How I saved $80 per month by switching from Comcast to AT&T.

If you have read the wisdom section of my book and website you know that I am real big on saving money.  A penny saved is really more than a penny earned because a penny saved multiplies exponentially over time. Prior to making a change I was paying $178 per month for Comcast high speed internet access and cable TV (with 3 TV sets and 1 premium channel- HBO) and $45 per month for phone service.  After making the change I am now paying $143 per month to AT&T for high speed Internet, cable TV and phone service (all on one bill).  

Here are the pros and cons: I’ve not noticed any difference in the Internet access or phone service.  Overall I would rate the Comcast TV service superior to the AT&T TV service, but not enough so to justify $80 per month.  Here are the major disadvantages of the AT&T system as I see them: The Comcast easy listening music channel plays instrumental music only- which is nice to have when you want to have background music to read by or talk over without vocal interruption.  AT&T does not offer an instrumental only music channel.  The AT&T TV system has its own DVR and does not work with TIVO.  TIVO is a superior DVR system as it offers more ways to select programs you want to watch.  However a prudent person would live with these disadvantages to save $80 per month unless you happen to be very wealthy, which for this purpose I would define as a net worth over $1.5 million or annual income of over $100,000 per year if single or $150,000 per year if married.  If one is that wealthy then I believe indulging in the more expensive system would not be imprudent.