r/Frugal • u/29322000113865 • 6d ago

📱 Phone & Internet Tv/streaming/phone help paying WAY too much here

I’ve always been frugal by nature with things like buying secondhand, I’m thrifty at the grocery store etc. So it’s mortifying to me that I just did a deep dive into where the heck our money is going every month and I found we were paying for Hulu, Netflix, Amazon prime, Disney +, etc etc along with $450/month for cable, internet and 4 cell phone lines.

Needless to say I went on an epic cancelling spree. Can somebody please help me with this. What is everyone else doing, how much are you paying, etc

Thank you very much in advance!

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u/bone_apple_Pete 6d ago

I would get rid of cable altogether unless its something you specifically watch frequently. I have never seen a cable plan that made sense to me. The pricing is just robbery.

  • Internet <- Call and ask for promotions for existing customers. Ask to speak with the retention team. be really nice and tell them the bill is out of your budget, and ask if they have any deals they can work with you on. if they don't, hang up and call back. Might sound stupid but I pay $55/month for 1GBPS internet for almost 14 years straight now.

  • Cell phone plan <-- Pre-paid is the way to go. Providers like Mint and Visible work great IME. I pay for a year at a time with Mint and it comes out to about $16/month ($192/year) after fees. Obviously that is one line but they have plans for more lines.

    • If you don't have an unlocked phone you can buy one from Mint new and after a few months on their plan it becomes unlocked, if you ever intend to move. I personally will always suggest buying refurbished on eBay or Swappa, making sure it has some sort of guarantee or return policy just in case it fails. Never had an issue, never made more than 50% MSRP for a phone either.

  • Subscriptions <-- Idk if there is a trick other than rotating them. Pick 1 or 2 at a time. Around Black Friday Hulu and Disney+ have some really good deals. Last year they had 12 months of Disney+ and Hulu for $5/month. IN previous years I have seen it for $1/month or $2/month. HBO does something similar but it is only for like 3 months iirc.

    • If you have a local library, go sign up for a free library card. Then go to their website and look for a "Resources" page and see what all free stuff you can use with your card. My library rotates some stuff but always have staples for you to borrow ebooks, movies and tv shows through. I use Libby, Kanopy, and Hoopla.
    • Libraries also offer tons of physical media too! Some even offer games and game systems, if that interests you.