Cut The Cable TV and Still Watch Your Favorite Shows Local Channels To

Should you cut your cable bill? With the many different options for watching TV these days and the huge price difference, of course, you should cut the cable. If you are serious about saving money there is no reason you shouldn’t. We are a family of 7 soon to be 8 living on one income. We cut the cord a few years ago and never looked back.

find out how we saved $1680 a year on our cell phone bill

WHY CUT THE CORD ON CABLE

• The Cost

For us, our average Cable bill was around $120 a month. That is $1440 a year!!  Just for TV! After running the numbers and seeing it on paper, I just felt like cutting the cable bill was a must. You could use that money to pay off a credit card bill or go on a fun trip with your family.

My husband took a 30% pay cut and we were forced to look at our budget and see where we could cut cost. That is when we really ran the numbers. Maybe this is you, if so. I promise it will be just fine. You won’t regret saving money!

Calculate your true savings: Look up your most recent cable bill and multiply that times 12. What did you get?  

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT CUTTING CABLE

• Will I be able to watch my favorite shows still?

The answer is, yes.  There are several options for streaming TV. Here is how you can watch your favorite shows, without cable.

 1. Number one for me is Amazon Prime

We are huge fans of Amazon Prime. They have so many different movies and shows to choose from. Educational shows, kid and family movies, western movies and shows that are trending on cable.  You will also get other perks with your Amazon Prime membership like free one day and two-day shipping on millions of items (my favorite) , prime pantry (for groceries), Prime Books and more. So not only do we save money on Cable TV by using prime, we also save money on shopping! I did almost all of my Christmas shopping through Amazon Prime.

THE COST: $99 a year or $8.25 a month  Sign up here to get a free 30-day trial!

2. Most TV networks offer full episodes of their current and past shows online

Networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS. Even my favorite, HGTV.  Just do a quick google of your favorite Network and see for your self. You can also watch kids shows. Check out Disneyjr.com and PBSkids.com. Your kids can watch some of their favorite shows and play games too!

THE COST: FREE

 

3. HULU

Watch current episodes and full series of hit shows and your favorite movies. They are now offering a Live TV option. I haven’t used this yet, but it might be worth checking into. They are also offering a free trial for first-time users! !Hulu Plus – Click here to try it out

THE COST:  $11.99 a month with no commercials or $7.99 with limited commercials

4. Netflix

Netflix is a lot like Hulu. They each offer a good variety of different TV shows and movies. Current episodes and full series of popular shows along with classic and hit movies. No Cable TV required.

THE COST: 3 different packages ranging from $7.99-$13.99 a month

5. YouTube

YouTube, my kids love YouTube. If you’re just looking for entertainment and not a specific show, YouTube is great. My kids love watching Mine-Craft and Pokémon videos! My little one is also able to watch his favorite nursery rhyme and educational videos.

THE COST: FREE

• How can I watch local channels like the News?

The first thing my husband did was he purchased an Antenna. The Antenna alone picked up all the local channels. We can still watch the News, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, PBS kids. Any local channel the antenna will pick it up.

THE COST: One-time purchase of an Antenna

• There is so many to choose from, what’s the best option?

Personally, we use all of them. You may not watch that much TV so you may not feel the need to use them all. However, we have 7 people in our home and we all like different shows. If you only have a handful of shows you like to watch just make a quick note of your favorites and search each site to see what they offer. I think you will be surprised to find out that your favorite shows are available to watch for a fraction of the price you are paying now.

• Will I really save that much money?

Let’s do the math

$120 (our cable bill)   x 12 months =  $1440

If you cut the cable and switch to:

Amazon Prime ($99 a year): Savings $1341 a year

Hulu $11.99 a month: Savings $1296.12 a year

Netflix $13.99 a month: Savings $1272. 12 a year

All of the above: $410.76 a year: Savings $1029.24 a year

What do you think? I would say no matter what option you choose you will save a good amount of money!

• HOW DO I GET NETFLIX, HULU, AND AMAZON TO WORK ON MY TV?

1. You can use a Smart TV

Nowadays if you have a Smart TV, the apps are already loaded on the TV for you. But, wait, don’t feel like you need to go out and buy a new TV! I guess if you want to you can, but read on before you make that choice.

2. You can stream right from your game system to your TV 

If you have a game system like an XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 or one of the newer models, you can download all of the programs on the game system and stream them right to your TV. We do this for the kids. We have a game system in our living room with Netflix and YouTube loaded on it.

3. You can purchase what’s called an Amazon Fire Stick.

We have an Amazon Fire Stick in our bedroom.  You can stream all of your favorite TV apps right from the fire stick. You can stream Amazon Prime from the Fire Stick, but you don’t have to have Amazon Prime to stream Netflix or Hulu. It is pretty simple, you just plug it into your TV. It will run off of your WiFI network. No need to purchase a Smart TV! With almost five stars and 142,000 reviews, you won’t be disappointed.   Click here to check it out! Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote | Streaming Media Player

4. Stream right from your Phone, Tablet or Computer.

You can download the apps for Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and Amazon Prime right to your phone, tablet or computer. It is very simple. All you have to do is download the apps and sign into your account. Then you will have access to thousands of shows and movies right at your fingertips.

 

What do you think? Do you think you are ready to make the switch now? There are so many different ways to watch TV and your favorite shows these days, there is no need to keep that hefty bill!

Like I said, we did this years ago and never looked back.  Start saving money today by trying out one of these TV services. You will be financially better off and you won’t regret it!