Going Without Cable TV

It's entirely possible to cut the cable TV cord and save a ton of money monthly. But, it is not without some sacrifice.

What sacrifice?

Specifically, you will not be able to get "live" TV broadcasts and news, like CNN, or, watch live sports or other premium channels like HBO. But, for exchange, your TV bill will drastically be reduced to under $30 a month.

It is estimated that 20% of American homes now live without cable TV. This is making Comcast and others, nervous. Who wants to spend $120 a month for hundreds of channels that only a handful are watched? More is not always better.

Cutting the TV cable is part dependent on your home location. If you live close or in an urban environment within range of a TV broadcast studio, you can buy a small digital antenna for less than $100, sits on the bookshelf, and watch many channels free. You can also subscribe to Netflix or Hulu Plus for a total of less than $20 a month. Netflix is best for shows no longer on TV, but ones you missed. There are so many I missed, you can binge for hours. They also have their own like Orange is the New Black or House of Cards. They also have some shows that are still on TV, like Scandal. Hulu Plus augments Netflix by offering many shows that are still on TV. Most of these are ones that have been on TV for a few years. Both offer movies.

To further augment this, you should get Roku, to make the selection much like cable TV. It works flawlessly and allows you to watch your shows on your TV instead of on the computer monitor. Roku costs around $80. Once it is activated, there are no more further costs. Roku also allows you to watch some "live"news on their news channels, like CNN International from London, Fox News, Sky News from London and RT from Russia in English. The connection is not always the best, but, it is live or delayed. Roku has over a 100 channels to select. They have movie channels offering recent movie releases for a small fee.

Getting a digital antenna is really a great device in urban areas. For instance, in the San Francisco area, you could pick up 80 channels-free. It all depends on where their broadcast towers are. Generally, you want to be within 60 miles of the tower for best reception. To determine what is available in your area, go to: tvfool.com. As an example, I am about 70 miles from SF broadcast towers, by using a Mohu antenna with amplifier, I can receive all of the TV stations. The antenna I need costs $150.

So, through a combination of devices, you can easily cut the cable cord and save a ton of money over time. You will have more than enough channels and things to watch. Paying even a cheap Comcast account per month is $80. So, within a month, you will save!