For the record: I am not being compensated in any way by Netflix, PlayStation, or anyone else to write this post. I am just sharing our setup, and I welcome your tips and recommendations in the comments for how you get around paying a cable bill.

Once upon a time, cable television was one of our only planned indulgences. We knew it was expensive, but we liked it. We thought it saved us money by keeping up entertained at home, and we liked having something to watch in the evening.

In September, we finally cut the cable, and we cut $60 out of our monthly entertainment budget. Around Christmas time, our future brother-in-law gifted us a Playstation 3 that he wasn’t using, which enabled us to stream Netflix to our television. Using a simple rabbit ear antenna, our television picks up all of the network stations in perfect digital HD. Now there is very little we could get from cable that we’re not getting from our current setup.

Current television shows

For our favorite TV shows that are currently on the air, we have two options. Sometimes if we’re home at the right time and we’re not busy, we just tune in live. We’re busy, though, and we’re reformed DVR addicts. So what do we do if we miss the network broadcast of 30 Rock or Lost? We stream it on Hulu or the network’s website whenever we want to watch it.

TV on DVD

One of our favorite things about Netflix Instant Play is that we’ve been able to catch up on TV shows we never watched. For instance, after listening to the hype about “Lost” for years, we discovered that all six previous seasons were available on Netflix in December. Beginning around Christmas and continuing until February, we caught up on all six seasons in a few months. Bonus? No annoying cliff hangers.

Movies

For movies, we have also two options: Netflix Instant Play, which offers a huge list of movie and TV show options, or Netflix by mail, which is where we get newer releases. If we decide to watch a new release at the spur of the moment, there’s always Redbox.

If you’re considering kicking cable, I promise: you will not miss it. Thanks to all of the entertainment technology available today, you have plenty of options to keep yourself entertained.

Netflix Instant Play is also available on XBox and (soon) Wii. If you’re not a gamer, or you don’t want to drop a few hundred dollars on a video game console, you could also get a Roku player for $100. It will work the same as a video game console for streaming movies, but you won’t have the option to play games.

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I’ve never been a Valentine’s Day believer. I’ve always believed that you don’t need a special day to celebrate love. We should be celebrating every day, right?

It’s hard to avoid the Valentine’s Day hype, though, and any excuse to do a little something special for your partner is a good thing. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on flowers or jewelry, though. Try some of these free and frugal alternatives to celebrate the one you love this weekend.

Do more than your share.

I would much rather come home to a spotless house than a dozen roses. This Valentine’s Day, show you care by doing your partner’s half of the household chores. Whether it’s bathroom duty, trash, cooking, or dishes, your valentine will feel pampered if you give her a break for the weekend.

Share a small treat.

Early in our relationship, I assured Tony that I’d always prefer chocolate over flowers. Chocolate is dangerous for me, though, and I’d rather have a little treat than a huge box of candy. A little goes a long way, so surprise your valentine with a single serving of his or her favorite treat this weekend. It doesn’t have to be chocolates — maybe it’s trail mix or cupcakes. The important thing is that it’s his or her personal favorite. Bonus points if you bake it yourself (just make sure you bring the leftovers to the office or give them to your neighbors).

Write a love letter.

Love letters may seem cliche, but if you write something heartfelt and honest it will seem anything but. It costs absolutely nothing, but it means the world to the recipient.

Make a compromise.

Horror movies aren’t your thing, but your husband has been dying to see “Zombieland.” Maybe you hate broccoli, but your girlfriend has wanted to try a new recipe for broccoli cheddar soup forever. It’s certainly not healthy to force yourself to do things you don’t like to do for your partner all the time, but you can make a compromise in the name of the most romantic day of the year.

Take a walk down memory lane.

Rent a movie that you saw in the beginning of your relationship. Make a mix tape of the songs you listened to on repeat for the first month you were dating. Do something that reminds you of how it felt when you first fell in love. Not only will it make you feel warm and fuzzy all over again, but it will serve as a reminder of why you fell in love in the first place.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend, and that whoever you share it with makes you feel very loved.

Photo by butterflysha

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Do you have an iPhone? Are you a fan of “This American Life“? If you’re not, you should be, and the This American Life iPhone app is a great way to become one.

“This American Life” is a public radio show that offers a glimpse into the lives of real Americans through quirky stories and interviews. Each week, they feature a theme and the radio show includes different kinds of stories about that theme. One of my favorite episodes are “Somewhere Out There,” which explores the idea of soul mates, and “Matchmakers,” which focuses on (you guessed it) matchmakers.

