One of the first things we did after we got married and got our first place, was have cable hooked up. It somehow made us feel more "grown up." Since then, we have always had some type of cable or satellite TV until now. We finally decided to ditch cable, but we aren't without TV. We replaced it for much less money a month, and we are enjoying it more!
SAVINGS
We were evaluating our bills a couple of months ago, and one of our big expenses was our cable bill. We started talking about how little we watched it and decided to cut the cable to see how it went for a couple of months. Worst case scenario, we could always have it hooked back up. Our initial savings was $70 a month. $840 a YEAR!!
CABLE REPLACEMENT
The first thing I did was buy this HD antenna. It was about $20 on Amazon. It was incredibly simple to hook up, and we get about 30 local channels with it. We get the basics like ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and a few more. The picture is great! You can input your address on this website to see which channels you can pick up in your area with an antenna. You may be surprised!
OPTIONS
A couple of other things that have helped. We have a Smart TV with a built-in ROKU. If you don't have a smart TV, I highly suggest getting a ROKU. There are so many free channels that you can add and enjoy! Amazon Fire TV is also similar in its ability to stream things right to your TV.
We already have a subscription to Netflix which is only about $10 a month and more than worth it. To be honest, that is what we use the most. The content is always updating, and there are so many movies and shows to pick from we don't get bored.
We also use our Amazon Prime Subscription to watch PRIME Video. I don't like the selection as much as Netflix, but between them both, there is always something to watch.
There are several channels that offer paid streaming services now. Just be careful that you will use them. Many offer free trials. I would check those out first.
PROGRAMMING
Since we no longer have cable, we aren't subjected to a ton of commercials which is a huge bonus! Also, we have total control over programming. I got so tired of inappropriate commercials and TV shows. Nothing seemed "family oriented" anymore. Since we cut the cable, we find ourselves having to censor a whole lot less and enjoying TV a whole lot more.
SPORTS
My hubby's concern was sports. He can catch most of the games on the local antenna channels and the ones that he can't he can stream online or just keep up with the scores on his phone. We haven't missed cable at all!
BONUS
The biggest bonus for us is we now have some extra cash in our pockets for something fun and more time to spend together as a family. That money is now going toward things like taking the kids to the movies, museums, and other family fun activities. TV isn't the center of our family entertainment anymore. Of course, we have movie nights, but there are also game nights, and just hanging out as a family. Ditching cable was one of the best decisions we made in a long time!
Questions? Comments?