A few months ago our family made the radical decision to turn off of our cable television. It might not seem like a radical decision to you, but for a family of self-proclaimed television junkies, it felt bold to call our television provider and tell them that we were ready to turn off our channels.
With so many fantastic options available to families, it is so much easier to say no to the cable bill thanks to online television and innovative ways to indulge in your favorite shows. It might surprise you that this article is not about getting rid of your television and singing Kumbaya because our life is so much better without TV. No, we still love our television and I wanted to share with you how to get your fix for less and how to slash your cable expenses for good.
I will fully admit that there was a bit of bribery involved to get my family on board with the decision to turn off our cable. We found an Xbox for less than half price on Craigslist from a family that was looking to downsize their electronics and gave this to ourselves for our family Christmas present. This gaming system was my ticket to get everyone on board with my decision to let our cable bill go.
If you are looking for ideas for how to get around your cable bill, here are a few of our own family’s favorite options to maximize your family’s entertainment budget.
Players
Roku Player (starting at $49.99)
For families that don’t have a gaming system to view television through (like the Xbox, Wii, or Playstation) this little box can be a wonderful option. Your Roku hooks up to your television and allows you to play through subscription-based programs like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, and Amazon Instant Video on your television. Your Roku player can hook up to your home entertainment system and give your entire family the opportunity to watch something together on the couch rather than sitting at your laptop.
The only downfall with the product is that you really do need to have a high speed internet connection, as are most streaming options. If you have a DSL connection we found that the viewing can be a little bit like watching something on You Tube.
The Roku Player is surprisingly easy to use and simple to integrate into any home entertainment system. The interface is extremely clear and hook up took literally a couple of minutes. For homes with wireless Internet connectivity, the player is Wi-Fi enabled and offers the ultimate in placement flexibility. With the player’s accompanying remote control, members can browse and make selections right on the TV screen and also have the option to pause, rewind or play your favorite shows anytime just like a DVD.
There are no monthly fees attached to the Roku Player, but it enables you to watch your shows and online subscriptions in one place.
This is the player that we use in our own home and we have no complaints with this fabulous option. There are other similar products on the market like the Apple TV and the Boxxee Box, but I love the affordability of the Roku Player and what viewing options are available on it.
Game Consoles ($149-300)
Game consoles can be a wonderful bang for your buck because they offer unlimited entertainment through gaming as well as a platform for you to watch your favorite shows and movies. It is important to make the right investment for your family when choosing whether you want the Wii, the Playstation 3 or the Xbox 360 based on your own family’s entertainment needs. It is also important to understand what is included with each game console and what are extra expenses you may have later down the line.
Below is a basic price breakdown on what is included with your gaming system, what the costs of games might be, and the graphics quality for each gaming console (found on Amazon).
(click to expand)
Our family loves playing games together and having a gaming system has been a great way for us to spend time together. We have never bought a full price gaming system though and have had great success finding used consoles for half the price of retail price. Not only have we found our consoles for less, but when we have found these units on Craigslist, the sellers are usually getting rid of their games, controllers, and accessories that go along with them and will sell them to us for a fraction of the retail price.
We use both our Wii and our Xbox 360 for streaming Netflix and watching Hulu Plus. Both of them are fantastic for this purpose as well as fun weekend entertainment for us as a family.
Channel & Movie Subscription Options
Play On ($29.99 annually or $4.99 a month)
Play On is an easy way for you to watch your favorite videos, shows, and movies from websites such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and more on your TV using your Wii, Xbox 360, or Playstation 3 over your home internet connection. PlayOn also works on your iPhone or Android phone.
When we turned off our cable, we were missing some of our favorite shows on some of the channels we watched. Play On is almost like having a cable subscription without the outrageous price since they offer many channels that would have to get with a premium cable package. Hulu Plus offers many of the same networks, but not necessarily the same shows that are available on the network.
My children love to watch PBS and Nick. We have found many of their favorite shows that they love through Play On and the cost is an affordable one for less than $30 a year (or a fraction of one month of your cable television).
Hulu Plus ($7.99 per month)
The majority of our TV-watching is now done through Hulu Plus and we absolutely love it. We have beautiful HD television, something we couldn’t afford with our cable bill, and almost all of our favorite shows are available through Hulu Plus.
