Cutting the cable is scary. Most people want to but don’t want to lose their favorite channel.
What if you took a good hard look at your monthly cable bill?
That is exactly what 30+ people did at the bottom of this post.
They all shared how much they were paying and their fears. The problem readers shared with us is they didn’t know how to cut back the cable bill. Many readers didn’t want to sacrifice losing sports.
Check out how we cut our cable with the cheapest alternative below.
It Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done
– Nelson Mandela
*Scroll down for the video.
Five+ years ago, we cut our cable. We did it because we got so crazy into our debt payoff that we didn’t want ANYTHING we didn’t see as a need. Life with two toddlers was quite busy, and any chance my husband and I had to watch TV, we were too tired.
We eliminated cable. We used an antenna to get our local channels. The news in the morning was all I had time for, and PBS for the kids was about all they watched.
When your kids aren’t in school, there is NO reason to pay for channels for them.
There may even be some shows your kids don’t get and haven’t heard of it, and it won’t break them.
Check out how to keep your TV console area organized here.
An HD ANTENNA IS THE WAY TO GO
If you want to cut the cable the cheapest way possible, this is it.
If you found a crazy good deal on a TV during Black Friday sales, then you’ll probably get a bunch of free channels loaded onto the smart TV.
Buy an HD Antenna.
The one I’ve had for four years now with no issues is from Antennas Direct.
Check out all these FREE Streaming Service trials to score with your free cable!
THIS IS THE CHEAPEST ALTERNATIVE TO CABLE
National data reported earlier this year projected – “the number of those cutting the cord will climb 32.8% this year to 33 million, higher than the 22% growth rate (27.1 million) that was originally projected in July of 2017.
This number represents the cumulative number of adults who have ever canceled a pay-TV service and have opted to continue without it.
( Source: Forbes and eMarketer)
Suppose you are one of the statistics of cable cutters. You need to check out ClearStream Antennas Direct. I found this brand in my favorite wholesale club-no, geez, not Costco, BJ’s Wholesale club!
Check out this post for an up-to-date look at the best antennas for 2022.
If you are struggling with how to keep your TV area looking and organized check out these tricks.
HOW AN INDOOR/OUTDOOR ANTENNA WORKS
Going the antenna route is the cheapest when you are thinking about cutting back your cable bill. You will pay a one-time fee, and that’s it.
I bought ours at BJs for $39.99. I’ve had this exact brand for four years now.
The best part about buying an HDTV antenna is you don’t need internet access. We talked about internet speed a little bit in our video(the video is at the bottom of the post), but I’ll share it again with you here.
Join me on Tiktok, where I share more debt-free living tips.
NO INTERNET NEEDED
I currently pay a very LOW price for the lowest speed internet. $26 is our total monthly bill. Yes, the INTERNET bill!
I can work on the computer blogging while the kids watch Netflix, and my husband is on his phone, and we have no issues.
Once I got a better wireless router, we stopped constantly seeing the red circle on Netflix.
The only time we run into an issue is when I upload a video, which takes a little longer. So for me, I look at the cost of the internet plan to the one or two videos I’m uploading a month as a win.
It reminds me of when I was a teenager, and my dad would download all his songs and movies overnight because of the internet speed, except ours still isn’t that bad!
YOU CAN GET FREE CHANNELS WITHOUT AN ANTENNA
If you have your mind made up and don’t want to get a TV antenna, almost all smart TVs give you the option of hundreds of channels for free. We need to decide as consumers: Can we deal with what is available to us at no cost?
There is plenty of music video channels, history, Heartland channel, News, and more. I encourage you to give the channels a chance before quickly scrolling through them. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Here’s a Tiktok Video I did on this exact way to cut your cable.
HOW TO INSTALL AN ANTENNA
It’s super easy to install.
You can place the antenna inside or outside. And you can hook multiple TVs up to one.
The black box above you hooks up to the cable cord directly to your TV.
The other end of the cable gets the antenna.
We have our kitchen TV over by this window because it gets the most channels. You can flip it to the white side or black side. These antennas can also be painted to match your wall color.
Always move your antenna around to find the best spot to receive channels. Then, you can use the sticker it comes with to apply to a wall, etc.
When shopping for HDTV antennas, you want to look at the mile range. Think about your location. We lived out in the country and went for the 35-mile range indoor antenna.
