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RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/14/2010 4:12:32 PM

EternalHoH

Posts: 791
Joined: 5/30/2010
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Just think,

if we had the ability to buy cable channels al-la-carte rather than only in those all-or-nothing bundles, many of those customers cutting the cord completely may have remained a customer for SOME channels.

(in reply to popeye1250)

Post #: 21

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/14/2010 4:19:43 PM

DamnPickyDomme

Posts: 97
Joined: 10/22/2010
Status: offline

i have always had to cut corners, we didn't have alot growing up. so i guess i'm used to it. i bought a home with the money i got when my disability came through. i bought a car as well, so i stretched that as much as i could. i've always arranged my shopping days to take in other errands too, rarely buy name brands unless they're on sale and try to keep track of where i get the best prices on certain items. i do have cable and one set of premium channels, offered at $6 a month for 6 months, that's cheaper than gas for the can and rental fees for the entire winter as we live in a rural area. i chose cable when we moved in here, sattelite gets interrupted too much with the weather here to make it worth the savings. my cable and internet are bundled, i disconnected the landline phone and kept the cell phones, we used them more anyway. basic cell phones too, no fancy frills. craigslist, freecycle and resale shops are our favorite places to shop. the kids love it, they can get a whole wardrobe for what their friends pay for just a couple outfits. i'm still looking for ways to reduce my expenses, save money on utilities and such. i subscribe to an online newsletter called the dollar stretcher, sometimes it has some good ideas.

(in reply to popeye1250)

Post #: 22

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/14/2010 4:28:37 PM

pahunkboy

Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
Status: offline

I figured I would let all the wonderful programming catch up... at some point in the future pick it up. But I go to my neighbors and nothing is on- so it will be a while.

(in reply to DamnPickyDomme)

Post #: 23

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/14/2010 5:12:29 PM

Takeylarose

Posts: 300
Joined: 9/12/2010
From: Alba, TX
Status: offline

I'm perfectly content not to have TV in the house as I prefer to read or be online instead.

I found a book swapping site that lets you trade the books with other members- it was free to join, its done by site "credits" (you get them by swapping books but you can buy them if you want) and when you trade books you only pay shipping-$2-$3 usually depending on the book. Since there's not a decent library in my area it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a book I may or may not like.

Instead of going to a salon I do most of my coloring myself- it's a hell of a lot cheaper and looks the same. Plus there are always coupons available in the paper or online. I'm an advocate for using coupons and buying generic. I love discount and dollar stores and you can bet that if I'm shopping you'll find me at a clearance rack at some point.

And for things that I want but can't afford I enter into a lot of contests and sweepstakes.. I've won a ton of stuff from gift cards to guitars to clothes not to mention the completely paid for vacation I'm going on next year..

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Post #: 24

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/14/2010 5:15:00 PM

Slavehandsome

Posts: 382
Joined: 9/19/2004
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As long as taxpayers can find new ways to pinch pennies and expect less value for the higher prices (and don't forget to recycle so that corporations don't have to), then the corporate boardrooms should be able to show projected bonuses.

(in reply to Takeylarose)

Post #: 25

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/14/2010 5:17:16 PM

pahunkboy

Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
Status: offline

I shop at a surplus store for food when I can. I try to stick with real food... the less of a package- the more food there is.

If you watch the sakes rotate. Also- if you cook the meat the same day you can get $1 or $2 off a cut.

(in reply to Takeylarose)

Post #: 26

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/14/2010 6:37:58 PM

soul2share

Posts: 7084
Joined: 12/18/2007
From: somewhere out there.....
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quote:

ORIGINAL: EternalHoH
Just think,
if we had the ability to buy cable channels al-la-carte rather than only in those all-or-nothing bundles, many of those customers cutting the cord completely may have remained a customer for SOME channels.

Eternal, I've had this thought for years! I have extended basic cable in my package, and probably only watch a third of the actual channels that I have access to. How difficult would it be for the cablee companies to allow us to choose what we want? I have at least 12 sports related and the usual half dozen of the news channels that I never watch.....I would however, like the Discovery science channel, NatGeo channel, channels like those.

Maybe if enough people cut the cable cord, they might think of something like this. I do have the power to get only internet access, I need that for things I do like paying bills and things like that, and I will admit, I've been able to apply to way more jobs online than I would have been able to do in the old days of "pounding the pavement".

Of course, if things go well for me tomorrow, I'l start getting my cable and internet for free...I'm interviewing for a job with comcast!

_____________________________

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(in reply to EternalHoH)

Post #: 27

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/14/2010 11:56:47 PM

WyldHrt

Posts: 6412
Joined: 6/5/2008
Status: offline

I haven't had cable TV in about a decade and don't miss it. If I find a series that I really like, I try to buy it by the season on DVD once it hits the discount bin at Wally World or get it pre-viewed at Blockbuster for from half.com. Same for movies. There are also sites like Hulu that have some TV and movies for free. For books, our library has a used bookstore that sells paperbacks for $.25- $1.50 each, hardcovers for $3-$5 and the thrift stores are about the same.

