Save Money on Cable / TV

Cable TV and Broadcast TV

Nowadays, it seems like everything is going up. Your groceries are costing more. You are paying more at the gas pump. Not to mention that your employer – of you are fortunate enough to still have a job – is grumbling about profit losses and has already set the scene to not give you a raise this year, not to mention a Christmas bonus.

In the face of this massive economic downturn, it seems that we must tighten our belts even more. But how, you might ask.

Did you know that at the end of 2007, the average cable bill was $98.75? This average actually surprises me because I do not know anyone who has a cable bill (most of them have “bundled services packages”) for less than about $111.00.

“Not cable”, you may say. But when did cable television – and even our beloved cell phones – become necessities, rather than luxuries? Let’s face it – our cable television and cell phones are not “needs”. They are “wants”.

I gave up my cable and any cable-related bills in January of this year. At first, I was totally freaked out and thought “What have I done?”

Here are some options if you choose to use that cable TV money for groceries or gas:

TELEVISION PROGRAMMING

Online/Your Computer: Some networks – even cable television networks – have TV shows on their websites. You click on the episode, and you watch. I even saw that Night Gallery is available for viewing online. What a blast from the past!

You can also try www.hulu.com. Hulu is a joint venture of NBC Universal and News Corp. Hulu allows you to stream current shows from NBC and Fox the day after they air, and I have also seen some cable TV shows available for viewing there as well. That would be because Hulu provides TV shows from the past and present from 50 additional providers. That list includes Sony Pictures and even Warner Bros.! They offer high-resolution viewing.

Also try MSN TV and AOL. Be creative! There is also Joost, TidalTV, and Veoh. They have older shows and some more current TV shows. Joost has its own media player which you will need to download.

There is also Miro (www.getmiro.com) for shows from National Geographic or Discovery. Miro has its own media player which you will need to download.

There’s always YouTube (www.youtube.com). I’ve watched many an episode of The Hills on YouTube. It actually streams better on my wireless connection than the original website offering episodes of The Hills. Also, be sure to check out Daily Motion (www.dailymotion.com/us)
Bunny Ears: You can put out an antenna – or just purchase one that goes on your TV inside for about $10.00 - and get your local television channels for free on your old analog TV set.
***NOTE: If you have been using cable TV on the TV you are now going to watch broadcast TV on, you need to go through the settings on your TV and select BROADCAST or ANALOG otherwise, no antenna will help you. I had to learn this the hard way. For about two weeks, I sat home at night watching videotapes of previously recorded programs (“Thank God I have these!” was my thought) and just tried to read more until a co-worker thankfully advised that I needed to reset my TV.*** Once you have done that, you will be very surprised how good some of the broadcast TV shows are since you have not had the opportunity to watch them while you were watching cable TV. After eight months, I actually have too many shows to watch!

Be sure to order your coupons from the government for the transition to digital television, though. That is going to happen in February of 2009. So, unless you have a newer TV, you will need to get a digital converter box or two to continue to receive the broadcast TV signal. To learn more about this conversion and how to get your coupons, you can go to: https://www.dtv2009.gov.

MOVIES

At home: Did you know that your local library offers DVDs for checkout? They are FREE. If you don’t see what you are looking for, ask your librarian how you can request it and have it transferred from another library so that you can check it out.

Blockbuster Online: It has been a lifesaver for me! For a very small cost per month (choose your plan), you can keep a queue (list of movies and shows you want to watch) online in your Blockbuster account, and they will ship them to you at no additional cost. You can watch them as soon as they arrive or keep them for as long as it takes you to view them. Then drop them back in the mail when you are finished. Once Blockbuster receives your watched DVDs, they simply ship you the next movie or show on your list. Depending on what plan you choose, most of them are unlimited, and there is even a plan that permits the option to return your DVDs and get more in person at a local Blockbuster. I have watched so many of my old favorite TV shows this way as well. I recently had the pleasure of watching the first two seasons of family (Remember this 1970s hit with Sada Thompson and James Broderick?) this way. I honestly have no idea how I ever got along without Blockbuster Online, and I absolutely know without a doubt that it has made my transition from cable television to broadcast television so much easier. Painless, in fact.

At the movie theater: Want to try to see a movie for free? Try Film Metro (www.filmmetro.com) and The Screening Exchange (www.thescreeningexchange.com). You simply register at these sites for the opportunity to receive tickets for new movie screenings in your area. You can look for free showings in your area by just visiting film production sites such as Paramount and similar companies.

On the Web: Not so easy to find movies online that will stream nicely for you. Much
less having to deal with the ads, and a good number of ads are not exactly family friendly and likely offensive to most anyone. But they are out there, and you just have to be patient. I did some movies offered at some of the sites mentioned above.

While it will require some doing to find what you are looking for online, you will find it. Be patient, and think of what it is worth to you: A substantial monthly savings.