Hulu Plus lets you watch hit current and back season TV shows and acclaimed movies anytime in HD for $7.99/month with limited advertising. For many popular shows on their service, Hulu Plus offers every episode of the current season, not just a handful of recent episodes.
Hulu Plus can be viewed on multiple devices, including your laptop, the Apple iPad and iPhone, PlayStation® 3, Roku, and TVs and Blu-ray players from Sony, Samsung and Vizio.
You can watch shows for free through Hulu and not buy the Hulu Plus membership. The main difference between your free television experience and the paid subscription is how you view it. With Hulu Plus you can take advantage of the multiple viewing devices, but with the free membership, your viewing is limited to your PC.
Netflix ($7.99 a month)
The other streaming membership that gets a workout in our family is our Netflix membership. Although I feel that the quality of the movies and shows available on Netflix has been deteriorating in the past few months, we still get our money’s worth from this membership.
For $7.99 a month, Netflix members in the Americas, United Kingdom and Ireland can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed over the Internet to PCs, Macs and TVs. Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming from Netflix are: Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PS3 consoles; an array of Blu-ray disc players, Internet-connected TVs, home theater systems, digital video recorders and Internet video players; Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch; Android and Windows tablets and phones; and Apple TV and Google TV. In all, more than 700 devices that stream from Netflix are available.
Our family relies on this for our weekend family nights. My husband and I use this for our documentary fix while the kid’s enjoy many of their favorite seasons of Disney & Nick Jr. shows through this membership.
We are hopeful that Netflix will have more viewing options available, but what we can’t get through Netflix we supplement with our Redbox rentals and our fantastic library system.
Digital Antenna ($12-50)
When I say the word antenna, do you think of those giant rabbit ears? I did too. You won’t believe how far those rabbit ears have come and how elegant your antenna can now look. This Paper Thin Leaf Indoor HDTV Antenna ($39.19) is just one example of how streamlined the antenna has become. Your friends will never know that you are one of “those people” watching television on their rabbit ears.
With a good digital antenna it is possible to get dozens of local channels in HD with this small investment. It is worth it to make a good investment in your digital antenna if you are relying upon this for your television because a better quality one is able to pick up a wider range of channels in your area.
We found our digital antenna for less on eBay and we use this for watching things like the Super Bowl and other shows we prefer to watch live. I am always so impressed at the quality of the television we can get through this and I love that we no longer have to pay The Man for our local channels.
Clicker- (FREE)
Finding all of your favorite shows can be hard when you are watching from multiple options. I am in love with clicker because it offers a one-stop directory to see if something you love is available online. I think of it as a TV Guide for streaming television.
This site catalogs all broadcast programming online, along with TV-quality Web originals, from these silos and delivers them in one seamless, organized experience so you can easily discover what’s available to watch (and what isn’t) online, where to watch it, and what’s worth watching.
If you are looking to make the leap from cable to online television, check here and see if any of your favorite shows are available for free streaming to decide if you can make the plunge or not.
For Our Canadian Readers-
We had a fabulous comment from one of our readers, Leatitia, on our MomAdvice Facebook Page sharing what streaming options are available in Canada.
“What I use to watch TV for ‘free’ in Canada (50$/month internet bill)
Live TV many channels (including TVA): http://fr.wwitv.com/tv/
b2514.htm
HGTV: http://www.hgtv.ca/video/
CTV: http://watch.ctv.ca/
Global: http://www.globaltv.com/video/index.html#video
MTV: http://www.mtv.ca/tvshows/
Radio-Canada shows: http://www.tou.tv/
Radio-Canada live: http://www.radio-canada.ca/ audio-video/ pop.shtml#urlMedia=http:// www.radio-canada.ca/util/ endirect/MontrealTV.asx With those links, I can watch Star Académie, Grey’s Anatomy season 7 in French and season 8 in English, House, Modern Family, Glee, Teen Mom (MTV), Consumed (HGTV), the news, etc, etc….
I’d pay for internet anyway, so I just boost my internet bandwidth to 50G a month and I use about 40G-45G a month. I receive emails when 75% of my bandwidth had been used, as well as 90% and 95% I think. So I’m sure I don’t use more than I’m allowed to!
I don’t miss my cable bill!!”