Another fan of Dollar stores here. I get canned food, pasta, spices, condiments, crackers & snacks, bread (the local one has Sarah Lee), laundry/dish/hand soap, cleaning products, and a whole lot more for less than half of what I would spend at a grocery store or even Wally World. I'm in SoCali, so there are produce stands nearly year round. There are also small ethnic grocery stores that have better prices than the big chains on produce, eggs and sometimes meat, as well as better take out from the cocina (kitchen).

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(in reply to soul2share)

Post #: 28

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/15/2010 12:15:41 AM

angelikaJ

Posts: 8641
Joined: 6/22/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: DamnPickyDomme

i have always had to cut corners, we didn't have alot growing up. so i guess i'm used to it. i bought a home with the money i got when my disability came through. i bought a car as well, so i stretched that as much as i could. i've always arranged my shopping days to take in other errands too, rarely buy name brands unless they're on sale and try to keep track of where i get the best prices on certain items. i do have cable and one set of premium channels, offered at $6 a month for 6 months, that's cheaper than gas for the can and rental fees for the entire winter as we live in a rural area. i chose cable when we moved in here, sattelite gets interrupted too much with the weather here to make it worth the savings. my cable and internet are bundled, i disconnected the landline phone and kept the cell phones, we used them more anyway. basic cell phones too, no fancy frills. craigslist, freecycle and resale shops are our favorite places to shop. the kids love it, they can get a whole wardrobe for what their friends pay for just a couple outfits. i'm still looking for ways to reduce my expenses, save money on utilities and such. i subscribe to an online newsletter called the dollar stretcher, sometimes it has some good ideas.

Have you applied for fuel assisitance?
If you qualify, you may be eligible for a lower rate on your electric bill.
If you qualify you would then be eligible for a free cell phone w/ free minutes.

If you applied in the past and didn't qualify, you might qualify now.

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(in reply to DamnPickyDomme)

Post #: 29

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/15/2010 1:55:43 AM

allthatjaz

Posts: 2878
Joined: 8/20/2008
Status: offline

We don't have cable TV and our phone contracts are both SIM only now, which costs us around $14 a month for two phones and 1000 free minutes a month.
Fortunately we don't have electric bills because we use solar panels and a wind generator. We do have the internet but that's on 'pay as you go'
Our most expensive outgoing is food but that's because we buy organic. Saying that, we live with a commune of people who, like us, barter. I swap home made jam and purees (which only costs me the sugar because the berries are wild) and swap it for our daily ration of bread and fuel for the fire. Steve does odds and sods with the electrics on a fishmongers boat and in return we get an unlimited supply of fish. Steve also swaps work for work. This way we can get specialized things done on our boat (our home) without money ever exchanging hands.

Sounds primitive but this is how we live and whilst we are watching people struggle to pay for (what we consider) luxuries, life for us hasn't changed. So long as we have the basic necessities, then a simple existence is very comfortable.

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(in reply to angelikaJ)

Post #: 30

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/15/2010 3:51:59 AM

MercTech

Posts: 3706
Joined: 7/4/2006
Status: offline

Ok, why does it come across as "penny pinching" when it is the average joe doing it?

For example, where I live. Landline phone with only caller id, $64.00 per month. Skype service (Yes, I have my own skype phone number and use it as a biz number) with unlimited long distance to U.S. and Canada with caller ID, $68.00 per YEAR.

How byline for the times, "Decades of price gouging does not entitle you to continued business when there are options."

Stefan

(in reply to allthatjaz)

Post #: 31

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/15/2010 3:57:29 AM

pahunkboy

Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
Status: offline

Does anyone recall when congress fixed cable prices?

You know it would be easier to pay the fee- if the content were not so crappy. I would love to have decent content that was not full of commercials, teasers and promos.

(in reply to MercTech)

Post #: 32

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/16/2010 7:16:43 AM

Termyn8or

Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
Status: offline

"we live with a commune of people who, like us, barter"

That is something I'd like to get going. I'd like to know more.

Ideally all members shouldn't have to live in the same building, but if electricity and certain other things are shared, they should be in the same neighborhood. I am aware that there are many problemms to solve, but self sufficiency should be worth it, to whatever degree it can be achieved.

Money is a variable that seems to work against us, so removing it from the equation is desirable. Today it is not possible to do completely, but the closer you come, the better. Many factors have propelled society on a downward slope, one of them being specialization. It's getting so bad that we might be looking at rocket scientists who can't change a flat tire. Robert Heinlin wrote "Specialization is for insects".

