Getting back in the saddle

Ok, so it has been nearly a year since our last post. A lot of things have transpired in that time frame. So let me start out by asking you something. What ways to save money do YOU want to see us post about? I have alot of updated posts to put out there but I want to put out what you, the reader, wants to know. Also, if you have any ideas for topics or pointers on how to save on something please let me know. Post in the comments or contact me with your suggestions.

Are you ready to see green?

Those of us with less than perfect eye sight have a few more expenditures than those with perfect 20/20 vision. Here is a few pointers on how The Frugal Geek saves on vision related items.

Cutting costs: Cell minutes, do you need them?

So you are thinking of going and getting that very tempting Virgin Mobile $35/month plan but are scared that the 300 minutes may not be enough? There are other ways to save on minutes. For those of us with smartphones why not leverage the capabilities of the phone itself?

Cutting the cable: Part 2

So here we are again. It has been a while since we last saw each other. How has the diet of only OTA TV been going? Surviving you say? Great! Now that you have been without cable/satellite TV for a bit, let's see if we can find some replacements for some of the non-OTA shows you may be missing.

Cutting costs: Cell service

This is going to be a lot of meat to chew on. I have been asked by many people to post this one ASAP! So here goes. Have a sit and buckle up.


How much do you spend on cellphone service each month? According to the national average you could be spending at least $50 PER LINE per month. That puts cell service at well over $600/year. And that is just for basic cellphone service. If you choose to have a smartphone then you can easily run $75-$100/month per line. The convenience of a cellphone is something that most people don't want to do without. But at what price are we paying for that convenience? I am here to tell you NO MORE! There are many ways to cut your cellphone bill in half or even more and still keep similar if not the same level of convenience you are used to. Here are a few ways...

Cutting the cable: Part 1

Here is where the rubber meets the road. Over the past few days I am sure you have had a chance to think about our challenge from the last post. What can you live without as far as cable tv goes? I propose an experiment of sorts. Lets get to it shall we.

So if you are anything like us you are at least a little hesitant to go all out and "ditch the dish"or "cut the cable" either way the case may be. We did not go easy but rather went straight cold turkey. There were some "detox pains" in the beginning but we made it through. Since we have been through it and are now we are on the other side we can offer some insight on how to ween you and your family off the cable.

First and foremost, if you live in any decently populated area yo most likely have access to decent OTA (Over The Air) TV. This should be your local ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc. Nowadays you will need a digital converter box unless you have a newer TV that has the digital tuner built in. If you need a digital converter box I would recommend the Access HD 1080D NTIA-Approved Digital to Analog TV Converter Box. And if you need a digital ready antenna for indoor use with either a digital ready TV or the converter mentioned above I would recommend the Think Wireless Flat HDTV Antenna for Digital TV & Converter Boxes. What I would suggest is take the cable or satellite box out to the storage room. Just tell the family that it is broken and you are waiting for the cable/satellite company to send you a new one. See if you can survive on a diet of strictly OTA TV for a week or two. I am willing to bet you can.

If you can survive on strictly OTA TV then we are ready for the next step.

The Frugal Geek

Cutting the cable: Intro

Ok, after some requests I have decided to start off with the subject of "cutting the cable". For those that are unfamiliar with this term it refers to cutting costs by cutting off any cable or satellite service you have. Now don't be scared off by this as it is totally doable for the novice and geek alike.

We will start with the basics. Out of all the channels you have available to you on cable or satellite how many do you actually watch? Think about it really hard now. How many of those shows you watch are not on local TV? How many of them do you really need to be watching with your kids around? For me and my wife we narrowed it down to maybe 5 or 6 not including the local channels. Of those 5 or 6 there were not any we could not live without but was nice to have. For example on my list of "like to have" was Food Network, Discovery, and TLC. On my wife's list was Wifetime... err Lifetime, Disney and/or Nickelodeon (for the kids), and possibly WGN or similar as she is an avid Braves baseball fan. Of these none we "had" to have but would be bonus points if we did. When you look at the average cable or satellite bill is easily in the $100+ range you realize there is probably a LOT you can happily do without!

Our journey to "cutting the cable" started about 9 months ago. At the time we had Dish Networks and was paying around $120/month. OUCH I know. But we had the HD channels, nice DVR, second room receiver, etc. It was nearing time for our 2 year contract to be up. So I started looking at ways to save money on the bill. I finally came to the following realizations:

1. We hardly EVER watched TV in the bedroom (where the second receiver was)
2. While the HD channels were nice, I did not HAVE to have them.
3. I was paying for the Dish repair service (forgot the name) to the tune of nearly $10/month
4. We were on a plan that had way more channels than we ever watched.

While Dish was cheaper than comparable service through our local cable provider comcast, it was obviously more than we wanted to pay. So We canceled the second receiver, HD channels, repair service, and dropped to a lesser package that still had our channels we liked to watch. Just doing that cut our bill nearly in half!

So a month or two go by and I am still tired of paying Dish the roughly $65/month. So after I did a good bit of research I sat down with my wife and we discussed totally pulling the plug on Dish. After finding a few sources of replacement entertainment that was acceptable to us both we pulled the plug. No more Dish. No more "cable TV"! OH NO... What will we do now!!!!!

I am sure you see the "sources of replacement entertainment" in the above section. I will expound on those in the next entry as to do them justice they really do need their own entries. For now I will leave you with this, what can you absolutely not do without on your TV?


The Frugal Geek

An introduction

Welcome to The Frugal Geek! This blog is intended to get some of the ideas that are floating around in my head written down to where others can make use of them also. Ever since our son was born nearly two years ago my wife and I have been trying to find ways to cut costs so that she could stay home with our little miracle. Our journey to being frugal is finally producing some fruit and we want to share it with others.

In this blog you will find ways to cut costs on nearly every part of life. From cellphone and home phone service to baby needs and groceries and nearly everything in between. We are not to the "drinking the koolaid" stage yet as far as cheap living but I would say we are approaching the moderate stage. So if you are an "easy does it", a "drinking the koolaid" or anywhere in between we think you will get something out of this blog.

If you have any ideas for cost savings that you would like to see featured on this blog, please feel free to contact us and let us know. We are always looking for more ways to save money. Share the knowledge so that more lives can be impacted.

Be sure to follow us and tell all your friends and family. The more the merrier!

The Frugal Geek