Ten years ago, I was paying about $10 dollars for basic basic cable. You can still get it, but you have to ask for it. Otherwise they sell you extended cable. Basic cable is just the local channels and that's pretty much it. Of course, I can get that for free using OTA antennae. I have 30 channnels using digital OTA. Some of them are redundant, but I find myself watching unique shows. The only thing I miss is the cable access channel. Otherwise, I am good.
My wife watches re-runs on netflix, and has switched to watching youtube for particular shows. Hell my wife repairs appliances watching youtube shows. :D