Profitable morning

[susandennis]

I got my Comcast bill today and it was up again... just a little but still. I went to their website to check the bill against last month's and see what/if there was any new news in the offerings. Their website does not show deals for current customers. If you don't have a piece of their stuff (tv, internet, phone) then you can see deals but not upgrades.

So I called. I currently have a package that gets tons of channels and HBO (none of the other premiums though) and 20 mbps internet. No phone. They have faster internet but my goal this morning was to save money and, right now anyway, the internet speed is fine.

After I listened to a bunch of mumbo jumbo and assured her that I did not need or want their phone, we got to it. She pulled out the 2 year plan deal. I tried to get that a couple of years ago and they didn't have it or it wasn't enough savings but my timing was good today. Signing up for the 2 year package saves me $40 a month starting right this minute. And, I can cancel HBO at any time and that will save me another $10. (The HBO was a 1 year special deal. At the end of the year it goes up to $20 and I'll cancel then.)

I'm a happy camper.

This month I dropped my cable bill down $40, my cellphone bill down $40, and I start collecting the rent ($75) from my storage locker. That's a nice little net nut every month!

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Nothing going on today here at all. It's make your own fun day. I might just get started on the hoodie project I've had in mind for a while. I have a very ugly hoodie that I bought at Walmart years ago. It's wonderfully soft and fits great but it really is just ugly.

I have a bunch of t-shirts with great art. Places I've been, things I've done, sayings I like. But for whatever reason - don't fit, holes in wrong places, or whatever - I don't wear any more.

The plan is to tatoo the hoodie with the art from the t-shirts. And today might just be the day that gets going.

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The muscles/nerves/joints in my body are all complaining this week. The knee I fell on started giving me trouble last night. Then my other knee started whining. Then somehow I slept on my neck funny last night and my head is arguing with my shoulder. I have swim class at noon. That will make it all feel better.

Comments

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Comcast screwed up often enough that they gave me deals for many years. More recently, my girlfriend moved in, we got more channels and she wanted another phone line in (making four at the time, now three). So we got the Triple Play. But then then trial period ran out on that deal, and I'm back to paying a lot. I don't really want to commit to Comcast for two years, but I've been with them for a decade or more so if it saves money, I will.

What's the specific plan you signed up for? It'll probably be different for us, since we have the phone (which we use all the time instead of her minutes).

[susandennis]

I don't know the name of the plan but I'll bet your having/using their phone will just sweeten the pot. Here's what I did:

I called 1800Comcast and said that I was looking at my bill and it looked like there were better deals on the website. Faster internet for less money.

The nice guy explained that he could only help if I did NOT have their internet service so he sent me over to someone else - Jennifer. She looked at my bill and offered me one deal that included voice and then said, if you don't want voice, then maybe...

And then she spelled out the 2 year deal.

I've had Comcast or its predecessor here since 1991. Another two years is highly likely unless I croak first. Plus without cable, I get one channel. My condo doesn't do dishes and the other cable company here - besides sucking - doesn't service this building.

Honestly, I think it's worth a call. Can't hurt :)

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Tim and I are examining our Comcast bill, too. I am on a residential manager plan that gives us cable for $15/month. We also have internet through them and rent our modem and DVR. Our bill is now $94/month! Our options are limited in this area. Direct TV and the Dish don't offer internet. Any suggestions?

[susandennis]

Actually, $94 sounds like a good deal to me for what you are getting. I probably have faster internet and get more channels but I don't rent my modem OR DVR. My new bill will be $130 a month. Does that make you feel better?

In your shoes, I'd keep the DVR rented but... you might consider buying your modem instead of renting it. See how much you are paying for renting it. Then call them and tell them you are looking to buy one instead and ask the what their supported models are. Get that info and hit eBay and see if you can pick one up for the cost or less than it would cost you to rent for a year. I'll bet you can.

OR the rental might be so little that all of the above isn't worth it for you - totally understandable.

(If you do decide to give it a try, once you get the model numbers from them, if you want, send them to me - susandennis@gmail.com, and I'll do your shopping legwork so you don't have to wade through the junk sellers.)