AS I SURF THROUGH my streaming channels, I wonder if I’m paying too much for too much.
Do you feel overwhelmed by the choices on Netflix and similar services? Are your personal watch lists constantly expanding because a channel keeps suggesting shows you might like? Even in retirement, who has that much time to spend? Before you know it, some shows on your list have disappeared—and you’re wondering whether you’re getting your money’s worth
I still believe streaming is a bargain compared with the outrageous cable bills I once received. A year ago, I wrote about cutting the cord. Still, some of my channels are getting more expensive as they end introductory periods or simply hike their fees. Even in retirement, I don’t have enough time to finish “my lists” on Netflix, HBO Max and elsewhere before some movies end their run.
At the same time, it’s wonderful for a lifelong movie buff like me to readily access classics such as A Streetcar Named Desire without buying a DVD or borrowing one from the library. I’m also exposed to many new films and lots of new series.
I recently tallied my current monthly costs (before taxes) compared to a year ago:
HBO Max—which as of today is simply known as Max—increased because the introductory offer expired. Hulu jumped because I upgraded to remove commercials. I paused the Criterion Channel because I felt like I wasn’t watching its many classic and foreign offerings often enough.
I pay extra for YouTube so the music I listen to on my daily walks isn’t constantly interrupted by commercials. Well worth it.
As I review the total–$77.58 before taxes—it remains much cheaper than cable. Then I calculate the yearly cost: $930.96. It seems like a lot of money, but these channels remain my primary source of entertainment. I can’t recall the last film I saw in a theater. I’ve not seen a play or live performance since before the pandemic. For me, it’s money well-spent to follow the latest maneuvers on HBO’s Succession or the surprising plot twists on Netflix’s Beef. One joy of retirement is being able to binge a series and not worry about staying up late on a weekday.
If they cut the cable, retirees with a low fixed income could eliminate an average monthly cost of $217.42, according to one article, though part of that cost savings would no doubt get spent on various streaming services. I understand the switch might seem technically difficult or mysterious. But just ask a younger friend or your millennial child for help. They come in handy sometimes.
No one mentioned the cost of reliable high speed internet that allows for streaming…my cable company charges about $ 100 per month, if I don’t have a cable package.
The only streaming we pay for is YouTube TV. It’s pricey at about $70 a month, but basically replaces cable. I can cancel when we rv travel, which is usually about 3 months every summer and sometimes a month or two during the rest of the year. We watch Netflix, Hulu, Disney + and Amazon Prime on our kids’ accounts. I do miss some stuff on HBO, but not enough to pay for it. Maybe I can talk one of my kids into subscribing 😉
Unfortunately, Netflix will shortly be less generous by limiting users to one household. The others may follow suit depending on how much revenue at Netflix increases or decreases.
As a tip: Netflix comes packaged for free with T-Mobile plans. (Along with other free stuff like Apple TV+.) Not sure if you need to be on a specific plan or not, but their plans are fairly reasonable compared to AT&T or Verizon. (But, more expensive than the “cheap” MVNOs like Visible, Mint, etc.)
Also, T-Mobile has great 55+ plans that are cheaper than the normal ones.
This isn’t the most straightforward suggestion to implement, but if you have movies, music, or television files stored digitally, you could set up a home media server. I recommend Plex, free software that makes it possible to set up a basic server with only a decent computer (and possibly an external hard drive if your computer doesn’t have much storage for all the files).
The benefit of doing this is being able to stream media on any internet-connected TV or phone, at or away from your home. This is really only worthwhile if you have a lot of digital media you’d like to access, but for me it’s been extremely helpful in letting me cut the cord with very little use of other third party services.
Even if you don’t set up a server with your own media, Plex also has some free movies and TV series to watch (with ads), as well as a Free “Live” TV to watch, though with most Free Live TV, the selection isn’t very good.
Thanks for this, Ron. Another vote here for Kanopy—they have some excellent movies you don’t see elsewhere.
Another option I’ve enjoyed is Passport, which is a benefit from donating to the local PBS station. They have some great shows, although navigating the site is a bit confusing till you get used to it.
I don’t even remember the last time I had cable, but getting rid of it was one of the best things I ever did.
One tip for anyone trying to save even more money: Since most people binge entire series, one can sign up for the services sequentially. For example, one month of Hulu (binge every show you want to watch then cancel), one month of Disney+ then cancel, one month of Netflix then cancel, etc. This method will allow you to eventually watch everything you want to watch.
It takes a little work (not much) but saves a lot of money. Of course, this doesn’t work for live events like sports, but I will generally sign up for a sports package for 3-4 months to only watch the one sport that I really like and when the season is over, cancel.
Also, one more tip: tons of free over-the-air channels if you live near a big population center. All it takes is an inexpensive digital antenna. (Or you could get an expensive attic or roof one and get even more.)
Ok, sorry, one last tip: There are free streaming apps with tons of free channels, including Tubi, Pluto TV, and Crackle. Obviously they show commercials.
Nice article; thanks for sharing. When I initially cut the cord about 8 years back I tended to subscribe to a streaming service and keep it even if I found myself not using it much. I think that was just an old habit from the cable days when calling the cable company to make any change was a frustrating and painful way to kill a couple of hours. But then I (finally) realized that (unlike cable) I could easily stop and start streaming services with minimal time and effort (ie. literally in just a couple of minutes and a few keystrokes) and with no human interaction required. These days I tend to have active just a few services that I’m currently watching. Once I’ve squeezed a lot of the juice out of a service, then I’ll subscribe to another and discontinue the first. So I end up with maybe half the number of services active at any one time. Of course, there’s a few that I just keep continuously since I find my wife and I simply watch too much on them to be adding and dropping them. For us that short list is discovery, paramount, netflix & prime.
“I pay extra for YouTube so the music I listen to on my daily walks isn’t constantly interrupted by commercials. Well worth it.” Or you could just use the Brave browser that blocks all YouTube ads for your music listening, saving another $12 a month.
I am one of those reluctant to cut cable, but i don’t spend much on streaming. Just two, Britbox and Discovery+ I use YouTube, TUBI and a few other apps free. On occasion I use my daughters Amazon, but i know i pay too much for cable.
Here are two more suggestions. Watch movies on Kanopy through your library and only subscribe to one streaming service for one month at time.
I will always cheer library usage! Movies, books, magazines, and newspapers, besides new services, such as a lending library for household items, all for the borrowing!