Hustle #2 -- Not paying for cable, landline phone, or internet

I really feel like I Beat The Man today. Like you guys (I imagine), I don't subscribe to cable. In Chicago, to get cable would cost over $30 a month, basic. To get cable plus internet would cost close to $100. But unlike Kipsy, I don't suffer with dial-up. As of today, I have 30 crisp channels in my basement apartment, absolutely FREE, and while my internet is not exactly blazing, it's about as fast as DSL.

In February, channels will all be broadcast in digital. No more over-the-air analog. When I heard about this, I also heard that Uncle Sugar will give you a $40 coupon, just for asking, to buy a converter box so that your old television set (that your friends gave you when they decided to be suckers and buy a huge HDTV flatscreen) will still work.

I have never gotten TV reception, in any apartment I have lived in, ever. I am not exaggerating. This means I have not had a TV that worked for anything but renting videotapes/DVDs in about 20 years. I wasn't even going to bother buying a converter box, figuring, what's the point? But I read up on it, and the digital transmissions are supposed to be pretty impressive IF you have a good quality antenna with amplifier. (I am not allowed to put an antenna outside, and inside antennae never used to do the trick.) I received my coupon in the mail, and figured what the hell, I'll buy a box and an antenna, and if it doesn't work, I'll just take it back. Today at Radio Shack I bought a converter box, and an indoor antenna, both very-well-reviewed after doing a little research. After my coupon, and after tax, both of these ended up costing a total of $78. I set them up, and... magic! I almost wish it hadn't worked--the last thing I really need is working TV!

As for a landline, I just use my cell. I bought my current "smart phone" (Treo800w--$400 but it's now down to about $250) from Sprint this summer, which required me to renew my contract with them for 2 years. But by agreeing to stick with them instead of jumping ship to another carrier, they gave me 10% off the plan I had already been using for my last Palm phone. After all taxes and fees, I pay $55 a month, which buys me unlimited nights and weekends, 200 "anytime" minutes, more texts than I ever use (300 a month, maybe?), plus--and this is the biggie--unlimited HIGH SPEED data access. After installing a piece of $30 software, I simply tether my phone to my computer and get unlimited internet access without paying a dime more. I've been doing this for years--it works like a charm. In other words, I get cell phone, "home phone," and internet access everywhere I go (home, airports, coffee shops, you name it) for $55 a month, total.

So if I did what your average consumer does and bought cell, landline, cable, cable internet, and occasional internet access while travelling, I would pay, conservatively, about:

$55 cell phone
$20 landline
$90 cable and cable internet
$5 (average--that is, a $10 fee once every two months)
TOTAL: $170/month.

This way, I'm saving $1380 a year.

True, my hookup isn't quite as fabulous--I don't get Comedy Central and CNN and all that. But it's good enough for me. I wonder how many people really add up what they are paying for these services, and if they did, would they still think it was worth it?