I thought getting rid of cable would be tough, but trying to get a better deal for cable is way harder.

This week I decided to take a hard look at cable and my finances. Can cable really be worth this dent in my budget? I decided to do some research and figure out my options.

I called DIRECTV and told them I was looking to switch because of all the problems surrounding TWC right now – not entirely true, but I really didn’t want to sit through one more attack ad. I just wanted a general estimate, mostly to find out if it was even worth leaving my current cable company. The deal they offered me was almost half what I pay now for Time Warner Cable Internet and TV.

With that kind of ammunition, I easily made up my mind and called Time Warner Cable’s “leaving Time Warner Cable” department – and was on hold for more than 38 minutes. Apparently I was not the only one. The machine said more than seven times that she was very sorry I was on hold and she looked forward to being of service to me. I feel like she wasn’t sincere.

In the end, TWC offered me a $20 per month discount if I added a home phone – yes, you read that right. If I added this “unnecessary in 2013” service, I’d save money with Time Warner Cable. After a long discussion about how I neither want nor need a landline and that the whole idea made no sense, I told them I’d be looking at other options. I added that other cable companies were offering me a deal amounting to half of what they charged me, and they did not bat an eye.

Back on the phone with DIRECTV, I spoke to both DIRECTV reps and AT&T reps for Internet until we had all become way too close of friends, only to find that my landlord nixed the whole idea of satellite installation.

Back to square one.

So that means DIRECTV and DISH Network are out – no satellites. I did research (Read: scoured the Web for 20 minutes) on what else was available in my area – which is oddly not an easy Google search – and found that my options are not vast. I was very close to calling Time Warner to figure out how long I could quit cable before becoming a “new” customer again, because that’s where all the deals are.

In the end, I mulled my options of Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse.

Verizon FiOS offered deals almost identical to what I have now, so I figured why waste the time and effort of installation.

AT&T U-verse seemed like the best deal until I asked the salesman how much my bill would go up in the second year – after my “promotional price” was over. After about three scripted answers I got worried. After talking in circles with this poor guy on their online chat and probably frustrating him beyond belief, we still got nowhere. He also tried to sell me landline service. Is home phone service just pure profit for these companies? I haven’t had a home phone since I was 16 years old.

I went in circles with him before realizing that he was studiously avoiding telling me how much the plan, which had a great deal for the first year, would be for the second year. After 10 minutes of that, he finally gave in and told me that the second year would be the EXACT same price that I pay now.

Now, toward the end of this quest I had a crisis of content. What do I really watch on TV that couldn’t be seen elsewhere? Will my life suffer? Isn’t it all available online or on Hulu or, eventually, on Netflix?

Begrudgingly, I had to admit that yes, I will definitely complain once FX’s “American Horror Story” premieres next month and I can’t watch live with friends, or when special events come up and I miss out.

How much coffee can I give up to make this work?

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