I ended up buying two antennas before my husband told me we could have hooked both cable cords up to one. Our living room TV antenna we have out the basement window.
Details on the Antenna Direct ( We own this one)
- Best performance among flat HD antennas in the 35-mile range category
- Sure Grip guarantees the easiest installation of any indoor antenna
- Grips to any smooth surface such as walls and windows
- Perfect for dorm rooms, RVs and over-the-road vehicles
- Multi-directional element delivers range and reception in less than ideal locations with no aiming necessary
- Black or white double-sided design
- Paintable, so you can match your wall, furniture or accent color for a custom fit
- Connect one end of a coaxial cable to the antenna and the other end to your TV
- Scan for the available channels using your TV remote control
- Watch all your favorite over-the-air TV shows, news, kids programs, sports and more on network and local television in full HD
- Watch TV stations like ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and more with each network providing digital sub-channels for maximum content
- To find the broadcast towers serving your area, go to antennapoint.com and enter your zip code
- Includes antenna, 12′ of high-performance coaxial cable, Sure Grip strip, assembly and installation instructions
- Warranty: lifetime limited on parts
- Advanced 4-tapered loop design allows up to 98% of the available broadcast signals to each the incoming antenna cable for free over-the-air digital and HD programming
- Receive short-range high UHF reception up to 65 miles away with no monthly cable or satellite fees
- Lets you enjoy free local broadcasts, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and other local networks with their newly expanded programming for kids, news, sports and more
- Crystal clear UHF HDTV short-range signals keep you in the know in the event of an emergency or bad weather
- Sleek and compact design blends in with most home decorsMade of extra-durable, corrosion-resistant anodized aluminum for long-lasting use
- Includes antenna (coaxial cable and mount not included)
- Warranty: lifetime
THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP WHEN HOOKING UP YOUR TV ANTENNA
If you buy the indoor one, hook it up and place it in a spot and you only get three channels, you need to move the antenna. It may seem silly, but even moving it a few inches makes a big difference.
In our kitchen, this happened, and I remember my dad telling me to move it.
Then one day, I had enough of not getting all the basic channels and moved it to the top of the window instead of the bottom; low and behold, we got over 40 tracks.
I get all the basic networks, and we got many highly entertaining Canadian channels!
THE BREAKDOWN OF THE COST
Even if you have to pay $40 for a year, you will pay $3.33 a month- That is cheaper than the Netflix price of $7.99 per month, and that $7.99 price only lets you stream one device at a time.
The beautiful thing about the antenna is you aren’t paying $3.33 a month because your $40 payment is FOREVER! As long as this thing lasts, and I’m guessing it will last a very long time.
Look at it as $40 out of the budget, and that’s that. No monthly payment. You’re all set.
This is the cheapest alternative to cable.
Today Jan. 7th, Through Jan 13th, you have a chance to win one.
How much do you currently pay for your cable?
What hesitations do you have about dropping cable altogether?
HERE IS OUR VIDEO CHATTING ABOUT CABLE CUTTING OPTIONS:
13 Simple Tips for Eating Healthy on a Super Tight Budget
We have Optimum thru Cablevision and pay a ridiculous amount of $192 for basic tv, internet and phone. I feel I am being robbed every month! My fear of cutting the cord is that my Mom, who is 84 and lives with us, will have difficulty with something new. I guess its a learning process.
We dropped actual cable long ago. But we still have prime video, hulu, and Netflix. So it still adds up to about $35/$40 a month for all of them. And even with these services we lack local channels.
I dropped my cable about a year ago & only pay for internet now & that’s still $60/month. We have Hulu, Netflix, & the movies that come with amazon prime. I do have a antenna but would love a better one cuz the one I bought I got from 5 below for $5 & only get about 5 channels no matter where I move it to. Thanks for the chance to win.
I do not pay for cable. We pay 49.99 for internet And then Netflix.
We have never had cable, therefore no need to drop it.
I pay $203,85 per month, but that is for internet and phone have thought about trying another service but my husband loves all the sports and I;m afraid that he won’t get the channels he wants. I’d love to give it a try.
I pay $45 a month for Directv and I always have been curious about antennas. I wonder if I would get any channels and if the pictures would be clear or not. Old antennas never worked great but i am sure the new ones are different but I guess its its something new so i am hesitant.
All OTA here. Just added Netflix and Amazon. Plenty for about $200 A YEAR!
