Save Money on TV Service: Over $1500 a Year!

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Did you know that the average household spends $150 a month on cable or satellite service? Tony and I were spending $135 a month for satellite service and were only watching a few channels of the 250+ channels in our package. We eventually decided we couldn’t justify the expense and needed to save money on TV service. Does this sound familiar? Keep reading to find out how we saved over $1600 a year and how you can enjoy your favorite shows at a small fraction of the cost.

Save Money on TV Service

Save Money on TV Service

Our Love of the Roku – How We’re Watching TV and Movies Almost FREE

Our first Roku system cost us around $90 from Amazon. You can now find a variety of Roku devices out there, but we liked the additional features that were included in the larger system. Also, note that the Roku isn’t your only option. You can use Amazon, Google, or even Apple’s streaming devices.

Once hooked up, there are a lot of awesome apps you can add for free to save money on TV service. For example, we found that we could watch Food Network, HGTV, and Travel Channel shows for free. You can only access the older episodes for free, but we were fine with that.

You can also add a number of streaming channels that are videos from YouTube. For example, I added Gooseberry Patch and love watching those videos. There’s a channel for just about any taste. Most of these channels are free.

Lastly, there are apps you can use with the Roku that will expand your TV and movie options. For example, we have Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. You can also add channels that allow you to stream live TV. We have tried Sling, Hulu, and Philo for streaming live TV. You will need to pay a subscription fee for these services. Right now, we’ve found that we’re perfectly content with the free options along with Netflix and Prime Video.

Antenna TV – How We’re Watching Local Channels for FREE

I love watching network TV on occasion, especially during football season. For that reason, we invested in an HD antenna that has a 150-mile reach. We’re only able to get ten channels because of where we live, but it was worth the investment. The antenna cost less than $40, but we needed to purchase additional cable and connectors for hookup for another thirty dollars. That’s the only investment. Then, you’ve got completely FREE TV. If you live in a larger city, or closer to one than we do, you may have access to several channels.

Bye-Bye Satellite – How We Cut the Cord on Satellite Service

Last, but not least, we finalized our decision by calling and canceling our satellite package to save money on TV service. Because we were still under contract, we had to pay a $40 cancellation fee. We were more than happy to pay this fee because it was less than a third of what our monthly bill was. The satellite company sent boxes so we could return our equipment.

*Do note that this is a great way to get your cable or satellite company to drastically drop your monthly price. If you want to stay, but aren’t happy with the price, threaten to cancel your service. We were offered a lower price a few times. We were amazed at how much they were willing to drop the price, but we were determined to cut the cord once and for all.

There you have it. This is how we cut over $1600 a year off our TV service. The amount you’ll save depends on how much you’re paying, and which channels and you choose to pay for. In future posts I’ll discuss what I think of some of the available streaming services.

What about you? Have you cut the cord yet? What was your experience? Are you happy with the options available at a lower price?

Now that you’ve learned how to save over $1500 per year on TV service, why not head over to my YouTube channel and look at see how else you can save money. Want to save money on something specific? Leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to offer some advice in a future post.

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