For just $2.99, you’ll have access to almost every episode of the show ever produced. Tony and I love to listen to the podcasts on road trips, and with this app we won’t have to burn tons of CDs every time we take a trip.

It costs 99 cents per episode to download them individually. With almost 400 episodes in the catalog, this is an incredible price for portable streaming access to all of them. For a tour of the app and all its features by host Ira Glass himself, go here.

Take it from me, this is a fantastic way to spend $2.99. “This American Life” is absolutely the most interesting and entertaining radio show on the air, and you will love it. I promise.

If you don’t have an iPhone, you can stream episodes for free online. Take some time away from the TV this weekend to check it out.

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It’s Thursday. Which means tomorrow is Friday. So how about something fun?

Today I’m sharing some free music. First listen to the adorable Drinking with You, a fun little song about the beginning of a relationship. And then download the hauntingly beautiful but depressing When You Go , an all acapella song about the end of a relationship.

Both songs are by Jonathan Coulton. This guy has been Internet famous forever now, but I never heard about him until October when my sister played some of his stuff for me. I love his music, but I also love his story. Instead of seeking a traditional recording contract, he built a simple website, and started posting a free mp3 of one of his songs every week. He quickly built a huge following, and now he’s a real-live musician without a day job. And the best part is he did it on his own terms.

It’s just another reminder of the power of sheer will and determination when it comes to getting what you want. No record deal? No problem. Make it happen.

I wish I’d have heard about this guy five years ago when the rest of the Internet did.

Photo by abletoven

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It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on life without cable TV. It’s been absolutely fantastic. We’re more productive, happier, and more active without the constant draw of TV.

We still watch a handful for television shows, but they’re all available online the next day at the network’s website. This means we’re more purposeful about what we watch, and we don’t waste time flipping through channels searching for something to watch.

We’ve been so happy without TV that we dragged our feet about setting up the digital converter box for broadcast TV that Kacie at Sense to Save sent me (thanks, Kacie!). We’ve had it for a few weeks, but never got around to picking up an antenna and hooking it all up.

But this weekend my in-laws will be here for the holiday, and my father-in-law is a football fanatic. We wanted to make sure we had network channels set up so he could watch football on Thanksgiving day.

We picked up a standard antenna for about $12. And I have to tell you, I am impressed. From what I remember about antenna-based TV, it was always fuzzy with bad sound or poor picture quality. But this picture is clear as a bell. I doubt we’ll watch much live TV (we prefer to watch it on our own schedule), but for certain live broadcasts like the Oscars and guilty pleasures like American Idol (don’t judge!), I’m happy to have network TV back.

Right now is a better time than ever to ditch your cable. If you’ve never lived without it, just give it a test run. Unplug the TV for a week and see how you feel at the end of it. If you’re feeling healthier, happier, and better, it might be time to give life without cable a shot. And you can still get the news and network broadcasting with a great pictures practically for free.

Photo by swirlspice

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It happens every few months or so. I get restless. I start feeling unfulfilled and bored. I want some excitement, something new, but I don’t really know what that something might be.

We all get in a rut sometimes. The question is, what do you do about it? Do you complain? Wallow in unhappiness? Or do you try something new? Take on a challenge and see where it takes you?

I’m constantly challenging myself to try new things and explore new interests. Most of them don’t stick. A lot of them end up being unfinished projects or even unstarted projects. But you’ll never discover new interests if you don’t challenge yourself with new things.

Quilting, photography, this blog … all of my hobbies started out with a trial run. And it’s time for me to take on yet another challenge.

This year, I’ll be participating in National Novel Writing Month. I will write a 50,000 word novel between November 1 and November 30. I already have an idea and a rough plot outline.

The purpose isn’t to write a great piece of literature. In fact, it’s likely that the finished project will be total crap. It will be rushed, unedited, and hastily written. But it will be a novel, and it will force me to write creatively every day for a month.

I haven’t written fiction since junior high, so I’m looking forward to this new challenge. At the end of the month, I may decide that I’m better off sticking with nonfiction for the rest of my life. Or I may discover a new passion for fiction. Who knows where this new challenge will lead me, but that’s part of the fun of it.

I’m going to try very hard not to let this new project interfere with my writing here, but the fact is, I might be a little pressed for time in the coming month. If I miss a day here or there, you’ll know why.

So how about you? Is there something you’ve always wanted to try? Are you hungry for a new challenge? Have you always wanted to run a marathon or make a scrapbook? There’s no better time than now to make it happen. Let’s make November the month of new beginnings!

Photo by olivander

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This is my absolute favorite time of year, and even though our weather isn’t quite as cool as I’d like it to be, it hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the season.