Thank you so much to Leatitia for sharing her experience with all of us!
After three months of being without our cable, I can honestly admit to you that there are definitely moments that I do miss. I miss my Food Network, I miss HGTV, I miss the convenience of our DVR taping endless shows for me, I miss my Cupcake Wars marathons with my daughter on Sunday afternoons.
There are also things I don’t miss. I don’t miss feeling like I needed to be a slave to my television to make the most of our dollars, I don’t miss paying nearly a hundred dollars a month, I don’t miss paying for something so darn useless.
Life does feel a little bit richer. Now that we don’t have a DVR we have to catch up on we are spending more evenings together playing games, doing puzzles, going on outings together, and just focusing on being with each other a little more.
Instead of watching Cupcake Wars we are baking our own cupcakes. Maybe turning the cable off really is radical. It feels that way.
The money that has been freed gives us the chance to put an allowance towards other things we might want to do. We can put the earnings towards a movie outing, getting a season pass to an activity we love, or we can just enjoy the pleasure in the savings.
We still love our television. We just love it in a different way than before.
How do you save on your television watching? How does your family watch television now? What are ways you save on your cable bill?
Disclosure: The links to some of these items are affiliate links and are provided so you can locate what you need quickly and easily. Feel free to order your supplies elsewhere, but we always try to highlight the best deals when we see them.
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I love this Amy! We’ve never had cable. I just couldn’t justify the expense when it seems that we watch too much tv already. Good for you!
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 8:04 am
That is awesome, Rachel! I am new to the no cable crowd, but so far I am really loving it
I REALLY love the savings 
So good to see your comments on here! xo
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Stanzie Reply:
May 15th, 2012 at 8:27 am
Hi Amy,
o you have to have a Roku for each TV? How to tell if your tv needs a digital converter box? Who installs roof antenna – someone from a store or electrician?(no hubby)? Can you get Disney Jr. Nick Jr. on any of these sites? My other two kids like things from sci-fi and even hallmark – are those accessible? I like my PBS stations? Sorry just very confused by all of this? If you have wi-fi can Roku run off more than one TV? What do you connect the HDMI cable to? How to know if you already have one, are the cables labeled? Can you still connect a VCR /DVD player to your TV? Is the only way to get local channels thru antennae? Thanks and so sorry for so many questions, really trying to understand. Thanks!!!
I have been trying to research all this and it is awfully confusing for a single very non-tech Mom. Hoping you can answer some of my questions
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Kendra Reply:
June 3rd, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Stanzie,
Yes, you have to have a Roku per TV. Most of your Roku questions can be answered through their web site. You likely don’t need a digital converter box since the switch to digital broadcasts happened 3 years ago. See http://www.dtv.gov for more info. If you’re worried about installation of a roof antenna, just get an indoor antenna. Yes, the only way to get local channels is through an antenna (or basic cable package). You’ll have to look on the various service sites Amy recommended to see which channels they provide.
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Karey Reply:
December 26th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Thank YOU. The question was almost like those floating in my brain the past year. I did find out calling a local TV/sound store gave me a lot of advice, too, but nothing as outlined as this has been. How does one replicate what the DVRs do, though, if possible? Or do we have to purchase one?
We have our services bundled – home phone, internet, and cable. We have all three for around $100 a month. We’ve looked into downsizing/getting rid of cable but with how we pay, we would actually pay more for phone and internet without the cable. So for us it just makes sense to keep it. We don’t have cell phones so that makes a difference in needing the home phone. But it’s nice that there are options so that you don’t *need* cable in order to watch television.
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 8:04 am
Tammy- I know a lot of people that do this. I am pretty sure if they stop offering the rate at $100 for the bundle that you can negotiate that back again with threats of cancellation
We just got rid of our land line and my husband’s work helps us with our internet so bundles haven’t really worked for us, but I know they work for so many families! Thanks for sharing your experience!
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(Not $100 each, but $100 all together).
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We got rid of Cable a while ago. All of our favorite shows are available the next day on the internet so why pay for it? We just discovered that our Blu-Ray player allows us to watch Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus etc. Over the weekend we signed up for a trial of Netflix but I was disappointed to find that many of the shows they said were available were not offered through instant streaming. I am guessing they are only available with the disc by mail plan. I feel that was misleading, so we will be cancelling that one after the free trial. Might try Hulu Plus next. Another option is getting an Amazon Prime membership for the free instant videos. I need to browse their selection to see if it would be worth it.
