(Toledo News Now) -
What are you paying for cable or satellite? If you're like many families, it's now close to or exceeding $100 a month. So you may be interested in meeting some people who now watch many network and cable shows for almost nothing. Lower your bill to less than $10 a month.
Have you seen your cable TV bill lately? If it includes Internet service and a DVR, as many people have, you are probably paying more than $100 a month. So we decided to look into some of the newest ways to reduce that rising bill.
Kelli Haller loves watching TV, but like so many of us, hates that monthly cable bill that was $60 a month, then $75 and now almost $100.
"It's expensive to live on your own, and [pay for] gas and everything else," said Haller. "Those bills add up quite a bit."
So like a growing number of young professionals, she now watches her favorite shows via an antenna, the Internet and a service called Hulu.
"I'm able to watch ABC, NBC those shows," Haller said. "I'm able to watch them whenever I want, instead of when it's showing on TV."
Amanda Fischer has also given up her expensive monthly bill, and now watches network shows and movies on her laptop.
"I pay $7.99 a month for Netflix, and with Hulu, I just use the free options they have," Fischer said.
Her $8 a month Netflix subscription gives her hundreds of movies and many network shows.
"There's a ton of them. They just started their own original series, 'House of Cards,'" said Fischer.
How To Cut Your Costs
So here are three ways to lower your TV costs to less than $10 a month.
1. Buy a $20 rabbit ear antenna at Radio Shack (or another store), to watch local channels and other live broadcasts. You may pick up as many as 20 local stations for free.
2. Then, buy a
Roku, Boxee, Google TV, or
Apple TV box for around $100. This lets you stream Internet video. Or buy a new Internet-ready Smart TV, so you don't have to buy a separate box.
3. Subscribe to
Netflix for $8 a month or
Hulu Plus, also $8 a month. There's a free version of
Hulu, but it has less programming.
Sure, there are downsides: You don't get all network shows and you still have to pay for an Internet connection, which can be around $30 a month. Plus, if you are a big ESPN watcher, this is not for you. Most games are still not available this way.
Still, Haller and Fischer, like a growing number of people, are fine with these new options.
"I don't want that $80 a month bill," Fischer said.
Remember that you will still need some sort of Internet connection. So we are not suggesting you drop the cable or phone company entirely, just that there are new ways to keep down the bill.
That way you don't waste your money.
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