Knowing how to cut your cable bill will keep more money in your pockets if you take the proper steps.

The average family is under constant assault from a savvy and relentless enemy known commonly as the “monthly bills.” Take the cable bill for instance. Modern cable television is a major expense, but this reality often gets lost amid the shuffle of the other more substantial bills (car, utilities, mortgage, rent, etc.). The reality is that few people really take the time to consider their cable bill and just how much they are spending on that little box above the TV.

According to NDP Group, the average cable bill comes to a whopping $86 per month. That’s more than most people spend on cellular use. Here are some other staggering facts regarding the high price of cable:

• Cable bills have gone up an average of 6% annually for the last four years.
• Experts predict cable bills will reach an average of $123 per month by 2015 and could even top $200 per month by 2020.
• With DVD sales down, licensing fees are going up, which in turn leads to rising cable prices.

And despite the changes in the technological landscape over the years, the business model of cable providers hasn’t significantly changed. After all, there was a time when it was said that the Internet would revolutionize how cable companies delivered their services. But today, black boxes and bundled channels are still the norm. So with no way to pay for channels on an individual basis, cable subscribers often resign themselves to the status quo: paying for whole subscription packages by the month.

What many people don’t know is that there are a number of ways to slash the monthly cable bill and put some extra cash in the pocket. All of the savings ideas listed below are available to cable subscribers everywhere; it’s up to them to take advantage of the opportunities.

Look for rebates

Like any good capitalist enterprise, the cable business is rife with competition. Therefore, cable companies are constantly looking to entice new customers with sign-up incentives. One such popular incentive involves rebate cards. Cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner have offered rebate cards in the past, some as much as $250. So there are deals to be had.

However, those who do accept a rebate offer in exchange for signing up with a particular company should be wary: there are oftentimes hidden fees and red tape associated with these cards. Fees for early termination and inactivity are particularly common. Subscribers should always read the fine print and thoroughly check their billing cycles to ensure no hidden fees are tacked on after the fact.

Bundle services

People end up spending quite a bit of money per month on modern technological “necessities” like Internet, phone and cable. In fact, they often spend way too much, especially if they are paying for these services separately. In this day and age, there really is no reason for the average household to purchase cable, phone and Internet from separate providers. All the large cable companies offer bundled packages for these services that can end up saving the average person or family hundreds of dollars per year.