If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Frugal February day 4- how we watch TV

Linking to FOF @ renaissance

We cut the cable tv cord just about the same time we ditched our traditional contact cell phones.
I think it was the summer of 2009 and cancelling both of them meant we had $160 less bills on contract to pay every month.  We do not regret it at all.

First for TV,  we live in flat Oklahoma and my husband put an old timey looking antenna on our roof.  When the TV broadcast switched over to digital just about that same time,  it meant we could pick up lots of channels with our antenna.  They have a great picture too.
We got all the networks from Oklahoma City and some of the networks from Tulsa.
Most of the networks broadcast on more than one feed. Like our PBS station broadcasts 4 feeds and they are 13.1, 13.2, 13.3 and 13.4.  One of them is childrens programing 24 hours a day.  My favorite is called Create.tv- it is great PBS hobby shows on cooking, art, travel, carpentry.

Beside the antenna,  we have Amazon Prime and can watch quite a few things through it.  Right now,  it is $79 and also gives us free shipping on most anything we order from Amazon.

The last way we get our shows is through Roku boxes and especially with an add on called  PlayOn 
Playon runs through a computer and then through your Roku.  I am not sure exactly how it all works,  my husband set it up,  but is says on the Playon site that it is very easy to set.  It is also quite affordable.  We got a lifetime membership for $49 5 years ago and have certainly got our money's worth on it.

With Playon,  there are so many shows to watch- from new current episodes to old classics, to sports reruns to foreign shows.  We like to watch Top Chef and Project Runway.  My husband and sons just laugh and cackle when they watch Food Networks CutThroat Kitchen.
My favorite things to watch is BBC episodes like all 4 seasons of The Great British BakeOff,  The Great British Sewing Bee and Kirstie Alsop's Handmade Home.

There are very few shows that we have not been able to find on Playon.


About sports,  most of the sports we like are broadcast on regular networks like our local CBS and FOX.
But if someone in your home is an ESPN junkie,  cutting the cord probably won't keep them happy.  There are quite a few ESPN shows and past sporting events on demand on Playon and Roku but watching reruns of sports is just weird, if you ask me.

You can see here where I posted about Roku- it is my most viewed post ever.  

When you first start a show on Playon or Roku, it does take a few seconds for it to download. The speed is determined by how fast your own internet runs.
This is a scene for the British Bakeoff. The picture quality is great. 

About internet, you will need good internet to play shows likes this. 2 of our Roku boxes are hard wired to our modem, 1 works on wifi,  both methods work fine. 

I think cutting the cord is great way to  save money and simplify your life. If you have questions, I will try to answer in the comments. 
Yes, it does cost money to get a Roku, Playon subscription and maybe an antenna, but they are one-time expenses. Unlike a cable or satellite bill that comes every month.  

7 comments:

  1. That is very interesting! And so much savings!

    And with Amazon Prime, when they start delivering within 30 minutes by drone, you'll probably be one of the first to get service! ha. :)

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  2. I've heard a lot about Roku but we are still not ready to commit :) But we do have Netflix and I love it. I just wish it would have some home decor shows on it. I really miss HGTV channel...

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  3. Hubby would put me to the curb over ESPN, the new SEC channel is starting up as well but if it were up to me your set up looks great

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  4. Good Morning Rhonda! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog for a visit! I look forward to having a bit of time to read through your posts...it is always so much fun to meet new friends. We don't have tv either...and we really don't miss it. Seems like we are always busy doing other things. You certainly have found some wonderful ways to be frugal! Good going!
    Have a blessed day!
    Laura

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  5. We got rid of cable probably 15 years ago and never looked back! The digital does give us a lot of choices and we get also get netflix which ends up showing quite a few cable things and lots of stuff for the kids. Whenever we go into Sam's, and the cable salesman asks us if we have cable, they look at us like we have five heads when we say no and we don't want it either. lol!

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  6. What a cool and different option! Thanks for sharing!

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