Okay, so I'm sure a bunch of you (okay, most of you) have Cable through Time Warner, Comcast, or one of the others (although the odds for the first two are greater after their buyout of Adelphia). I'm going to let you know how to get some major scratch knocked off your cable bill, and all it takes is a little patience.

I have my cable (with HBO, Showtime, and HDTV), and internet with Time Warner Cable. The entire package was costing me 132.45 after taxes and all fees. I recently decided, 'Hey, why not threaten them with a move to the dish and see what happens.' What happened was magic.

First thing you do is set aside a good 20 minutes. You need to call the 1-800 number of your respective service. Pick the option to cancel or discontinue service, anything else will keep you on hold for a long time. When you say you're going to stop giving them money, they answer your calls.

I told the person on the phone that I thought I was paying too much for my package and I could get it for cheaper with DirecTV. The Customer Service Rep. offered to downgrade my service, but I told her that I could get the same package for much cheaper with the dish (which is key, don't give up on anything). She asked for my phone number and looked up my account.

She put me on hold for a couple minutes, and came back and said "I can offer you the same package that you are getting now for 82.78 a month... before taxes. Would you like to do this?"

At this point, I was happy, even asked what I was paying before. I told her that I would stay with TW if I could get this deal. I was put on hold for another 5-10 minutes when she came back and told me that my monthly bill was now 87.43 with tax for the exact same package I was paying $50 more for just a few minutes prior.

Obviously it helps if you have a bunch of services with the same company (the more you pay them, the more they want your business, duh). Stick to your guns, you are ready to leave for the Dish and they will take care of you.

Never fall for the "downgrade" option, this is just a ploy to keep you paying the same overpriced rate for less programming, if you have the time to wait, you will be rewarded with a great offer.