The idea that bigger is better has gone too far. Dreams of a "great" society have backfired because now we have a bloated population choking the planet's resources and eventually the shit is going to really hit the fan. As people go, present company excepted, we have seemingly traded quality for quantity.

The problem with barter is obvious. Determining the value of what is traded is necessary, and in essence you end up reinventing money. However it doesn't work like regular currency. Without the taxing load of the sharks who think they deserve everything it can work. Living in a commune or something similar could be considered communism in it's pure form. It can work on a small scale, but what we call communism today is by no means unadulterated. But neither is any other form of government. All have been bastardised for the enrichment of the few. That is a bit more difficult in a smaller venue.

The next time I retire I wouldn't mind living in some sort of commune, or something in the way of a small community.

T

(in reply to allthatjaz)

Post #: 33

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/16/2010 7:34:10 AM

pahunkboy

Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
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Term, I was part of a yahoo group that tried to set up a commune.

It was a go no where attempt. Fun to watch- but very predictable the fights that ensued.

(in reply to Termyn8or)

Post #: 34

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/16/2010 7:40:48 AM

servantforuse

Posts: 6363
Joined: 3/8/2006
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It never fails to amaze me what some people have as their priorities. I was in a tavern Saturday where two guys were drinking $5 cocktails and smoking cigs at $8 bucks a pack complaining about the high cost of gas and groceries.

(in reply to pahunkboy)

Post #: 35

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/16/2010 7:46:11 AM

Icarys

Posts: 5757
Status: offline

quote:

I shop at a surplus store for food when I can.

What's a surplus store? Are you talking MRE's? :>

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Post #: 36

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/16/2010 7:52:48 AM

soul2share

Posts: 7084
Joined: 12/18/2007
From: somewhere out there.....
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No kidding, servant......I haven't been out to eat in I don't know how long, a splurge for me is a chocolate dipped ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. And forget things like even going to a bar, or the movies.....I've discovered second hand places for books, and my library card gets used 2-3 times a week! I used to get dvd's all the time.....now I'm very particular about even buying one of those. I wish I could find a good second hand bookstore....not just small areas in thrift shops. Right now, the only books I buy new are my Sookie books, the House of Night and the Stephanie Plum series. And I hang on to them, and reread them countless times.

Anyone in the Phoenix area can go check out a place called Bookman's......I spent almost 3 hours in one one day....talk about heavenly! And cheap! There are 3 of them in the valley area......I uesd the one at 19th ave and Northern, there's one in Mesa, and I'm not sure where exactly the third one is. Man what a great place!

I'm doing alot of shopping at the Dollar Tree stores too...great place for staples and cleaning supplies, odds and ends and what have you. I love that place!

_____________________________

I have to stop saying "How stupid can you be?"...people are starting to take it as a challenge!

*Not a fuck was given.*

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Post #: 37

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/16/2010 7:56:46 AM

soul2share

Posts: 7084
Joined: 12/18/2007
From: somewhere out there.....
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Icarys

quote:

I shop at a surplus store for food when I can.

What's a surplus store? Are you talking MRE's? :>

OMG!!!! MRE's.....*shudderchokegagshudder* I didn't even eat those things when I was IN the army! My ex brother in law had a dog that would eat anything...but those!

_____________________________

I have to stop saying "How stupid can you be?"...people are starting to take it as a challenge!

*Not a fuck was given.*

(in reply to Icarys)

Post #: 38

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/16/2010 8:34:15 AM

pahunkboy

Posts: 33061
Joined: 2/26/2006
From: Central Pennsylvania
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: soul2share

quote:

ORIGINAL: Icarys

quote:

I shop at a surplus store for food when I can.

What's a surplus store? Are you talking MRE's? :>

OMG!!!! MRE's.....*shudderchokegagshudder* I didn't even eat those things when I was IN the army! My ex brother in law had a dog that would eat anything...but those!

locally we have 2 surplus stores. Basically it is close outs- over stock- just expired stuff all food items.

Some items there I do not care for- but some are really good. I like to buy cashews, 65% chocolate, oat cereal, the toilet paper, goumet coffee- the cat food, the bread, produce is cheaper- cheese and lunch meat it decent. Laundry soap.

It is not a military store- it is a mom and pop store- .... When I buy chocolate- I buy like 20 large bars at a time.
I like that I often get out of that store for under $40 and get a cart load of items.

(in reply to soul2share)

Post #: 39

RE: Penny-pinching consumers cutting cable, cell servic... - 11/16/2010 6:30:05 PM

thornhappy

Posts: 8596
Joined: 12/16/2006
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I lurvz the Dollar Tree for paper goods, foil, household cleaners, etc. I also got some inexpensive plates, cups, and towels for the RV.

(in reply to pahunkboy)

Post #: 40

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