10 Best Tips to Bundle TV and Internet to Save Money on Bills
Saving money is all the rage. “Bundling” is the new buzz word. But…what’s a “bundle?” A bundle is what you make when you combine your TV, internet and phone bills to save time and money.
You can use that time to dream of all the places you could travel with all the money you will save on television and Internet bills! When did these bills start to look like mortgage payments? Fear not. Here are 10 easy steps to bundle your TV, Internet and phone bill together.
1. The first, and most obvious, step is to group, or bundle, all your services together. Try to order your mobile telephone, landline telephone, TV services and Internet connection from the same service provider.
2. The second no-brainer is to cancel all your extras. Give your cable bill a quick once over. Are you paying extra for HD programming, a DVR or premium channels? Downsizing to basic cable could cut you bill in half!
3. Get FREE Internet! Free? Yes, free. The local library is FREE for everyone, and offers free use of their computers with Internet service. They also offer free movie rentals. Just sayin…
4. How about a tablet TV? You can trade your television bills for a tablet with WiFi access for about $500. Then, you have NO cable bill at all.
5. Say ta ta to your TV. There is a fairly painless way to give up your television addiction, and the bill that comes with it, without sacrificing your priceless pop culture trivia knowledge. Identify your top TV shows and find legal ways to watch them. Seasons of sitcoms, and made-for-TV movies, are available for free on network Web sites and low cost subscription Internet sites like Hulu.com.
6. Be “The Negotiator!” Call your cable company to see if you *still* have the best rate. I started paying $119 the first year, but was quickly jacked up to $139 the next. By year five, my bill said it was going to be raised to $169! I called my television provider to cancel, and was told I had been paying more than many others…FOR YEARS. My rate stayed at $139…and I got MORE CHANNELS! Many times, when you call your cable company, you’ll be offered a promotional rate that can cut your cable bill by one-third for three to six months or more.
7. Consider switching cable providers completely. It’s tough to tell what your actual bill will be, after taxes and fees. Ask for a sample bill, to try before you buy into a bundle!
8. Know what you like for TV channels? Consider the ala cart menu! It’s our knee jerk
reaction to order the pre-set items on any menu, food or television. Yet, the “have it your way” mentality can mean big savings on your TV bill. Consider canceling your television services and try paying for each television show or movie à la carte.
9. This is not for the weak of mind, but… a digital vacation always results in saving money on internet subscriptions. You might simply start with a scheduled break. See how it goes and you may schedule them quarterly!
10. One fail safe way to lower your Internet bill is to cancel your Internet service completely. I do NOT mean to go off the grid, God forbid. I simply suggest you try local wifi. Most coffee shops, libraries and airports, many hotel lobbies and some restaurants offer free WiFi. It’s easy to locate a WiFi hotspot near you by searching internet directories, such as WiFi Free Spot or Open WiFi Spots.
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