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7 Ways to Lower Your TV Entertainment Bills

Back in the day, when streaming was taking off, it was too do to cut the cord. Even a year or two ago, it was still a good deal. Cable companies weren’t adjusting prices to cheap streaming services at the time.

But something is happening. Streaming services are catching on, and everyone wants a piece of it. With all the original shows pulling you in, many families today have more than one streaming service.

According to Forbes, the Average American subscriber watches 3.4 services paying an average $8.53 per month per service.

How many are you currently subscribed to?

The top ones are usually Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. With Amazon being the only one that offers more than entertainment on a device.

Netflix recently increased their monthly fee while Hulu lowered theirs.


You have Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and you subscribed to Showtime, HBO, and Starz. I mean, you can’t miss the original shows on those channels.

Hulu is $5.99/month with limited commercials- but most of us love the no commercial plan for $11.99.

Netflix is $12.99 for the standard package and allows you only to have two devices streaming simultaneously. You could have the $8.99 plan, which allows for one device to use at a time.

Amazon Prime membership is $119/year. This works out to $9.91 per month.

Recap Per Month:

  • Hulu $11.99
  • Netflix $12.99
  • Prime $9.91
  • Starz Subscription $8.99/month through Amazon
  • HBO $14.99 a month
  • Showtime- $10.99
  • TOTAL: $69.86

And that doesn’t include your internet cost. That, on average, is $60 after a promotional period. So you have your total at $129 a month. Some have a cable bill attached to this as well!

How to Cut Back on TV Entertainment

Look at how much you are paying per month for all your streaming services and add ons. Keep that number in mind. Next, think about how much you use each one every week. Then consider the tips below.

Downgrade

You can switch to no ads on Hulu or go Basic on Netflix. Get rid of the additional stations like HBO, Showtime.

Take Advantage of Cable Specials

Consider going back to cable.
If you can constantly keep an eye on prices with your groceries, you should do the same for your TV entertainment.

Call your local cable provider and see what specials they have for new customers. Right now, with Spectrum, they do have new customers $44.99 for 125+ channels.

After the year, the price considers dropping them and going back to streaming again. You can flip-flop to keep up with the best deals.

Lately, I’ve noticed cable companies offering competitive pricing because of the streaming services.

Free Trials

If you aren’t a network snob, you can go from free trial to free trial. Most free streaming trials last a week. You can see all 19+ ones I’ve shared here.

Drop One All Together

Keep track of how many times you are opening Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc., on your devices in a week. Streaming services don’t keep you under contract. You can cancel at any time.

Why pay for a service when your kids are busy with sports in spring and summer? If your family travels during June and July, cancel the service for those months.

Consider keeping the most used service and getting rid of the rest.

Maybe you signed up for the add-on of HBO to watch Outlander. Consider waiting until the season or series is finished and then get your binge-watching started. Once you’ve finished the series or season, cancel the service.

It is straightforward to cancel each one. Keep the apps on your devices, and all you will need to do is hit a button to sign up again. All your payment info is saved and sign-in information.

Go Antenna

The last way to save money on your TV entertainment is to go back to the old antenna. This is having a HUGE comeback in the last few years. We did a giveaway for an antenna and currently use this option with streaming options.

I like getting the basic channels for news and such. We also get 30+ channels as part of the TV plus with it. I paid $29.99 for the antenna when you look at that cost year after year- cheap!

I was finding the same thing we had Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix. It wasn’t so much about the cost, although it was a factor, but the instant gratification with the kids. So I decided one had to go.

I personally am a fan of Hulu because I love watching regular TV network shows without commercials. Prime has a better selection for kids with my oldest daughter’s favorite show OddSquad. I wanted the kids to get back to watching TV shows that offered educational entertainment. Qubo and PBS kids you will get with an antenna, and they have great educational shows.

Take a Step Back

The point is that sometimes we need to take a step back and realize how much is too much when consuming TV entertainment? Explain to your kids how you had to wait an entire week to watch a TV show. When Full House was on, you could only get up during commercials. We weren’t able to watch the episode again.

I love embracing the wave of technology, but I also enjoy slowing things down and teaching my kids we can’t have everything we want all the time. It’s a good reminder for me too.

How many streaming services do you pay for? How are you saving on TV entertainment these days?

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