This post contains affiliate links.
Cut the Cord
Ok, this is going to sound silly but prior to a couple of years ago, I had no idea most TV channels were still being broadcast over the airwaves. I thought you had to have a cable connection. I mean I was aware that if you set up a TV without any cable, you may get a couple of basic local channels flitting in and out. But, did you know you can get 30 to 40 channels to your TV, crystal clear, over the airwaves TOTALLY FREE?
All you need is an antenna.
“Whoa, what?” you might say. “What decade are we in?”
Well, we went from antennas to cable and now we’re all cutting the cord to go back to antennas again.
Retro, baby.
The Rise of Cord Cutters
Here’s why this is happening: cable companies suck.
They lure you in with flashy, incredibly low package deals that expire in a year or two. Then, as soon as that intro is up, the price goes up significantly. Most people don’t notice because life moves on and they have your card number and it’s all automatic. But, don’t mistake it, they’re draining you.
When we used to have cable, my husband signed up for one of these flashy deals with a local cable provider.
It was $45.99 a month for cable and internet. Sounded great. But then, a year passed and suddenly we were paying close to $150 a month for the same service. Sure, we tried to call and negotiate the rate down, but the service was a monopoly and didn’t feel like they needed to accommodate us.
We were paying for mediocre speed internet and cable that we didn’t watch anyway. On top of that, we were paying for amazon prime, hulu, netflix, and HBO subscriptions (amounting to a total of $40 per month).
Well, we decided to cancel the cable subscription and upgrade the internet for better streaming.
Bam, the internet/cable bill went down to $65.99- less than half. This was one of the gains that helped us knock out my student loans in a year and a half.
We didn’t miss cable at all most of the time. The only time we missed it was if the parents were babysitting and wanted to watch the news or we wanted to watch something important live, like the Superbowl, or the Masters, or The Bachelorette (priorities people… lol)
The Best Digital Antenna
So, here is where the antenna came in. First, we bought a basic one for $11.
Not bad. We got 10 or so channels clearly. I could get the Bachelorette on clear days, if my husband held the antenna just right.
Previous
Next
Ha, as you can see, he had a lot of fun posing for this one.
But then, Antennas Direct HDTV Antennas came into the picture.
Full disclosure, they sent me this awesome antenna with a care package to try out.
Guys. This thing is great. We now have almost 40 channels coming in, crystal clear, over the airwaves… FOR FREE!
The initial investment for this antenna is $50-100, but then you pay nothing monthly. Once the antenna is set up, it’s there and you’re good to go.
It doesn’t hurt that it looks totally cool and futuristic. It’s a nice addition to our setup I think. They have some really cool designs, too, like a picture frame.
Ease of Assembly
The antenna could have been mounted on the roof for even better reception, but we’re renting and I don’t want to leave it here when we move so we decided to mount it indoors. I can’t even imagine how great the reception would be if it was outdoors.
Assembly was easy, according to Josh. All you need is a screwdriver and a drill if you’re mounting it indoors.
If you wanted to mount it outdoors, you would have to run the wire in somehow or tie it into an external port. There are some videos available online to help, too.
Not sure your area has good channels broadcasting over the airwaves? The antenna comes with an app to help you assess the broadcast situation around you.
So overall, I’m really happy with this Antennas Direct antenna and would highly recommend it to someone looking to cut the cord. It would be really useful to sports fans that like to watch games live or for people looking to get live updates on inclement weather and school closings.
I’m sure Josh is happy he doesn’t have to hold up the antenna while I watch my smut-TV anymore… though I kind of miss watching him!
Anyway, you can get your own HDTV antenna here.
Or Here
Stay frugal, ya’ll!
Disha
Standard Disclaimer: Not meant as individualized financial or medical advice. This post contains affiliate links.