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 8:03 am
Great ideas, Jen! I am not an Amazon Prime member, but I have bought a couple of shows that I could not find on Hulu Plus or Netflix. Of all of the options that are available, we have been really, really happy with Hulu Plus. I think they have a free trial membership you could take advantage of. I think it is just the convenience of having all your viewing in one spot rather than surfing from network channel to network channel to find what we need.
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Love this post! We don’t have cable and do just fine. We do wish we had it for some sporting events, but it is not worth it for a couple of games. There are enough shows on regular TV to watch! And we would rather be doing other things anyways!
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 8:12 am
I agree, Maria! I felt obligated to watch a bunch of television when we were paying so much. It is nice not to feel chained to the old TV anymore
xoxo
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I’ve been considering this myself-90% of the time when the TV is on we are using Netflix (or Hulu). . . the one thing I haven’t been able to figure out a good substitute for is hubs Fox News addiction. . .
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 9:19 am
I will say that our family isn’t big news buffs or sports buffs so I understand that this can be a tricky one to get around if that is something you are into. Maybe that is why it has been a little bit easier for us. As far as I know, there aren’t a lot of options around that. I usually get my news through Facebook and Twitter- ha!
xo
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My only concern is still having to pay for an internet connection. I just cant wrap my head around having multiple subscriptions either. Also can you watch programming on multiple tvs?
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 9:13 am
My husband wired our satellite to pick up on both televisions. We had a Roku so we hooked one television up to that and the other television has our Wii/Xbox so we use that for the other television.
We have an HP Touchsmart in our kitchen and we watch our satellite television through that and then our Netflix & Hulu Plus since it is a computer.
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We ditched cable, wow, I guess it was about 6 years ago. We use an antennae to watch a few favorites, like PBSkids and some sitcoms. And my husband and sons catch up on Top Shot online.
It’s amazing the time you find! And thinking back, I almost can’t believe we used to fork over insane amounts of money just to sit on our couch in a boobtube coma.
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 9:16 am
I am feeling that way now, Sarah! I am humbled that we spent so much before. What a waste! We are really enjoying our television for a lot less now and I love my kids aren’t being subjected to all those junkie commercials
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A new feature of the Apple TV when paired with any Mac system running the new OS X Mountain Lion (due this summer) is a desktop mirroring with audio. I have been testing it and it works great with my TV. I can go to NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, ESPN 3, Hulu.com and “project” anything on my Mac to the TV. All my shows, right there and for FREE!
Here is a link for anyone with a Mac: http://www.apple.com/macosx/mountain-lion/features.html#airplay
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 9:15 am
Thank you so much for sharing this, Rob! We aren’t a Mac family so I love hearing about these other options. Thanks so much for your comment today!
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We ditched cable this year, and don’t miss it a bit! In fact, I love not having that need to clean off the DVR before a trip, or feeling like I’m “behind” because it’s almost full! We have an apple TV and use it to stream Hulu Plus and Netflix. I agree that Hulu has more of the TV shows, but the kids love the cartoons on Netflix.
A few other things I think are great about this – we can get all the major networks with a $20 antennae, so we could technically get by without Hulu and Netflix if the prices rose a bunch. My kids don’t watch anything we don’t want them to watch – no random Disney shows for my 7 year old that are “teenagers” and I feel are too old for her. The kids are enjoying older shows too – they currently LOVE Flipper. Finally, we only have the antennae and Apple TV hooked up to our main TV – so we either all watch a show together, or don’t watch it at all!
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 9:43 am
LOVE your tips, Pam! I agree, isn’t it a relief not to have to play catch up on your DVR all the time?
I love hearing about everyone’s experience with the Apple TV box too. Thank you so much for sharing about that!
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I think it is worth noting that to stream Netflix programming through an XBox 360, you must pay for the Gold Subscription, which is about $40-$50 per year. I think it is free through the PS3 and the Wii.
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Amy Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Great point! Thank you for sharing that information! I will add that into the game console info!!
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Good for you…it is good to be creative. We love cable. Since we are debt free except the house, it Is our guilty pleasure.
