Cutting the Cable - Part II - The Decision

To recap, I've been taking steps to dismantle my Verizon bundle - cut cable completely, change phone service, but keep the internet. I had purchased a Roku and tested the availability of content that my kids like and found that they were quite capable of doing without traditional cable. We had decided to go with Vonage for phone service due to Magicjack not allowing us to keep the phone number we've had for 10 years.

We are now beyond the contract expiration (April 2011) and hubby is still having trouble deciding to go completely without cable. He is a news and weather junkie, and I'm totally a football widow from August to February. So what to do, what to do... I kept saying "Cut it!!!" Of course, I get all the sci-fi and Grey's Anatomy my little heart can handle through the Roku :) While the hmmming and hawwwing was going on, I did a little more searching and found a subscription service called PlayOn.

PlayOn is an internet streaming service for devices like a PC, Wii, Xbox, iPad, Android, Roku, and many others. There are free movies, live sports, TV Shows, and much more. PlayOn supports the channels that come with their lineup, but they also have a vast community of users who write computer script to access other cable channels. They have a 14 day free trial and you don't have to buy any equipment - just have one of the supported devices, and if you're reading this - you have one! They have different tiers for subscriptions - monthly, annual, or lifetime (only $80!).

Last night, after a call to Verizon to verify pricing (since our latest bill was $20 higher now that we are off contract), the decision-making conversation came to a head. Verizon informed us that all pricing will go up June 1, contract or no. When I spoke with a Rep the other day, they said internet only was $50 a month, and oh by the way, your internet package is no longer being supported since our signup was 2 years ago. Apparently, they've upgraded from 10Mbps to 15Mbps as the basic package, so our service is slower than their most basic. That didn't register in my mind until the next day, so I called back. Rep #2 says, oh no internet only is $60 per month. I asked why our less than basic super slow internet wasn't upgraded when they upgraded across the board. Response: well the customer has to ask for the upgrade. We don't just do it automatically.

Please tell me how I'm supposed to ask for an upgrade that I don't know exists. So the decision to switch to Comcast was made right then and there. To make this long story short, Kevin has decided that he is not quite ready to cut the cable until he is sure this Roku/PlayOn thing will let him watch live football on the TV. So we've entered into a one year contract with Comcast for internet and TV ($80 per month). This next year we'll save only about $40 a month, but that will help a little bit. It will also be used to help him slowly upgrade his TV-watching equipment to be ready for the overhaul. We still have a standard TV downstairs that he uses, so that will need to be upgraded to a flatscreen HDMI-ready TV, and purchasing a Roku player for him.

We've subscibed to PlayOn for one month to check the streaming quality and how live is live. Right now, The Weather Channel is streaming about 2 minutes behind live - but we still have our super slow non-upgraded Verizon speed. The big test will be faster Comcast speeds and football season. Stay tuned, because we certainly will :)

Cutting the Cable

We aren't totally poor and destitute, but we are a one-income middle class family. We don't have tons of credit card debt, our cars are paid for, and we never take all-out destination vacations. But to make this homeschooling/one-income thing feasible, we do have to cut corners. Sometimes it seems those corners keep whittling away until there is only a small disc left, but that's a lament for another day (sigh!).

Like most everyone else, we have one of those lovely TV, phone, internet bundles from the local provider, in our case - Verizon. Over the years, we've played that back and forth game between Verizon and Comcast (our only choices) to get the best price on the bundle. Verizon made us do a 2 year contract this last time, which expired in April 2011. My oldest son started at an out-of-state college last summer (thank you FAFSA and Grandmas!), so I've been really watching the bundle bill and looking for a way to cut the cord.

At Christmas time, after doing a bit of research for a couple of months, I decided to purchase a Roku player, to test the waters in my home (cable dependency). If you are unfamiliar with Roku, it's a small device about the size of a slice of bread, that plugs into the wall and into your TV. It connects wirelessly to your modem and provides internet streaming directly from the modem to the TV. Some channels are free, but some like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu require a monthly subscription. Well, I'm already paying for Netflix, so that wasn't a big deal.

The Roku has really been wonderful! For a one time charge of $80, the device is mine, and my kids have found just about everything they want to watch either through Netflix or free content. I was actually quite surprised how easily they disengaged from the cable box. (I did help them along a little bit by actually disconnecting it for 2 weeks, so they would have to learn how to use the Roku and search for what they wanted to watch.)

Then I began searching telephone replacement options. I have a pay-as-you-go cell phone that I don't use often, and no one else in the family has one, so I need land line service. I checked in to Magicjack and Vonage. I have friends who've used both; they've had good and bad to say about both. My preference was to go with Magicjack since it's $40 for the first YEAR, and $20 for each YEAR after that - but they don't let you keep your number. So hubby has opted for Vonage - $16 per month - our device is due to arrive next week. I'll let you know how that goes.

