While cable TV prices continue to rise, you don't have to sit on your couch and do nothing about it. In fact, there are a number of easy steps that you can take to help bring the price of your cable TV bill down to a more reasonable level or eliminate it all together.  

• Negotiate
• Bundle services
• Downgrade plan
• Give up cable TV
• Rent Movies
• Use the Internet

via thestreet

Internet Savings

• Consider dial-up access for the greatest savings. A high-speed connection isn’t truly necessary for most people.
• If you seldom use the Internet, you may be able to save money with a limited usage plan that restricts your access to certain times of the day or a certain number of hours per month.
• Look for a bundled package that offers a discount to customers who combine their Internet, phone and cable TV services into one convenient monthly bill.
• Investigate well-known discount service provides such as NetZero and PeoplePC.

Television Savings

• If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with competing service providers, investigate what other deals are available.
• Unless you’re using them every night, consider switching back to basic cable.
• Do some research to see if your favorite television shows are available to watch online for free.
• If your family loves to rent movies from the local video store, consider signing up for a DVD rental service such as Netflix.

Phone Savings

• Get rid of caller ID, conference calling and other unnecessary features.
• Instead of having voice mail, switch back to an answering machine.
• Take the time to do some comparison shopping to see if you can find a company that offers cheaper long distance rates.
• If you need to make international long distance calls, consider purchasing a prepaid calling card. Many offer very affordable rates with no monthly fee.
• If you’re planning a long vacation or an extended business trip, ask to have your phone service temporarily suspended.

via lovetoknow

1. Determine Your Calling Patterns.

2. Find Your Category on the Chart.

3. Compare Plans.

4. Research the Plans.

via trac.org