Everything you need to know about how to watch TV without cable or satellite.
Truthfully, I use to be so in love with my cable TV (this was back in my non-frugal days). I remember telling my friends that, “I could never live without my DVR!” I didn’t even know how to watch TV without cable or satellite.
Well, years and years later, I am here to tell you that I CAN actually live without cable (go figure 😉 )!
Five years ago we decided to make some big cuts in our budget. When the talk of whether or not we should cut out the cable I wasn’t super thrilled with the idea. But, I wanted to trim our budget and knew that this was a need, not a want. So, we cancelled it.
And you know what. There has not been a single day when I have regretted it. There have definitely been a few times when I have MISSED having cable, but I have never regretted getting rid of it. The amount of money that we have saved is so worth it.
If you are wanting to cut costs in your budget, I highly recommend cutting out the expensive cable or satellite television. I’ll share a few budget friendly options below.
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Budget Friendly Cable Alternatives
It wasn’t even hard to find a few cheaper services for our family.
Digital Antennae
The first and cheapest option we did was to buy a digital antennae. This was a one time purchase of $30 and enables us to get all of the public channels for free. The only TV we had for a few months was this digital antennae. If you are on a strict budget, this is the perfect option for you. It provides great TV with NO monthly payments. My kids love watching PBS Kids and my husband and I enjoy the news and a few favorite evening shows (I’m talking about you This Is Us).
Library
Did you know that your local library has hundreds of free videos available to checkout?? They do! If you aren’t using this great service, I recommend starting now. We love to stop every week and choose a couple of new books and videos while returning the old ones.
Streaming Services
Looking for more options than a digital antennae provides? Check out these affordable subscription services.
Netflix
Netflix is seriously one of the best inventions ever! They have just about anything you would want to watch, available 24/7! Documentaries, horror films, chick flicks, popular TV series, kids shows, and more! Everything is there!
With plans starting at just $8.99/month, this is a great budget friendly option for TV viewing.
- Related: Extreme Ways to Cut Your Budget
Hulu
Another great option is Hulu. They are one of the cheapest options with the lowest plans only $5.99/month. One of my favorite things about Hulu is there great selection of new releases and current TV shows available. You don’t have to feel like you’re missing out on current TV.
Disney+
One of the newer TV subscription services available is Disney+. Our family have quickly became huge fans! We love all of the Marvel and Disney options. My teen/tween daughters especially enjoy watching the Disney Channel original series. Plans start at only $7.99/month.
Amazon Prime Video
We all love Amazon (don’t we? or is that just me???). One of the awesome perks of Amazon is Amazon Prime. With their low price of just $12.99/month you are given access to stream hundreds of popular TV shows and movies, including a few Amazon Prime originals. PLUS! Amazon Prime offers access to music, books, two day shipping and more!
How To Watch
You can watch these streaming services on your smart TV, computer, or phone.
If you don’t have a smart TV I recommend getting a Roku. The Roku gives you the ability to access all of these subscription services in one easy place. It is a one time low price and very user friendly. There are hundreds of apps/channels available to add to your device, some of them are even free…no subscription required! Yay!
The Results
By only subscribing to a couple of streaming services and cutting out our cable we have saved $500 a year! This means that in the 7 years since we have cancelled our cable we have saved $3,500!
Just think about what you could buy for $3,500. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather spend that money on something other than TV. The little expenses always add up!
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I hope this helped you know how to watch TV without cable or satellite.
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