This week we’re re-sharing some great ways to cut your utility bills, from water to cable to heating and cooling costs. Today we’re going to look at some of the line items in your budget that feel necessary, and perhaps are, but that you might be able to cut drastically: internet, phone, and cable.

Check out yesterday’s tips:

• How to Cut Your Utility Bills | Part One: General Tips + Water, Trash, and Electricity

How to Cut Your Utility Bills | Part Two: Internet, Phone, and Cable

You may feel like you can’t live without internet, your phone, or cable to access your favorite shows, but hear me out as we examine options in each of these categories.

Internet

Your first option is to cut internet altogether. In today’s world I know this feels impossible with everyone working remotely and virtual schools. If you don’t need it for work and school then try for a week to not use the internet at home and only use free WiFi when you are out.  If you can do it and not have convulsions, then cut it.

Use your phone.  If your phone plan has unlimited data (and you don’t decide to get rid of it), you can use your phone for internet needs.  Add tethering or hotspot to your plan and use the data straight from your phone on your computer!

If you need internet, then the first step is to check and compare rates from all companies. Then call companies with competitor rates in hand and see if they will match or beat the rate.

The cheapest home internet plans right now are more than likely the new Verizon home internet or T-Mobile home internet.  Neither require that you have phone service with the companies, though they do offer discounts if you have other services.  Both Verizon and T-Mobile are currently around $45 a month for their top level plans.  Make sure to sign up for automatic payments and paperless statements as that saves you $5 a month!

Phone

The first step here is to drop your home phone. I’d say over 75% of people I know don’t have a home phone anymore. You don’t need one to get internet either (and don’t let a phone company tell you that you do).

As for saving on cell phones, check out the great deals you can get with month-to-month, pay as you go type phones. Many stores offer B1G1 deals on reloading cards, plus you are only paying for what you use.

With traditional plans, at least add family members on your plan with you. It costs $75 on average to have your own plan or $30-$40 to add a line, so get 3-4 family members together and split the plan evenly.

Switch providers for the lowest rates and promotional offers.  Remember you can always port your current number.  If you don’t want to switch, then call your current provider and see if they will match or lower your rates to keep you from leaving.

Cable

This is easy. Get rid of cable. Seriously—this isn’t needed and should have been gone ages ago if money is tight. My husband and I have never had it. Grab a Roku and watch a ton of things online (even your favorite shows).

If you can’t give it up, at least make sure you aren’t paying for any equipment rentals.  Many times you can find used receivers on Amazon or a local buy/sell group.

If you do decide to get rid of it, then you can subscribe to a couple streaming services for much less than the price of cable. There are also tons of free Roku streaming channels!  Just make sure you don’t add more streaming providers than you were paying for cable!

Tip: Rather than paying for an annual subscription, pay monthly and turn off providers to rotate what you are watching but keep costs low.   Set a budget for total streaming and control what you have on each month to stay on budget.

Have you cut the cord? Let us know how you save money on internet, phone, and cable!