I got rid of cable tv and survived and you can too!
I thought of cutting the cord and getting rid of cable tv for months but was afraid of the unknown. Although I don’t watch much tv, I felt like I’d be cutoff from the world if I canceled cable tv.
Although there are alternatives to cable tv like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon firestick and countless others, I thought it was just too much to cancel cable, especially with kids.
I was nervous to get rid of cable tv but did, and I survived with no issues. In fact, canceling cable tv was the best thing I could have done.
In this article I’ll show you what I’m using instead of cable tv, how much money I save and how happy I am now that cable tv is gone!
A lot of us grew up with television and commercials. When cable tv first came out in the 1980s there were no commercials. Cable tv has had commercials for at least the last 15 years. It’s not what it used to be.
Think about it. You’re paying a lot of money each month on cable tv for shows you don’t watch, usually riddled with commercials. You’ve had cable tv for so long that you can’t see life without it.
One day I got so fedup with the expensive cable tv bill of $120 a month so I climbed on the roof and tore down the satellite dish.
I got rid of cable tv and survived by doing the following:
For live tv I use a mohu house antenna. Mohu is ranked as one of the best antennas and are very affordable. I attached the Mohu house antenna where the satellite dish used to be. I know what you’re thinking…there aren’t many shows you watch on live tv. I’ll cover that.
Check out these great house antennas for tv
We use live television to watch the news at times or shows on the major channels. I actually enjoy having the commercials, as it gives you a break to get a snack or refill your coffee. I’m used to the commercials, as I grew up with them as a kid.
Another thing about live tv with a house antenna. The picture quality with live tv is so much better than cable tv will ever be. The reason? Cable tv may advertise as HD quality but it really isn’t. Cable tv is digital and the signal is compressed down to 720 resolution most of the time, which is not true HD. True HD is 1080.
Your cable company compresses the digital signal to make the files smaller so everyone in your neighborhood can get cable. Allowing everyone a 1080 or 4K signal would result in jittering or freezing up of your video experience. Everyone in your neighborhood must share the same digital signal, hence the video compression.
Live tv with an antenna is analog. There is no compression with signal going through the air. For this reason, the resulting picture is a true HD signal and looks so much better on your tv with an antenna vs digital cable tv from the cable company.
I am not much of a tv watcher. I only kept cable around for the kids and the children’s shows it provided. I hated opening that cable bill every month. We’re a single income family and things are tight. It was time to make a change whether we wanted to or not. I also haven’t had a house phone since 2002 by the way. I knew it was stupid to pay for something I never use. Why have a house phone if you use a cell phone?
If you’re into sports and don’t want the live tv experience, there are a ton of options out there. Many channels such as ESPN, have an app in which you pay around $10 a month. This ESPN app is available on APPLE TV, on their website for viewing on any device (like netflix) and the Amazon Fire stick.
Most people are streaming tv and movies to tablets, smart phones or computers. Cable is dying and I’m happy for that. It’s been a rip off for far too long.
Video of me installing the MOHU antenna:
I got rid of cable tv and survived by using Hulu
Hulu is great for shows and live tv. You can pay a bit more for the live tv option, but it’s about $40 a month. We’re here to save money so that was a no go for me. I pay about $8 a month for Hulu and can watch most shows and all their seasons. Another great thing about Hulu is you can watch live tv a couple days after it airs. All episodes from most television shows will show up on Hulu a day or two later.
If you can’t wait to see a show from one of the major television networks, that’s what the Mohu house antenna is for.
I got rid of cable and survived by using Apple TV
Apple tv is a device much like the Amazon firestick but it’s linked to your Apple ID. Not only can you watch all movies purchased with your Apple ID on your television via the Apple TV, you can stream your music. The Apple TV also has apps built in like Hulu, Netflix and many others.
If there is a movie we want to rent or buy, I’ll purchase it through the Apple TV. I can watch the movie on my iPhone, iPad or Apple TV.
Believe it or not, I’m getting way more enjoyment and saving a ton of money each month by only paying for what I use.
Outside of the purchase of the Mohu house antenna, watching tv is free. I can watch any movie I’ve purchased on Apple TV anytime i want and Hulu, for about $9 a month, gives us the capability to watch anything to be honest.
So no cable tv for over 2 years now. How does it feel? AWESOME! I was nervous to cancel, thinking I would be cutoff from the world, which is what many other cable cutters felt as well. That statement couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, I feel much more connected than ever.
We use the Mohu sky 60 whole house antenna for regular tv channels, which is awesome. The range of this MOHU tv antenna is 60 miles and it’s true HD.
The only thing I pay for is internet access, along with HULU for $7.99 a month.
The additional $130 a month to channel surf cable tv with mass commercials is gone.
We got rid of cable and use apple tv and Hulu with an affordable internet access package.
Spending money to channel surf garbage is stupid and does nothing more than line the pockets of idiots running cable companies that can’t help you when help is needed. This is one reason I cut the cord on cable tv.
You can buy the MOHU antenna here on Amazon
You can buy the Amazon Fire stick here on Amazon
I hope you enjoyed this blog and if you’re thinking of canceling cable tv, just do it. You can always sign up again but I don’t think you will. Consider subscribing to my blog if you enjoy reading them. See the subscribe in the right side of the website.
Thanks for reading!
Steve
Check out my video sharing website for video creators www.roxytube.com
