If you pay a cable bill every month you are probably like me, wishing there was another way that wasn’t so darn expensive. I waste a good chunk of time every other month dealing with my cable providers customer service reps to discuss why my bill has jumped yet again. It’s extremely frustrating! Paying nearly $200 a month for access to good Internet and a bunch of channels I don’t ever watch (didn’t even know I had!) is ridiculous and I have had enough. Good news? There is another way! You can cut the cord to your cable and still enjoy your guilty pleasures (hello Bachelor!) and have plenty of kid friendly options to entertain your tike. Just follow this How To and you will be well on your way to cable freedom and an easier attack on your wallet every month.
How To Cut the Cord on Cable
- Call your Cable provider: you might be able to save your current cable relationship and drastically reduce your monthly bill. Call and ask for the customer retention department. When you get in touch with customer retention lay it out for them. You are going to leave…the bill is way too high and you can get a comparable package from elsewhere for X cost. There is a chance they will meet the price you give them or get very close. If they can’t, then tell them its over. You have found someone better.
- Get some Rabbit Ears: Ok, they aren’t rabbit ears anymore but they achieve the same thing. They are much more hi-tech and low profile now and will get you access to the network channels for FREE! Bachelor is back! Just the one time cost of the antenna and you are set. Check out this one on Amazon.
- Stream It: A must in your new non-cable world is a streaming player. It essentially replaces your cable box and will give you access to a multitude of platforms like Netflix, Hulu, etc. to access all the shows you love. There are several good options on the market right now and it depends on exactly what you are trying to do. The top 4 standouts are Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV. All offer different price points that fit every budget. I am an Apple lover through and through, but in this case I highly recommend the Roku route. It offers the most TV apps, best customization options and the all around best experience.
- Find your shows: Now that you have your rabbit ears and the streaming box to bring the shows back to your TV lets hook up to the streaming services that actually provide the content you can’t live without. There are several services that you will probably want to sign up for (and you probably already subscribe to a few). Sling TV- Right about now your husband is FREAKING OUT because SPORTS! Tell him to calm down, Sling TV has him covered (and your HGTV too). $20/mo gets you access to 65 of the most popular cable channels and if that isn’t quite enough they have add-on packages to step up to more channels. They are also running a deal right now where you can get that Roku I was praising for half-off with a Sling TV subscription. No contract and a free trial period…it’s a no-brainer ladies. Netflix- My guess is you already have a Netflix account and if you don’t then you should definitely consider it. Tons of movies, TV Shows (network shows and original content like House of Cards) and great documentaries (Making of a Murderer hysteria) so you can binge watch to your hearts content. All for $7.99/mo. Amazon Prime Instant Video– This is part of your Amazon Prime account! Free! If you don’t have Amazon Prime then we can’t be friends. Seriously, it’s a game changer in so many ways. Stop reading this article right now and go sign up for Amazon Prime. Then come back and finish reading and we can be friends again. Ok! So many kids show options and awesome new original content, you will love it. Bonus! – it also includes Amazon music access.
Hulu– Hulu is the best streaming service when you are wanting access to current shows on TV, think any of the Shonda Rhimes dramas that drop cliff hangers every darn week! The new shows are available the day after they air and you can get back episodes to catch up. The price tag is pretty small at $8/mo ($12 for commercial free) but in my opinion Hulu is one you can pass on if you have your HD antenna and Sling TV. However, there are a few original content shows that are getting lots of praise and you can only find those on Hulu.
Quick cost breakdown:
HD Antenna – $20-$40 one time cost
Streaming Player- $20 – $150 one time cost ($50 Roku 3 w/Sling TV deal)
Streaming Services – Sling TV $20/mo
Netflix $7.99
Amazon FREE (if you already have Prime)
Hulu $12/mo (splurge for the commercial free)
Total One Time Cost – Around $100
Total Monthly Cost – $40 (say What?!)
FREEDOM! Congratulations, you are now cable free and not sacrificing anything you liked about having cable. Feels good doesn’t it! Cutting the cord on cable will be the best breakup you could ever have…you don’t even have to try and be friends after.
Have you cut the cord on cable? Tell us what you think? Worth it?
Hi Hallie-
You didn’t mention the monthly cost of internet service in your article. Don’t most of these alternatives depend on internet service? Thanks
Stacy, hi! Yes, great question. The costs are focusing on the cost of the cable service only and not Internet. I would recommend Time Warner Internet, they have the fastest speeds available currently for around $40-$50/mo. And yes, most of the services mentioned require Internet.
You thinking of cutting the cord?!
Guess what? All those shows you care about when you discover the world of streaming and its far superior ad-free content. Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon all offer great stuff for cheap, and for advanced streaming is the holy grail. I get no air reception where I live. I don’t feel I’m missing anything.
But affordable broadband is the key. In some areas of the country you have no broadband, and in other areas you have a single provider who forcing you to purchase an expensive cable bundle to avoid the inflated cost of standalone broadband services. Until the US catches up with the rest of the world and realizes that Internet access is a basic utility like electricity and water, many people will be stuck with their bloated cable bundles.
I really need to do this. We already have netflix and hd antenna in our bedroom because i did want to pay monthly fees for additional recievers.
But my question is can i get AMC? I need to be able to watch THE WALKING DEAD.
Lisa,
Hey! I year you on the Walking Dead…its a favorite in my house too. And AMC is included in Sling TV. You can see all the basic channels here: https://www.sling.com/package
Cut that cord!
I love this idea! I don’t watch a lot of TV, but do depend on the DVR that comes with my Uverse. Do you know of any work-arounds on that?
Debi,
Hey! So you have a couple options here but both require an upfront cost. In the long run it will be cheaper but you will have to fork over some $$ to get started. Another thing to think about is that most of the streaming services also allow you to watch the shows on your own time so a DVR might not really be needed.
But, if you need a DVR type functionality you can look into:
http://www.channelmaster.com/Antenna_DVR_s/336.htm
https://www.tivo.com
Hope that helps!