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We ditched our subscription at least 10 years ago. Sometimes I miss it but the alternative is reconnecting and that does not work for us on ssoooo many levels. I am amazed at the load of cr*p that are “hit” shows on TV. I get my TV fix watching Hulu, Netflix, and my daughter chooses to foot the bill for both of those so the only associated expense for us is the DSL connection which my husband has to have to work. Now if only I could talk my husband into making changes to our cell phone services *sigh*
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I think the bastards get you by increasing your charges for the internet so in the end it doesn’t comes out to almost the same expense. They should be paying me to watch all those stupid commercials!
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Hi Amy, This post is great, it’s a creative, no-lose idea for saving money and it’s exactly why I started reading your blog about 4 years ago. You are right; there is so much technology out there, why do we need cable? It seems simple, yet it’s never occurred to me to consider those options. And since you’ve laid it all out for me, I’ve got a leg up on trying to convince my husband! The hurdle I’ll have is figuring out how he’ll watch live sports…. let the research begin! And thank you for sharing your great ideas with us!
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I am looking into possibly getting rid of our cable. I would be interested if you found a way to watch live sports other than via cable. Anyone have any ideas or options I can look into?
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Amy Reply:
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:15 am
Jamie- Take a peek at this link from LifeHacker.com. It has lots of sports options listed and you might want to read through the comments from other users too. I hope this helps! http://lifehacker.com/5475091/how-can-i-ditch-cable-and-watch-my-tv-shows-and-movies-online
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Amy Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 9:10 am
Jamie- We can watch them through our digital antenna, but just through the basic channels. This article on Lifehacker might help with finding sports programming- http://lifehacker.com/5475091/how-can-i-ditch-cable-and-watch-my-tv-shows-and-movies-online
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Amy Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 9:10 am
And just realized I already answered this! Sorry about that!
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I have an antenna and roku box. I get 23 channels over the air and a bunch of other channels on the roku. I had netflix but recently cancelled it because I an super broke.
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I’m still quite confused by all this. I understand Roku can work wireless if you have strong enough signal. I don’t understand whether or not you still need antenna’s. I also understand if you then subscribe to netflick or hulu plus you can see a lot of what you saw on cable TV but at a later date, which is fine- I think once you get used to it – and have no one who spoils endings…
However is there somewhere you can really find what programs you will get… I keep reading you have to subscribe to a free trial to learn this… well I’d rather wait till I have the set up before but perhaps that isn’t possible.
I would just like to understand what programs will not be possible… like network ABC? PBS stations? What about things like Disney and Nick Jr? Is there a way to understand all this or do you have to just get into all if it before you learn all this.
I guess I also don’t understand if I buy all this can I find out wireless doesn’t work and I’ve invested in stiff that won’t work. Sorry to be so long… just can’t seem to find this information anywhere. Went to Best Buy and they would only answer my questions if I hired their Geek Squad . They also had someone from Comcast at Best buy trying to talk everyone away from Roku…
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Amy Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Stanzie- The Roku is wireless. You don’t need an antenna unless you are trying to pick up local channels and not waiting for it to come out on Hulu through your Ruko. If you click on the Hulu Plus link it should tell you what shows you can see. I don’t believe Disney or Nick Jr. are available, but many of the shows from those channels come available through seasons through Netflix later. The Roku is a $100 investment. I think if you order it through their site and discover that your wireless can’t handle it, you could return it to the company. We have had DSL and used our Roku easily with that. We now have cable internet and it is considerably quicker. If the shows are HD, we do sometimes have a bit of a lag, but it has only happened a couple of times with our cable internet. I hope that helps! I hate when you can’t get answers at the stores!
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We also recently cut the cable. With an internet subscription and our Roku and all the private channels we found over at http://www.mkvxstream.blogspot.com we have not really missed cable TV at all. My husband simply kept the cable plugged in and scanned the channels with our HD QAM tuner and we still get a handful of good channels for free from cable. Apparently this an FCC mandate that if you are paying for internet cable they still need to give you basic cable channels as well. So far the only thing we missed is not having a DVR and we just bought a used Mac mini from craigslist and we are going to use this to record live HD.
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When using Hutu don’t you still have a DSL or cable modem not talking about cable TV.
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