Cable bills in the US have seen a rise of 39% in the last five years, which sums up to $100 a month. Taking 29 GB of data usage into consideration for the usual TV and Internet customer makes it even worse. In response, customers have been cutting the cord in favor of the online streaming services like 'Netflix' and 'Hulu' - to the scale of 500,000 or more subscribers canceling quarterly. However, cutting the cord is not a solution for data caps and increasing internet prices. The positive news is that the glut of Cable TV options in the market has caused ISPs to offer attractive alternatives for bundling. You can save up to half your monthly internet and TV bill with a little bit of research and legwork.

In this post, we will guide you through all the information you need to customize your Broadband cable and TV plan - from bundling, downloading, and VoIP.

Shop around different Providers

The first step to getting a good deal on the Internet and the TV is the same as having anything; shop around.

To get a rundown of what your choices are at your address, you may use provider Search tools available on localcabledeals.com or you may approach providers' websites directly if you have some extra spare time.

Call to inquire what discounts they give for merging your Internet/TV/ home phone services if your current services do not come from a single provider. Providers such as Spectrum and FiOS offer you great deals to combine the Internet and TV. Never purchase services you rarely use for a shorter discount. Of course, this is not a smart idea if you are not really using Cable or phone services.

Finally, please make sure you note the deals to keep them in mind while calling the competitors.

Compare the FINAL Prices

There are fantastic deals available somewhere all the time, which people do not want to miss out on. People enjoy them, and ISPs love to spread them. However, it is important to guarantee that you know when every promo price will expire - and what your monthly cost will be after it ends.

Signup only after confirming the final rate and end date. Regardless of what a spokesperson says on the phone, verify if it agrees with print deals or their websites before signing it.

Be conscious of the events and the developments

The length of the contract and Early Termination Fees (ETFs) should be checked thoroughly.

Contracts and ETFs in most locations are inevitable since monthly plans are costly and meaningful to students and short-term tenants only. If you have an option, stop plans for high ETFs-they are a red trapping flag, because ISPs normally increase prices steadily over time, or charge additional content fees, such as sports.

If you want to step away from your original contract, weigh the savings on your ETF to decide how long it would take to charge the shifting. Providers like Spectrum offers to pay your ETF up to $500 if you are interested in subscribing to Spectrum Double Play or Triple Play package. Contact Spectrum Customer Service to get more details regarding the contract payout.

Choose the right TV plan

Cable TV plans advertisements seem to spread the same message: 'Millions of channels! Thousands of options! Infinite choices!

The secret to saving money here is then to convince your cable television service to cut the channels that they sell in return.

Other cable TV networks (for example, Verizon FIOS) allow you to cherry-pick the channels during the signup - but much of it includes calling the company and trading while you are a client.

Access Local Stations

If your TV habit mainly centers on major networks, such as CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, and you might only turn to the local TV or HDTV through an antenna - free of charge - to cut the cable and the broadband data account.

As the FCC accepted a Next Gen TV update in late 2017, 4K content and upgraded 'smart TV' functionality will start to be shown on local TV by mid-2018.

Next, look at the antenna reception channels available in your area; the FCC has a helpful page that gives you a zip code, but my experience makes it a little easier and more reliable to browse through the lists of NoCable.org.

Antennas for as little as $30 are available on Amazon. Direction and range are important things to consider. If you are within 30 miles from the broadcast source, cheaper antennas are fantastic, with the price (and size) for us in increasing prices.

Know your internet usage

Not all internet users are made the same. Some of us only use a few GB a month to read the news and review the newsletters, other people need hundreds of GB to stream, play online games, and communicate.

Sadly, most of us follow the 'Goldilocks' approach when considering an Internet package - choosing the medium-sized one, which seems 'enough.'

But, the best way is to track the use of the Internet and pick the scale of your package accordingly and figure out how frequently you really need it. Because ISPs will charge you overhead fees or even cut you off to surpass the data limit.

Some ISPs (e.g. Comcast) have rolled out data caps and use meters. Manually monitoring of your home network is achieved using techniques, but they are outside the reach of this article and only practical for tech-savvies.

Conclusion

While services from one company can save you on your monthly bill, carefully consider the above points when deciding whether the Internet, TV, and phone needs.