How to Save Money on Your Cable Bill Part 2: Cut the Cord, Go Over the Air

Part 2 - Cut the cord, go over the air - Average savings of $100 per month

Ask yourself one question, how often do I actually watch cable? If the answer is all day every day, stop reading. This post isn’t for you.

However, if you’re answer is sometimes, once in a while, or whenever I’m bored then read on. Surely there’s no way you can watch all 8,000 channels you’re paying $100+ per month for right? Could you deal with 15-20 channels? Could you get by with Netflix or Hulu Plus? What if I told you it was free? Here’s how to get with the program and throw Mr. Warner out to the curb.

1. To get the basic channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, etc.) you’re going to need to purchase an HD antenna. This will allow you to get your TV over the air, in FULL HD. You’ll want to first head over to http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/ to make sure you’ll get a good signal to your zip code.

Once you’ve determined you’d like to cut the cord, here’s what you’ll need:

Terk Amplified HDTV Antenna - $36.00
http://www.amazon.com/Terk-FDTV2A-Omni-Directional-Amplified-Antenna-Black/dp/B001VYQG16/

Klein Tools 4-Way Cable Splitter - $11.00
http://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-VDV814-637-Coax-Splitter/dp/B00BEZWI50/

Note: I’m assuming you need to split this antenna run at least 4 ways but feel free to purchase whatever hardware you want for the job. There are plenty of antenna options out there as well.

2. Find the source of all your cable wires. It’s likely you have a cable closet somewhere in your house or apartment that has cable runs to all of your rooms. If not, you can plug the HD antenna directly into any TV in the house. However, finding the source and hooking up a splitter is the way to go. If possible, try and place the antenna in the highest part of the house like in the attic.

3. Return the old equipment to the nearest provider location and enjoy your monthly savings!

Bonus Quest:
If you decide to cut the cord but don’t want to lose the ability to record, pause and fast forward your TV programs you can purchase your own DVR box to use with your antenna. Just plug your antenna into the DVR and then the HDMI out from the DVR to your TV. You’ll also need some type of USB media storage if you’d like to record and save shows.

I picked this one up off of Amazon and it works great! (especially with the Xbox One)
Mediasonic Homeworx Digital TV Converter Box with Media Player and Recording - $37.00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXAE92K/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is a really good resource if you’re interested in learning more: http://www.antennaweb.org/

Over 250,000 Americans dropped cable last year, join the movement!