Cut Your Cable Bill & Still Catch Your Favorite Sports, Movies and TV Shows

Earlier this month, I made the decision to cut my cable. I now save approximately $123 per month by dropkicking my Direct TV out the door in exchange for Roku, my computer and an Internet connection.

Note:  There are several different devices and applications to use, but I chose to share the ones that have worked the best for me. Just last month, I had a DirecTv Bill that cost me $140 per month and another $60 for cable internet. $200 a month is a ridiculous bill to have with all the free alternatives available. I kept my cable internet and now only pay $17 per month for movies and tv shows using the options below.

Devices To Hookup To Your Television

Though I have both a Roku and Apple TV, there is no way I would have cut my cable without Roku. This device requires a high speed wireless connection. It connects directly to your television and streams content to your television from countless channels that include Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon On Demand, Pandora, Flickr and more. While you won’t find YouTube in the channel lineup for the Roku player, you can manually add this awesome channel using these simple setup steps. You could get by with the Roku alone, but let me show you some more options.

I keep my laptop connected to my television using a HDMI cable. You would be amazed to see how many of your favorite shows are available for free online. I am a big Survivor fan and can simply go to CBS.com the day after Survivor airs to stream the newest episode. With my computer connected to my television, it’s just like watching it on TV.

Roku cost me $100 to purchase and there is no monthly or additional fees. Some of the channels available requires a pay subscription to use. I pay $9 per month to stream movies from Netflix and $8 each month to stream television shows. If I can’t find content on either of these channels, my next option is to see if it’s online.

You can turn your computer into a media server by downloading some pretty awesome free applications such as Windows Media Center or XBMC. Windows Media Center has an Internet TV window channel does the work for you by finding great shows from online sources.

If it’s not online and it’s a show or movie I really want to see, I can pay to rent it from the Amazon On Demand channel. An episode typically cost $1.99.

Want to still get free local channels? By using the AntennaWeb tool, you can see what the ideal Antenna would be for you to purchase. Based on my area, once I have my Antenna set up, I should get more than 20 channels (including HD) free. My Antenna cost $35 from Amazon.

Want to Stream More Free Movies And Television?

While I could provide an exhaustive listing of free movie and tv sites, I’m going to instead point you to an amazing resource. OVGuide shows you all the best free movie sites and by using the useful search button, you can find movies and television shows you want to watch.

A Last Resort

If you decide you just can’t cut the cord on your cable or satellite, at least take some time and search online for better deals than you’ll get through Best Buy or over the phone. Many third party service providers like TvByDirect.com offer local specials that include free channels. While not as cost effective as going full-streaming, you can definitely cut a large portion of your bill.