1. No Commercials
I really love watching TV without commercials. They just added 24 to the instant queue and I watched the whole first season in the last week. An hour long show only takes 40 minutes, so you can save lots of time. If you want to watch multiple episodes you can while spending much less time in front of the TV.
2. Plenty of Entertainment
There are so many shows and movies to choose from it is great. It seems like everyone says there isn’t anything good on TV anymore, but everyone still pays for it each month. With Netflix you can watch season after season of shows you actually liked.
3. Watch Multiple Episodes in a Row
If you watch 24 or anything like it, you know how great this can be. Every episode ends in a cliffhanger. Sometimes it is so hard to wait a whole week to find out what happens next. When you have a whole season right there on demand you can watch the next show right now, no need to wait.
4. You Get Movies as Well
There are only a few shows that I really like to watch on TV. Most of the time I would prefer a good movie. With Netflix you get a huge selection of movies, not just what happens to be on TV tonight.
5. It’s Cheaper. Save Lots of Money
From their website:
For $8.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited TV episodes and movies streamed to their TVs and computers and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes.
That is so much cheaper than cable or satellite. I just have the basic package and it is $25 a month. I’m seriously thinking of dropping it completely and only using an antenna to get the network channels. I know some people who spend $80+ a month just for TV. By the time you add DVR, HD, and movie channels it is ridiculous. At the low end you are saving about $200 a year, and at the high end it is $850. Is it really worth it?
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I went a step further and cut the cable AND netflix! I’m on month 8…it started as a 1-3 month experiment but I really don’t miss it too much with my favorite shows (LOST, House, Fringe, Psych) being available online. If I do want to watch a movie every now and then, there are enough Redbox and Bluebox (Blockbuster’s version) around me.
Excellent list!
I LOVE Netflix. Sadly I am in Egypt right now so can’t use it but as soon as I spend anytime back in USA the netflix subscription is going back on.
I love the random movies I end up watching and often loving and with the streaming now things could not be better.
I tried the free 30 day netflix trial and liked it… a lot, but then I realized I was becoming a lot less productive, so I cut it and live without a TV… Hulu.com is my vice still though!
We use netflix on the basic package.. We love the fact that you can get 1 movie at a time, and stream unlimited movies from their streaming collection. We use an Xbox 360 to view movies streaming. Granted their movie collection for streaming isn’t great, but they have tons of TV shows and other content as well. Last year we watched all the seasons of the TV show lost via Netflix streaming.
We also love hulu.com for their free streaming TV shows which we can watch on the big screen through our xbox.
My post about watching TV and Netflix instead of cable
I will certainly have to consider this. Before reading the post, the only advantage I could think of was the significant cost savings. Since I only have 3-4 shows a week though, I probably wouldn’t miss cable too much.
I would be all for it, but what do you do about watching sports??? I am not sure I could do without. Will have to see if an antenna is viable-we are in a rural area….
Sports programming is one of the weak points of trying to cut the cable. It’s the main reason we’re still paying for cable TV – so i can watch my Twins and Wild games.
Ah sports are the biggest problem. Lots of games are on the network stations, think march madness on CBS, but espn is the station i miss the most for sure. Unfortunately for me, I grew up in Ohio so I am a fan of all the Cleveland teams. Even with the regular packages I wouldn’t get hardly any of their games down south. I’d have to spend tons of money on the special packages like nfl sunday ticket or something, and it just wasn’t worth it.
I do get to watch most of the Buckeyes games on ABC, so that gets me by.
I was getting really pumped up about this concept until Dr Dean burst my bubble with the sports question. Hmmm. Am I spoiled by having nearly every Cardinal game on TV? True confession: yes. I guess we rationalize paying for TV by seldom going out to the movies…and yes, we also have Netflix (the $4.99/month package).
Great idea Derek. BTW, I have two grown children who do exactly what you propose. Must have done something right in raising them :).
We do not have cable (just the bunny ears for the network stations), and we have Netflix. We love it because we can watch old TV shows, and we just started streaming content to our TV through our Wii this month.
As far as missing sports…we missed the football games on ESPN until I found out that we have free access to ESPN 360 online just for having our internet through AT&T Uverse.
The invention of the DVR is my downfall. Probably the greatest (and worst) invention this decade. Where I used to watch tv only if i happen to be home when a good show was on……now I tape absolutely everything and watch 10 times as much. Usually at odd hours, but when I start watching a series, I can’t miss a single episode!
@Car Negotiation Coach
Sometimes I feel the same way about Netflix. Having an entire season at my hands does make me watch more than I probably should. It’s so nice though!
I’m confused. Lets say you cut off your cable, can you still get Netflix if you have like a wii. And also if you have Netflix can you watch it in different rooms if you have like a wii or an Xbox 360? And what is the deal with the packages?
we have cable but only because my brother pays for it. Otherwise it would be gone. I rarely use it. I don’t spend much time with the TV
HI… Some people don,t spend much time front of TV so they don,t want to pay for cable because they don,t want to pay extra money and some people really watch TV they really love to watch their dramas great idea for kids.
Already commented here but coming round again as am visiting every post on Jeff’a awesome Yakezie tips post (http://deliverawaydebt.com/yakezie/the-mega-money-tip-list-600-money-saving-tips/).
So just saying hi :).
When do you all find time to watch television and movies?! You should be blogging! 😉
I’m confused. Can you have Netflix even if you cut your cable off? And what is the deal with the packages? @Derek Clark
You can have Netflix without cable. All you need is an internet connection through your t.v. (or use your laptop/pc/ipad). We use our Wii as our connection between internet and t.v and it works great.
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