Cutting Cable Costs & Enjoying Technology on the GO

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 Disclosure: This post brought to you as part of the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Brigade. All opinions are my own.

OK – I admit it, we have NEVER paid for cable. *GASP* I know! Nope – not ever, not even once! We have been married for 10 1/2 years and had cable for 1 year of that time when it was a freebie promo through our internet provider. Once they wanted to charge us we said no thank you and moved on. But I know a LOT of people who just absolutely cannot give up their cable…..or don’t think they can. And trust me – we’re not missing out! There are SO many ways to watch your favorite shows and drastically cut the cost of your monthly expenses by dropping cable that it’s fabulous and even more doable than “back in the day”! Especially now that so many households have long past cut their landlines and exclusively use their mobile devices instead! (another great way to save money!) Personally we stream movies and TV quite a few different ways depending on what show(s) we want to watch. PLUS now that mobile devices are such a household commodity for many of us we can easily access our entertainment on the go which is especially luxurious if you have kids!

On the GO with Mobile Technology

Doctor/Hospital Appointments

Once way we keep allow our kids to enjoy entertainment on the go (especially for lengthy doctor/hospital appointments!) is via our phones and tablets – mainly using Netflix or YouTube apps. My husband just got the iPhone 5S and I’ll be upgrading soon to the 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy S 5 which makes it easy to stream videos quickly. Don’t get me wrong – the kids don’t stream their shows 24/7 or for mundane trips around town but it sure comes in handy for those prenatal appointments I’ve had lately that have turned into several hours of time twiddling our thumbs in the doctors office! Or when my husband had a minor outpatient surgery the other week and I needed to keep the kids occupied! It’s just a heaven send for when we’re in a pinch! I also take that extra downtime to catch up on my e-mails, prep my grocery lists, etc.

Traveling/Road Trips

Another way we’ve used our mobile devices and tablets to access our entertainment on the go is when we travel! In fact tomorrow we’re headed out of town for a conference with my husband and when we need to kill a little downtime in the hotel room at night just before bed we allow the kids to pull out their tablets and watch a show! It sure beats not having a decent kid’s show to watch on the TV and helps them to unwind a little after a long day! (you know what I’m talking about!!) SO convenient for both us and the kids! Thank goodness for the U.S. Cellular 4G LTE network!

During Quiet Time & Homework

My oldest son is in 3rd grade so he has a regular amount of homework to do during the week, but my kindergarten son really has none. In order to facilitate an extra quiet house during homework time or while working on big projects we can easily have my youngest son go play outdoors (weather permitting of course) or watching his favorite show on his tablet. Not to mention that if there is a sports game on my husband can quietly keep up with his sports game in another room on his mobile while the kids are wrapping up their school assignments!

 Alternative TV/Movie Viewing Options to Cable

Netflix ($7.99+)
Hulu Plus ($7.99+)
Amazon Prime (yearly fee – under $9/month)

VUDU (pay per movie)
Google Play ($1.99+/episode)
iTunes ($1.99+/episode)

Options for Digital Streaming at Home

Roku (we personally use & love!)
Apple TV
Amazon Fire

DON’T FORGET – if your kids have a phone PRINT THIS FREE Parent/Kid Phone Contract agreement with them and make sure you set boundaries!!

 SO tell me – do you have cable? Do you use your phone and/or tablet for entertainment on the go?

 

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