eventually go up to the regular price.)

Cable and dish companies work for you. If you tell them what you want, most likely they will come as close as they can to giving it to you. With a little common sense you can watch all the channels on television and still have the money to buy popcorn and sodas to eat while watching.