Hi Frugalistas! This guest blog post is from reader Benet Wilson, telling us how she saved big cash on cable! If you have an idea for the “How I Saved It” series, drop me a line at business@thefrugalista.com xo!

How I Saved It by Benet J. Wilson

Our family has been a DirecTV customer for years, mainly because we love the NFL Sunday Ticket. I get to watch my beloved Oakland Raiders, while the man gets to see his New Orleans Saints. Our bill — before the NFL Sunday Package — was running around $130 a month (I know, we need to cut those premium channels).

We use Verizon Fios for our Internet access and phone service, and they were pushing us — hard — to switch to their Fios TV service. The deals kept getting better and better to the point that they offered us a deal for phone, television and Internet for $85 a month, good for two years.

I had recently read an article where people were negotiating with television, Internet and phone providers for lower rates. So I decided to give it a try with DirecTV. I gave them a call, and I was blunt — I told them I really enjoyed their service, but I was seriously thinking of moving to Verizon Fios because of their great deal.

They thanked me for my years as a good customer and switched me to a guy I called “The Fixer.” This guy was good — he spoke in a Southern accent so smooth that butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He asked what my deal was with Verizon Fios, did a few clicks of his computer and said he’d match the deal. Not only did he match it, but he gave us three months access to the premium sports channels (that we’ve since dropped), but he gave us the NFL Sunday Ticket To Go for free.

So now we have our same great service, a few extras and a much lower television bill (and yes, we cut all the premium channels except HBO). So I suggest calling your local cable/satellite provider and see what they might be able to do for you!