TV bills can be very costly if you’re paying for cable or satellite service. Most people do not realize that by using alternative ways to watch TV, they can be saving over a $100 dollars, including those high definition and premium channels. I am still able to watch sports and other HD channels for as low as $15 a month. Even then, that $15 may be a bit lower or a tad higher depending on what I decide to watch that following month.
Eliminating Cable/Satellite Service
You will obviously save anywhere from $30 to $100+ by cancelling your service. Although some may find this a very big change for them, they do not know that you can still watch many of the premium and other channels for as low as a few dollars or even free.
Sure, you will lose access to your cable or satellite channels, but many of these TV stations are now streaming their program on their own website. HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer) is starting to become the present with the amount of money that anyone can save.
For those channels that do not provide free streaming on their site, you can easily stream on Hulu, which is becoming a very popular streaming site to watch TV shows on, or even Netflix
You may need to enroll in a sort of “club subscription” to watch premium showings on Hulu, but you can bet that the cost is much lower than paying monthly for the same channel.
Lowering Cable/Satellite Bills
A call to your provider may be one way to lower your cost if you are not willing to cancel your service. Customer service representative are trained to make any attempts to keep you as their customer. The one secret that many of these TV service providers don’t tell you is that they can lower your monthly expenses.
Especially when you threaten to cancel their service or move to another one, they will lower cost in order to keep your business. After all, the only way these companies stay in business is by keeping you, even if it means lowering your TV cost for just a few dollars.
Sometimes, saving a few dollars may not be that much of a saving, but if you aren’t willing to cancel your service, this is the best saving that you will get.
Local Channels in 1080p HD
With analog TV programming out of the way and digital TV programming taking over, there is now more TV channels than ever. Not only does this new technology broadcast eliminate that static black and white on-screen you see when a station doesn’t exist, you’d be surprised that many of them are willing to broadcast their shows in 1080p high definition.
Broadcasting in high def. does get expensive, especially for local channels that you watch for free-but during times when a popular show comes on, such as football kickoff, a popular sit-com, or certain TV shows, these broadcast station will permit high def. to be shown.
Waiting Time
Most of the time, you can watch TV episodes for free or at a very low cost the next day after air-date on streaming sites. Think of it as standing in line. You are essentially paying the original MSRP cost to have it first-hand before anyone else.
The same concept goes to watching shows that air the first day. If you wait the next day, you will end up watching the show for free or at a low cost. After all, these shows are already recorded. The only hype that emerges is when a show first airs that people think it’s a “fresh” broadcast. In reality, these shows have already been finished in production a few weeks early.
The only time that you are really missing out on “fresh” broadcast is news channels and sports center. Even then, most major sports center and news channel can be watched on local and on websites for free. If not, premium streaming cost next to nothing.
Can you receive the same service that you get from doing this?
Absolutely. With technology growing and TV rates getting higher, there are now even more shows available online. Many popular online streaming providers include Amazon, Netflix and Hulu.
Keep in mind that all customers enrolled in DirecTV, Dish Network, or any other cable service only watch a handful of channels. Many times, these customers end up paying for a package for just one or two of their favorite channels while the rest goes down the drain.
If this sounds like your situation, the best way to save money is to replace your existing provider with an alternative provider or find what if these shows can be streamed online.
Very popular show like Lost, House, Family Guy, Desperate Housewives, Saturday Night Live, Dexter, and many more can be watched online for free. With subscription like Netflix, you eliminate almost all TV channels needs, with the fact that a lot of movies and episode can be streamed by them.
By following these advice, you will be saving well over $400, if not, more, every year on your TV bill. What would you do with that money you could be saving right now?