I live in a high rise apartment building surrounded by many other tall buildings, so I wonder if I would be able to get any channels with the antenna. I would like to try it because we spend way too much for cable and really only watch the network stations most of the time.
We use a digital atenna. It works pretty well.
We are locked into Cox Cable because our condo association “made a deal” $49 for basic, does not include boxes which adds another $10. our internet is outrageous at $79 because we can only use Cox. We’ve been talking for two years about getting the antenna and would love to cut the cord. My husband only uses Netflix and Amazon Prime, I only watch HGTV and local channels so if i can get those on an antenna, i wont have any issues leaving cable.
I have cablevision and pay $150 for triple play . they have been hitting users with lots of increases
this last year.
For Cable, Internet, and a phone we don’t even use, we’re paying $225/month! And we have Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and roku boxes on all of our TVs. My husband is leaving his job in a few months, so we’re actually looking into keeping just the internet. I’m not keen on loosing my local channels, though…
We thought Brighthouse was high but since Spectrum took over, we’ve been nickel & dimed repeatedly. It’s currently up to $195 for cable & internet (no landline, mobile is with AT&T). My biggest hesitation (besides not fully understanding how all the different new ways work 😉), we are HUGE live sports fans and I keep reading none of the new ways accommodate that. Thanks as always for your helpful website Tasia!
How much do you currently pay for your cable? I pay -0- for cable per se. I stream just about everything through a list of five totally free apps (Youtube, Pluto TV, Tubi Tv, Xumo and Crackle). I am thinking about the $16/mo Philo TV service which includes DVR. Our local reception is horrible so this antenna would be awesome for the local channels. Our internet only is $55 for 100 mbps (WOW is a midwest area provider) and we use an Ooma for home phone ($4 for taxes/monthly) which reduces our need for cell plans. Can’t complain.
What hesitations do you have about dropping cable altogether? There were none at all… $180+ down to $60 and not going without anything (actually getting more) was a no-brainer. Much like the cable/internet providers play games, so can savvy shoppers! Did you know by killing the boxes with DVR you will save $5-8 a month on your electric bill because it’s not running 24/7? We did decide to get a laptop with HDMI so whatever is on the laptop is displayed at 55″ high def. We don’t want or need Netflix or Hulu… our library has a sweet digital collection online and on DVD. There are alternatives like Philo ($16/mo) for x channels… AT&T Now, DirecTV Now, Sling, Hulu Live and YouTube Live may or may not be options for other members, each with various price ranges, some with local channels (Philo does now have local) and of course pros and cons, required devices and regions. For those under contracts, do the math… how much is your cancellation fee against $x times the remainder of your term (considering what new services, if any, you replace them with of course). I am not writing this to win the antenna.. I’m saving enough to buy my own but sure would be nice!!! Thanks for the contest and awesome discussion, hope I am helping others know that there are options… most of which offer free trials to know for sure before you cut. Worried about sports or news? Don’t be!!! Several alternatives offer both, some pay (cheaper) and yet many free. Your cable / internet providers need you, not the other way around.
We pay $93 a month for basic cable and internet through Comcast. If we switched to just internet it was $99 because we lose the package deal 😩, so staying with a package was cheaper than internet by itself
I don’t have cable or internet. I can’t afford it. I have an antenna now but only get 5-6 channels. I’d love to try this antenna. I’m constantly moving mine around but to no avail.
Our bill is roughly about $181 like someone else mentioned on here,we do not like Spectrum but besides having no cable when we couldn’t afford it,we have always had cable,no satellite, Netflix,nothing else and this has been since the ninties, it’s a new year change especially with cable might be just what we need.I love all the old shows and PBS,the cooking channels.
$150 for triple play. would need local live stations.
I have the Optimum Triple Play and pay WAY TOO MUCH!! Over $150!!! For 2 people on SS and disability, it’s way too much!! I’m currently trying to figure out how much I’ll save using Hulu, Netflix and maybe a couple of apps through the fire stick, to get all the channels we currently watch. It sounds petty, but with me being sick often, sometimes the TV is my only entertainment. I don’t want to give any of them up. The only channels, I think, that Hulu doesn’t cover are Bravo and Hallmark. I have to see if they have streaming services……
We pay approx. $120/mo. with mediacom phone/TV/internet bundle.
I was waiting until all the kids were out of the house before I cut the cable. Now is the time.