Last week my wife and I decided to make a drastic and radical change in our lives. It was a tough decision but after much thought we decided it was what was really best for both our finances and our family. WE CANCELED CABLE! I know it sounds crazy but it turns out there really wasn’t any reason we had cable to begin with.
Think about it, why do you have cable? What do you really enjoy watching on TV? For us we love to watch shows like, NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Bones, Criminal Minds, and The Amazing Race. Do you know what all of these shows have in common? They are all big Network Television shows. Guess what folks, they still send that mind numbing goodness out over the air, and it is even in HD. I went out and spent $20 on an indoor lay flat antenna and I pick up ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox. Not only do I pick them up clearly, I get them in HD, FOR FREE!
To supplement our lack of cable television shows we did go ahead and sign up for NetFlix at the $8.99 per month pricing tier. With that we can watch unlimited streaming movies/television shows as well as have 1 DVD out at a time. So far it has worked out pretty well, we can watch movies and I have started watching Dexter and hope to start watching Mad Men shortly. The best part is I don’t have to bother with commercials and I can watch a season of the shows at my own pace.
Lets look at how much this drastic change is going to save me over the long run. I was paying an eye popping $197 per month for Cable and internet. We reduced that to $45 by eliminating cable and knocking our internet bandwidth down one tier. That is a per month savings of $152.00 which works out to $1,824 over the course of a year. That is a HUGE savings for not really much of sacrifice at all.
Why do you keep your cable or do you?
I know it has been a while since I did an update, well of anything, but this in particular. The last Wealthy Blogger List was in May and it amazed me how most people haven’t moved a whole lot since then. I am sure this is mostly due to market fluctuations but it is interesting all the same. I hope to be cranking out some posts, at least one a week, in the foreseeable future. For now enjoy the updated list of the Wealthy Bloggers.
All changes are as of the last update:
| Site | Net Worth | Variance |
|---|
| Poorer Than You | -30,587.00 | +$3,502.00 |
| Deliver Away Debt | -25,285.65* | +$6,366.41 |
| My Pretty Pennies | 13,178.00 | +$2,483.00 |
| Spilling Buckets | 25,600.00* | +$3,241.23 |
| Couple Finance | 31,193.40* | +$5,389.06 |
| One Guys Money | 42,630.00* | +$4,660.00 |
| Punch Debt in the Face | 46,186.00 | +$4,397.00 |
| My Money Shrugged | 58,822.40 | +$6,082.50 |
| Mapgirl | 61,287.00* | +$1,531.00 |
| Suburban Dollar | 88,170.00 | NRY |
| One Mans Money | 93,035.08* | +$2,119.38 |
| A Gai Shan Life | 107,163.03 | +$6,822.43 |
| Me In Millions | 107,398.92 | +$1,087.78 |
| No More Spending | 158,410.00 | +$36,664.00 |
| The Financial Blogger | 149,884.00* | +$21,144.00 |
| Budgets are Sexy | 164,387.81* | -$1,874.12 |
| Pantsinacan | 222,367.00* | -$18,260.00 |
| Money Really Matters | 321,940.05* | +$55,807.87 |
| Consumerism Commentary | 365,647.00* | +$8,815.00 |
| Million Dollar Journey | 463,700.00* | +$25,030.00 |
| Free by 50 | 652,554.00* | -$5,305.00 |
| 2Million Blog | 663,869.26* | -$7,734.66 |
| Enough Wealth | 808,200.00* | -$1,200.00*** |
NRY=Not Reported Yet
* Reported net worth includes value of assets like cars and homes.
***The net worth was converted from Australian dollars to US Dollars using WolframAlpha.
Summer is one of my favorite and one of my least favorite times of the year. It is great to be able to get out, get some sun and enjoy the great weather. It can also be unbearable to be outdoors without some way to cool off. This weeks theme will highlight some of the things that say summer to me. The first, and biggest has to be the beach. Nothing says summer like sand, surf, and mai tai’s.
As always I take this carnival very literally so I have only included those submissions that were actual stories related to money.
Editors Picks
Nicole over at Rainy-Day Saver talks about having to adjust to a new mortgage payment. A lot of people forget that property taxes and insurance aren’t fixed cost items and can fluctuate from year to year. When there is a change your mortgage company is going to adjust the amount you pay to compensate. This was a good look at how it can affect you.
Ace from Ace of Wealth is pondering whether or not he really needs two cars. Personally we couldn’t live without both cars in my home. There is no certainty as to when my wife will get off work and we both have to be able to pick up the kids at any time. If it wasn’t for that we would probably be able to swing it.
Johnathan with Christian PF talks about how he handles occasional expenses. A key point he makes is how our personalities play into how we handle our finances. As an introvert I tend to try hard to hold on to everything I get and I know some outgoing people who love to buy.
I have relatives from Southern California who are always amazed by our summer thundertorms here in the South East. They blow in, make a lot of noise and then blow out. I love sitting on the front porch and watching the storms blow through.
The Rest
Katie from the Tripbase Travel Blog talks about traveling full time without spending a fortune with Nora Dunn.
Kristina from Dinks Finance discusses Marrying Money and whether or not marrying for money is a good financial strategy or poor financial planning.
Miranda Marquit wants to know what you are willing to go into debt for over at MoneyNing.
J. Money from Budgets are Sexy ran a guest post by Ms. Tiffani that discusses how she and her friends started the G.O.O.D. $ Gals group to help them own their dreams.
Austin over at ptMoney talks about using your daily salary to put expenses into the proper perspective.
Balance Junkie has provided their Q2 update for their 2010 Financial Plan.
Free From Broke asks whether you should automate or unautomate your finances. Personally I think it should be a balance of the two that works for you.
Bucksome with Bucksome Boomer talks about their experience with Adility.
Watermelon, or any melon for that matter, seems to be a common item in the heat of the summer. I love kicking back and eating a watermelon/spitting the seeds.
Squirrelers postulates on whether or not you can ever get a truly free lunch.
Ryan from the Military Wallet talks about his experiences shopping for mortgages and what the different types of mortgages are.
Free Money Finance highlighted a reader comment this week that boils down to one fact: No One Cares About Your Career Like You Do.
Adam with Money Relationship provided his update for July and discussed what has been going on in his life financially.
Budgeting in the Fun Stuff discussed a cruise they went on last year. I love cruises as a vacation, even if they aren’t the cheapest thing on the block.
Donna Freedman over at Surviving and Thriving discusses how you can exploit a potluck as a frugal meal (or two).
Finally, boating is my favorite thing to do in the summer. I don’t know how to sail but I love running around the lake in my bowrider, towing the kids, and going for a swim. I feel more alive on the water than any other time.
What is your favorite way to pass the time in the summer?
