Advice Needed For Television and Streaming

We have had DirecTV for television since 2010 and are generally happy with their service. Part of the reason we initially became DirecTV subscribers was for the NFL Sunday Ticket so I could watch Pittsburgh Steelers games from the comfort of my home. While we stopped purchasing Sunday Ticket several years ago due to the cost and being busy with kids’ activities over the weekend, DirecTV gave us the NFL package for free the last two years. Of course, Sunday Ticket moves to YouTube TV this fall, and paying $250 (plus the cost of subscribing to YouTube TV) does not seem to fit into our budget. 

I find that we watch less television than we used to even though we have DirecTV as well as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus. So today's question is what should we do if we want to spend less money on television? Actually, the question is what do you do for your television and streaming services? Are you saving money and still getting all of the content that you want?

I will preface this by stating that having network telvision (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX) is a must. I also still like the idea of network television, and I try to watch the first 20 minutes of Good Morning America to start the day. We also watch live sports more than anything else, so besides watching games on these networks, we currently view sports and sports programming on the ESPN channels, MLB Network, NFL Network, TBS, and TNT (and occasionally FS1, NBA TV, and The Tennis Channel). What kind of options are available to keep these stations with some streaming services at a lower price.

You make the call!

2013 Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule

The NFL released the full 2013 schedule Thursday evening. Although we already knew the Pittsburgh Steelers' opponents and game locations, we now know the exact dates and times of each game.

Depending on the possibility of flex scheduling during the end of the season, the Steelers have four nationally televised games: a Monday night game at Cincinnati (9/16); Sunday night games against Chicago (9/22) and the Bengals (12/15); and Thanksgiving evening/2nd night of Hanukkah at Baltimore (11/28). The 11/3 game at New England and 12/22 game at Green Bay (that's going to be cold!) could also turn into the primary games on CBS. Plus, living in DC, the 10/20 game against Baltimore will almost definitely be aired locally. Therefore, it's time for the second annual debate on whether I should keep DirecTV's Sunday Ticket.

Last year, it seemed like about 10 Steelers games aired in the Washington DC market. While I don't think there will be that many games shown in DC this year, based on the list above, 8 or 9 games is a distinct possibility. I think the short answer is that I'm not sure I'm willing to pay $200 for Sunday Ticket this season. For $100, I will.


P.S. Can the NFL please schedule the Steelers to play one game in Florida annually? It's almost a certainty that I can attend those games, but the only game against a Florida team this year is against Miami in Pittsburgh.

P.P.S. (or is it P.S.S.?) Assuming someone pays for the hotel and flight, I'm happy to cover the Steelers-Vikings game in London for any publication or website.

How I Spend My Money (2012 Credit Card Spending)

Although there are multiple credit cards in my household, we tend to use one credit card significantly more than the rest. This credit card company also provides a year-end statement showing how we spent our money which you can sort by individual retailers or category (groceries, travel, etc.). I shared the places where we spent the most money in 2011, so I thought I would bring this back for 2012.

1. Wegmans - I'm generally at Wegmans at least once a week. We also tend to take friends and family from out of town here so they can enjoy the Wegmans experience. I'm not kidding.

2. Target - Kids are expensive. We like the Target diapers, and Target sells Ziggy's cat food for cheaper than anywhere else.

3. Amazon - Kids are expensive especially if you don't want to leave the house to buy stuff for them.

4. Sun Refining & Marketing (better known as Sunoco) - Remember when gas at $2 a gallon was high?

5. Costco - Call me if you need toilet paper.

6. Metro - There's just no way to avoid this expense. I guess I could drive to work, but then you would see Sunoco move up the list and a parking garage reach the top 10.

7. DirecTV - This is the only bill that is paid directly through the credit card as opposed to the bank account. I need to do some serious thinking next year (again) as to whether it makes sense to keep Sunday Ticket.

8. USAir

9. JetBlue - It looks like I did a lot of exotic traveling but the reality is that these are all trips to visit family. I'm scared to see where USAir and JetBlue fall in 2013 when we have to start buying a ticket for my child (kids under 2 fly free).

10. Old Navy - It was close, but Old Navy barely edged New Burgundy for the 10th spot.

Obviously things like rent, gas and electric would make this list, but as I mentioned under DirecTV, we don't use our credit card to pay those bills. Overall, this is a fairly boring list. It would be nice to have some excitement and show international travel, luxury hotels, fancy restaurants, or sports or theater tickets, but that's not where I am in my life. I tend to think that eight, nine or even all 10 of these companies stay on this list in 2013.

Where did you use your credit card the most in 2012?

Truly Sean’s Ramblings

There is a lot I could complain about from the past weekend. For starters, Sears delivered a new dishwasher, but it was damaged, so we still have our old dishwasher. After several phone calls and a trip back to the store, we’re getting another new dishwasher in about two weeks. Although this situation is/was frustrating, it looks like we might save a little money on the purchase, so this could turn out to be okay.

Meanwhile, I could complain about the Pittsburgh Steelers performance in Sunday's 34-31 loss to Oakland. Neither the running game or defense looked good, but the Steelers bye week comes at a perfect time. Hopefully, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and Rashard Mendenhall get healthy. Meanwhile, the team has two weeks to prepare for the next game. Use that time well!

Now I will complaint about the NFL, CBS and DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket. I purchased Sunday Ticket so that I can watch every Steelers game (and every other NFL game) from the comfort of my home. On Sunday, DirecTV blacked out the Steelers-Raiders game since the local CBS station decided to carry the game. (DirecTV doesn’t air in-market games.) However, instead of showing the Steelers game at the regularly scheduled time of 4:25, CBS showed overtime of the Saints-Chiefs game followed by the end of the Dolphins-Jets game. CBS did not start airing the Steelers game until the second quarter started which was after 5:00. Now, I understand not showing the Steelers-Raiders game on time in the DC market if the 1:00 game featured Washington or even Baltimore. I wouldn’t necessarily be happy, but I would understand.

