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.  

Frugal February Day 3- thread spider

Update- my mom and Debbie both commented that they use this method and learned it quite a while ago. It is called Enders and Leaders.  They sent the names of websites that feature it with some especially good tutorials. Both of these are excellent quilt sites too!  Thank you Mom and Debbie
Quiltville
Lollyquiltz

This tip will save sewing thread. It also means the bobbin has to be filled less often, the seam ends are neater and there will be fewer threads to snip off when the the project is finished.

I think I learned this tip from an episode of Fons and Porter quilting show on PBS. I looked on their website to see if their was a tutorial and to link back to them but I could not find it on their site. 

Chain sewing is a great way to accomplish the same result but every project is not a candidate for chain sewing,  so here is how to sew with a thread spider. 

You just need a small scrap of fabric, folded to make a double layer.

When you start a new seam, first sew over the scrap of fabric, then put your fabric pieces right up to the scrap and just sew as usual. Clip off the scrap before you get to the end of your seam and then sew right back onto the scrap at the end of the seam,  you will still need to back stitch your project if your project requires it.

After the same scrap has been used for a few seam start and stops, it kind of looks a spider with all the lines of sewing on it.

Below are 2 doll legs, 

The one on the right is sewn the traditional way - see the long threads that will need to be clipped and how when you start sewing a narrow seam, sometimes it bunches up a bit.

With a thread spider, that bunching did not ever happen for me.

The leg on the left was started and stopped with the thread spider and I think the seams look neater the little bit of scrap thread  ended up on the spider. 

On my sewing machine, I must pull out a pretty long amount of top and bottom thread when I start a new seam or else when the machine starts, the top thread pulls out and I have to re thread the machine. Using the thread spider means I can spend more time sewing and less time threading my sewing machine too. 

This tip is new to me and I've been sewing, golly, 45 years or so! 

Do the rest of you seamstresses know this tip already? or is it kind of new?