Why we chose to cut the cord

We loved our cable TV (AT&T U-verse), but found that the more we watched, the more we wanted, and the DVR was constantly reaching its capacity.  It was so easy to become hoarders, recording anything that looked remotely interesting, knowing there was little chance we would ever really be interested or have the time to watch it.

As our TV time decreased, we realized that most of what we watched was "mainstream" hit shows.  Almost all of our favorites were available on local network channels with an antenna or could be streamed online on Hulu.com or on the channel's website.  Our first-year lower promotional price was gone and were were now paying almost $70 each month for the TV part of our service.  Our twin boys were born three months premature, it was four months before both were home from the hospital, and they required around-the-clock medical care at home.  We made the decision to sacrifice and cut our income so that I could stay home and care for the boys every day. 

Again, we loved our AT&T U-verse service and had very few issues, but it was time to cut costs and pay TV was a quick and easy cut in our monthly spending.  We had a mid-grade package - 2 receivers, the U-300 package, and no HD or premium channels.  Cable TV was a very convenient, continuous source of entertainment and information.  At times it was nothing more than background noise, but it helped pass the long days spent with the boys and very little interaction with other adults.  I was completely on-board with cancelling our cable TV, especially because of the savings, but in the back of my mind, I was a little worried that it would be a difficult transition.  My next post will describe how we cut the cord and what I found to replace cable TV.

Hello and Welcome

Hello and welcome to Adventures In Cord-Cutting!  I have thought over and over about starting this blog, and it's time to finally do it.  Four years ago, my wife and I were expecting our first child and extremely busy working, saving money and doing our best to get ready for life with a baby.  Our wishes were doubled and we were blessed with twin boys.  We loved our cable TV (AT&T U-verse), but soon had very little time to watch or extra money to spend on TV.  We took the plunge, cut the cord, and have never looked back.  There are a few things we miss, but for a fraction of the cost we still have access to an endless amount of entertainment.  If you're willing to press a few buttons instead of simply turning on the TV, you can save a lot of money without sacrificing very much content.

Here is what you can expect from this blog:
I will explain why we cut the cord (stopped paying for a TV subscription) and how we did it.  There are devices/hardware and services that can give you access to many types of entertainment (legally) - many free, some for a low cost, and all much cheaper than a monthly cable or satellite bill.  I will also be your source for the latest news about devices and services that can bring you the content you want while saving you money.

Thanks for checking this out!  I hope you will stick around and choose the most convenient way for you to stay up to date (RSS reader, email subscription, Twitter or Facebook).  Spread the word and enjoy the ride!