Eliminate Your Cable Bill With These 4 Alternatives
If you’re on a tight budget, you might want to get rid of your cable TV subscription. Currently, cable bills are often over $100 per month! Thankfully, there are several free and low cost entertainment options if you’d like to save money.
Consider one of these budget-friendly alternatives to cable television:
1. Install a digital antenna. You can enjoy free, over-the-air programming of your local channels with a digital antenna. If you live within 25 to 45 miles of a local broadcast station, a digital antenna will most likely be able to pull in the signal.
Digital antennas come in a variety of sizes and price ranges, but many can be purchased for less than the cost of one month's worth of cable TV service.
Many digital antennas can be easily installed in the attic of your home if you don't want the neighbors to know just how frugal you are.
2. Borrow free DVDS from your local library. Cut your entertainment costs and still see the latest releases by checking out current and classic movies on DVDs from your local library.
The public library is a great source for free access to digital media sources such as DVDs and MP3 files.
Most libraries don't charge for DVD rentals unless you return them late.
If your local branch doesn't have a copy of a movie or program you want to see, they can usually get it for you for free using the interlibrary loan program.
3. Use the internet to stream sports, movies, and TV shows. If you have access to a high speed internet connection, there are hundreds of sites that let you stream or download your favorite programs at little or no cost! Smart TVs and devices like Roku and Google Chromecast let you stream right on your TV.
Go to the network's website and see if it provides streaming of your favorite shows directly from their site. Many networks allow users to stream their most popular shows online for free, with a one to eight day delay between its original air date and when it’s available for streaming.
In addition to a delay, most network sites will require you to view commercials as you stream.
Recent popular streaming choices available directly on the network's own website include shows like Survivor and How I Met Your Mother at CBS, The Blacklist at NBC, and Sleepy Hollow at Fox.
Additional options to stream movies and TV shows for free include websites such as Hulu and Crackle. Both sites provide users hundreds of movies and TV shows to watch at no cost.
YouTube also allows users to find and watch thousands of professional and homemade videos at little to no cost to users.
Apple iTunes, Amazon Instant Demand Video, and Netflix offer users the ability to stream content for a low monthly fee or small cost per episode. Some programs at iTunes are as little as 99 cents an episode, and Netflix charges just under $8 per month for unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows.
4. Split the costs. If there’s a show you are dying to watch, but you’re unable to afford cable, ask a friend with cable to record it. Host a viewing night for you and your friends. If each of you brings a covered dish to share, all can enjoy dinner and a show at a lower overall cost to all.
With so many easy options that are free or low cost, you can eliminate your cable bill without sacrificing your access to quality entertainment. Personally, I haven’t had cable since the NFL became political, I use apps, pay the yearly subscription for Disney +, Pureflix & Yippy, pay monthly for YouTube because I don’t want the commercials, but still save hundreds or more a year and I am ensuring the quality of what my family watches is aligned with our values. We also have TBN, Newsmax and other apps allowing us to keep up on important news.
It really is the small things in life that are the most important. Saving money on things as simple as cable can not only be an asset on your bank account but the intentional life you provide for your home.