So obviously we are beyond April, and we hadn't made any decision about whether or not to keep cable. Actually, I decided we should drop it, but hubby is afraid of not seeing The Weather Channel, MSNBC, and live football games. In my world, these don't matter, so I was good to go. Then I discovered PlayOn...

Stay tuned for Cutting the Cable, Part II - The Decision....

Eat The View

Eat The View is a very cool little organization trying to promote turning our suburban lawns back into useful food growing lots. They are currently focusing on having a portion of the White House Lawn turned into a fruit and vegetable garden with the produce going into the White House kitchen and surplus going to area food banks.

My local farmer, Charlie Collins of Victory Farms, has been nominated to be the White House Farmer. Having eating Charlie's produce as a CSA member, I can gladly vouche for the wholesome goodness he provides for our table. Please go to the website to learn more about this initiative and vote for Charlie. Voting ends on January 31, so please hurry and go do it right now.

With a troubled economy, we can learn from our American history and turn our useless lawns into sustainable produce for each family. Remember Victory Gardens? Even urban dwellers can grow an amazing amount in a small space.

401K - Y?

Yeah, you know what I mean. I don't have a 401k and neither does my husband. Y? you ask? Because in my former non-homeschooling/crafting life, I was a Human Resources Generalist with a specialty in Benefits. That means I was the person who gave you all your options, enrolled you, played with your paycheck, gave you 100 forms to fill out, and if you wanted to change anything later I couldn't let you legally.

What I learned in Generalist school was that a 401k account was designed to let the Average Joe (the plumber - hahaha, I kill me!) invest in his future by putting aside small portions of his paycheck. That way Joe could possibly retire before he worked himself to death. HR people are always told to push this on the employee; it's for their benefit; hey, the company is even chipping in to boost your account, etc.

What they don't emphasize is the INVEST part, which means your money is subject to the ups and downs of Wall Street - as many of you who have such an account have found out. This is not a good thing if you aren't inclined to stock market analysis. You don't know how to "diversify" and nobody teaches you.

I also feel a person isn't adequately informed BEFORE they decide to open said account how difficult it is to get that money back. A lovely young lady in Kevin's office is finding out all about that right now. That's right, trying to get out while there's still money TO get out. Nope, can't do that - hardship, house downpayment, college tuition clause and all. OOOO! And don't forget the penalty fees. What?! You didn't know how hard it was going to be and the weeks it would take. You were told all of that before you signed on the dotted line. Oh, maybe you weren't; well you were supposed to read every word in the information packet you were given. What's that? You couldn't read the paragraphs at the bottom of each page typed in 4pt subscript. Hmmmm, oh well.

401K-Y - if you haven't, don't. Stuffing the money under your mattress or buried in a coffee can is a much better idea. We'll talk more about disclaimers soon.

Gift Certificates in a Spiraling Economy?

We all know it's tanking. But the holidays are upon us. I personally LOVE gift cards/certficates. Imagine my dismay when I saw the below note on a friend's Facebook page:

So I thought I would do a little research myself. After about an hour I came up with the below list:
Linens 'n Things, Stores Closing: All Stores
Disney Stores, Stores Closing: 98
Foot Locker, Stores Closing: 140
Wilson's Leather, Stores Closing: 160
Home Depot, Stores Closing: 15
Ann Taylor, Stores Closing: 117
PacSun 'Demo' Stores, Stores Closing: 154
Lonestar Steakhouse, Stores Closing: 27
Zales, Stores Closing: 105
Pier 1 Imports, Stores Closing: 25
Dell, Stores Closing: 140
Urban Interiors, Stores Closing: 2
84 Lumber, Stores Closing: 30
Sharper Image, Stores Closing: All Stores
Lillian Vernon, Stores Closing: filed for bankruptcy
Ethan Allan, Stores Closing: 12
Rite Aid, Stores Closing: 28
Sprint Nextel Corp., Stores Closing: 125
Movie Gallery, Stores Closing: 400
Saks, Saks Stores Closing: 1
Wickes Furniture, Wickes Furniture Stores Closing: 38
Circuit City, Stores Closing: filed Chapter 11
Eddie Bauer, Stores Closing: 27
Talbots, Stores Closing: 78
Charming Shoppes, Stores Closing: 150
Starbucks, Stores Closing: 100
Boston Market, Stores Closing: 50
Cost Plus World Market, Stores Closing: 18
Sigrid Olsen, Stores Closing: 54
Macy's, Stores Closing: 9
Kirkland's Home, Stores Closing: 130
CompUSA's, Stores Closing: 103
Rent-A-Center, Stores Closing: 280
Sofa Express, Stores Closing: 44
Levitz Furniture, Stores Closing: 76
Pep Boys, Stores Closing: 31
GAP, Stores Closing: 85
Bombay, Stores Closing: filed for bankruptcy
Disney, Stores Closing: 98
K B Toys Stores, Stores Closing: 356
Lowes, Stores Closing: 16

Just so you know, Callidora's has NO stores closing and will happily give a gift card/certificate. I'll also be happy to include gift wrap if you are sending to an alternate address.