Fall isn’t just cozy and comfortable. It’s also frugal. Here are my favorite frugal things about my favorite season.

• Finally opening the windows, airing out the apartment, and turning off the air conditioner. Hello, lower electric bills!
• Warm oatmeal for breakfast. A huge canister lasts two weeks, and it only costs $3!
• Big pots of soup that last all week.
• The crunch of leaves under our feet during long morning walks bundled up in cozy sweaters.
• Staying in on the weekends to watch a movie under the covers.
• Bundling up on the couch to work on a quilting project.

What are your favorite frugal things about fall?

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Don’t you love when you make a life change for one reason, and realize that it benefits you in countless other ways? That’s kind of how we feel about canceling our cable. We made the decision to shut it off to save money. We were paying $70 a month for a service that we barely ever used. But after two weeks without cable, we’ve discovered a long list of other ways it’s improved our lives.

We have more time.

Now that we’re not wasting time watching junk on TV, we have more time to pursue other hobbies like blogging, reading, and listening to music. We still watch our favorite shows online at Hulu or on network websites, but we’re more purposeful about what we watch now. Plus we don’t spend countless hours zoned out while channel surfing and looking for something good when there’s really nothing on.

We’re more active.

I used to spend the evening parked on the couch on nights when Tony was in class late. Last week, when Tony was on campus and I was bored at home in the evening, I headed to the gym for my second workout of the day. On the weekends, we’re more likely to get up and get out of the house instead of zoning out in front of the Food Network.

Our house is filled with music again.

We used to keep the TV on in the background all the time, but only now that it’s gone have I realized how distracting and annoying it could be. Now when we’re writing or spending a quiet evening together, we play our favorite music in the background. It’s much more relaxing.

We’re branching out and watching new things.

It’s ironic, but only now that we’ve stopped channel surfing and feeling obligated to watch our expensive cable have we started getting into new TV shows. We rent TV shows on DVD from Netflix that we’ve always wanted to watch, like “How I Met Your Mother” and “Lost.” Our Netflix plan is only $8.99 a month for unlimited DVDs (only one at a time), but this is plenty to discover new shows and movies that we never had time to watch before.

Life without cable isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve been considering it, I say give it a shot! We still get to watch our favorite shows online for free, so canceling cable has been nothing but positive! Plus, we’re putting that $70 to better use!

Photo by puffsdaddy

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Last week, we joined the legions of personal finance bloggers who have canceled their cable TV.

In August, our yearly “promotion” ended, and the cost of our cable and Internet increased from $97 a month to $108 a month. Of course, like a lot of people, we were talked into the digital cable/Internet bundle. We had digital cable with more channels than we ever watched, HDTV even though we have an old TV, and DVR. I have to admit, the DVR was nice. But lately I’ve been thinking about just how much TV we watch.

We have never used the On Demand services, and the majority of shows recorded on our DVR come from regular network stations. Like I said, with our busy schedules, DVR is nice. But here’s the thing: every single one of the shows we watch is available online for at least a week after it airs. We could basically watch them online on our own time without paying for cable or DVR.

When I made the initial call to get some information, they of course tried to talk me into keeping at least basic broadcast channels for $10 a month. What they didn’t tell me is those channels are free with a digital converter box or digital TV.

We’ve been trying to find a way to cut expenses ever further lately, and we’ve always planned on upgrading to a newer TV at some point before we move. Because we plan on buying a new TV in the next year or so, we don’t see any reason to invest in the digital converter box now since we can watch all our favorite shows online.

Canceling cable will save us $60 a month or $900  over the next 15 months. We’ll put that money in a separate savings account and use it to buy a new TV and a Playstation 3 after we move. We’re not big gamers, but we’ve been looking into a digital multmedia player that will function as an external hard drive and allow us to stream Netflix, photos, and music to our TV. Plus we’d be able to rent games if we wanted to. :)

Bonus: we’ll spend less time channel surfing and watching things that we don’t even really enjoy, and more time reading, blogging, and talking. It’s win/win!

I never thought I’d be so excited to cancel cable, but putting that money to good use has really motivated us!

Photo by adspackman

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I personally use Netflix, but this deal is almost too good to pass up. Today first-time users can enroll in a six-week trial of Blockbuster by Mail ($26 value) for free!

Just go to Blockbuster.com, sign up for an account, and use the promo code groupon. Pay attention to the expiration date, though! If you forget to cancel your subscription at the end of trial period, your account will automatically renewed and charged for a month of service.

You can read the terms and conditions here.  Enjoy!

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