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Set it and forget it. That's how most American families manage their TV service - by signing a package deal and paying the monthly fees without giving them much thought. If you've had a TV plan for a while, you probably realize that your monthly fee pays for access to dozens of channels you never watch. By taking a closer look at what you really watch, you can probably save big money on your monthly TV bills:

1. Make it a project for one month to note what channels your family actually watches. Designate a month, and involve everyone in your household who watches TV.
2. Print out enough copies for each TV in your home the list of channels available on your current TV plan. (Find the list at your service provider's web site.) Place one list with each TV, along with a pen or marker. The best place to keep the list is wherever you might sit comfortably to watch your favorite programs.
3. For the designated month, have each member of the family make a check or hash mark beside the channels they watch, as they watch them (tuning in several times a day to a favorite channel earns several check marks). Channel surfing doesn't count.
4. At the end of the month, note the channels with the most check marks. They're your priority channels for a TV subscription plan. Highlight them on the list.
5. Also note the channels with zero or just a few marks. They're channels you don't need in your subscription.
6. Now, compare online the TV packages offered by your current provider and its competitors. Chances are, they're all offering special deals costing less than your current monthly fee. Call your current provider's customer support line and ask for the promotional deal you've found. If the provider has competitors in your area, you're more likely to get the promotional rate than if there's only one provider available to you. Be prepared with information about the competition's deals, and be prepared to cancel your current subscription if you don't get the deal you want. You could save $10-$50+ monthly!

If you're committed to cut way back on TV service costs, consider subscribing to your preferred provider's most basic plan and supplementing with a streaming service like Netflix for unlimited access to movies and TV series through your home Internet connection.

Share here how you save on TV service.