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Status Report No. 1: July 2012 Edition

I thought I'd do something a little different for the next few posts and give an update on what's worked and what hasn't (either for external reasons or just because I didn't stick with it) in the things I've been trying to get rid of my debt. I started to put it all in one post, but it was too long. I didn't even want to read that much. Therefore, I've broken it down into chunks.

So, here is the first entry:


  • Cable. In May, I bought a Roku, which streams programming to our TV via the Internet. There is plenty of free stuff to watch, including news programming, hundreds of movies, fitness programs, etc., but it isn't the same as having cable. Therefore, I also got subscriptions to Netflix and HuluPlus, both $7.99 a month, so that we can watch current shows we like that air on ABC, NBC, Fox and Comedy Central. The subscriptions still don't get us access to shows on CBS, TNT, AMC or other extended cable channels via the Roku without paying extra. I also bought a digital indoor antenna, which, hopefully, will get us local channels, including CBS. (We haven't hooked it up yet.) We plan to drop cable around Sept. 1, after the last season of TNT's "The Closer." What can I say? We like that show. After that, we'll nix it. And maybe Netflix, too, if it seems like we can get enough stuff via HuluPlus, which I think is quite likely. Status: Working on It. 
  • Internet. I increased our DSL speed a little to accommodate the Roku, but honestly, the speed we had before wasn't bad. I rarely saw any buffering when our downstream speed was limited to 1.5 Mbps. It will now go as fast as 6 Mbps, not much considering what's possible with cable Internet. Because we've noticed little difference, part of me wonders if it wasn't a waste to upgrade, but I think we'll appreciate the faster speed if we're ever trying to work online while someone's watching TV. In the meantime, for the next year, we were able to snag a price cheaper than what we had been paying. We'll assess after the introductory price ends and decide if we want to continue with what we have and pay a higher price, switch to cable Internet or just cut it back to a slower speed. Status: Money Saved (for now). 
Check back Monday for updates on phone and electricity changes.
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