So I have several questions here. Since the Redskins-Bengals game ended before 4:25, why switch to the Saints-Chiefs game instead of going with the Steelers game you already had scheduled? Since CBS wasn’t showing the Steelers-Raiders game, why can’t DirecTV show the game until it airs on local TV? The most important question though is why am I paying for Sunday Ticket if I can’t watch the Steelers?

Since Yom Kippur starts tonight, I hope the NFL, CBS and DirecTV atone for their sins! (This may be a bit strong, but they can at least treat their customers better.)

The Sunday Ticket Debate

Last year, DirecTV had an amazing offer that new customers received the NFL’s Sunday Ticket for free. (I think they still have this offer for new customers this year too.) Although I worried about the possibility of a lockout causing the cancellation of the 2011 season, DirecTV guaranteed free Sunday Ticket for 2012 if this occurred. Fortunately, with the exception of the Steelers-Broncos playoff game where I scared my child, the season took place.

With the 2012 NFL season not too far away, I need to decide my future with Sunday Ticket. The cost of Sunday Ticket this season is $200 which is a significant difference from the $0 I paid last year (like a $200 difference). Since I’m debating whether or not to continue with Sunday Ticket, I thought I would put both the pros and cons of keeping or dropping Sunday Ticket on paper (well, computer screen).

Pros:
- With Sunday Ticket, I can watch every Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL game.
- I don’t need to leave the house.
- I can DVR/pause the game in case of diaper emergency.
- I can watch the game with my son and teach him to wave the Terrible Towel.
- Without Sunday Ticket, if I’m watching football from home, I’m stuck with the local games. This means lots of Washington Redskins games. That can be torturous.

Cons:
- $200

I admit that these are weak lists, but the determining factor truly is money. Looking at the NFL TV schedule, between Thursday, Sunday and Monday night games, the NFL scheduled the Steelers for five national games. The Steelers also face Washington and the Steelers-Ravens game not on national TV should air in DC. Plus, there tends to be at least one or two other games available in DC as part of regional coverage. All of this means that at least 7 Steelers games will be available on local TV. Therefore, the question is if I want to pay $200 for about 9 Steelers games.

I also need to factor in probably being away or unavailable for a few games, including the possibility of attending a game at Heinz Field. Now we’re looking at $200 for 7 Steelers games.

If I don’t get Sunday Ticket, I usually watch the Steelers at a local sports bar. Between food and drinks, this generally costs about $20-$25 per week. Additionally, instead of watching the Steelers games from 1:00 to 4:00 at home, going out means leaving the house around noon and not returning until 5:00. That’s a long time away from the family on a weekend day. Therefore, maybe I should ask do I want to pay $140-$175 to watch 7 Steelers games out and deal with any possible consequences of being out so much. (For example, it will be unlikely that I will referee any weekend soccer games being away from home for so many Sunday afternoons.)

So do any of you find yourself in the same scenario? What are your thoughts about the Sunday Ticket dilemma?

You Had Me At Jadeworld

I recently received the following offer from DIRECTV:




Besides the fact that I couldn't read this promotion, I'm excited about the opportunity to get MandarinDirect and Tai Seng Entertainment. Of course speaking and understanding Mandarin would probably help.

Anyway, does DIRECTV assume that I speak Chinese (or is it Mandarin or Cantonese)? Is DIRECTV trying to encourage folks to learn other languages? Do they have some type of partnership with Rosetta Stone?

Sunday Notes (Steelers-Browns Recap)

I know that you get your Steelers coverage from major media outlets and blogs dedicated to the Steelers. That’s why I give you other items that you can’t get anywhere else.

I’m not going to get into Ben Roethlisberger’s off-field activities. Simply from a football perspective, it was great seeing him on the field yesterday. The Steelers are clearly a better offensive team with Roethlisberger in the line-up, and with three touchdown passes, he showed again that he is one of the elite NFL quarterbacks.

While 27 is a lot of carries for 84 rushing yards, what stood out for me about Rashard Mendenhall’s performance was his excellent blocking in passing situations.

Yes, he got injured in the second quarter, but the defense and special teams did a nice job containing Steeler-killer Joshua Cribbs when he played.

James Harrison (11 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Lawrence Timmons (11 tackles, 2 sacks) continue to dominate. There’s not a better LB combination in football.

The Browns may have finally found a franchise quarterback. Despite his two interceptions, Colt McCoy didn’t look rattled in his first NFL start. 23 for 33 for 281 yards, a touchdown and 22 yards rushing is a nice debut.

I get that NFL coaches aren’t going to wear suits anymore, but there has to be some type of professionalism. Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley wore a T-shirt during yesterday’s game against the Houston Texans. Haley couldn’t get away with wearing this shirt in 90% of the offices around the country.



I’d like to know the cost of all of the pink towels, hats, shoes, goal post pads, wrist bands, pom-poms, etc. displayed during NFL games to promote breast cancer awareness. It has to be in the tens of thousands, right? Who is paying for all of the pink equipment? The NFL? The individual teams? I hope that the NFL is donating at least the amount of money they are spending on the pink stuff to breast cancer charities.

I’m happy that Hiro of Heroes (Masi Oka) is getting some work in Hawaii Five-0.



Did you happen to see that DirecTV commercial that aired approximately 7,000 times yesterday where a guy steals films by shooting the employee with a blow dart? After the guy missed with his initial shot, shouldn’t the employee have tried to run? He just sat there as the attacker reloaded the second blow dart. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the “See It Before It’s On Netflix” video on the “What To Watch” section of the DirecTV website.

Next week in South Florida!