If you are like me, it was only about a year ago that I would sit at the dinning room table and get upset with the amount of money that I was paying to my cable company. At that time, I was paying about $220.00 per month for internet and cable TV. Of course I had the DVR and all the other stuff that they are so good at telling you that you 'need.' lucky for me, I am stubborn enough to find a better more financial freeing solution.
I found the Roku device when I began to look for a alternative solution for TV- the Roku at that time was still in it's infancy and no where near the remarkable item that it has become today. I eventually ended up cutting my cable services slowly. First by letting go of the DVR and returning their equipment.
I ordered the HDTV antenna for the roof of my home, getting it installed and found that the clarity and the vast amount of selection available was surprising! I finally pulled the trigger and cut the cable. All was well for about 2 days- because it did not take me long to realize that the 'guide' that the cable company provided was a much missed item.
In order to solve the guide issue on my 2007 Vizio 50 inch television, I went to and purchased a TIVO DVR. The Tivo device offers a guide and had a few features such as being able to record over the air broadcasting which was a nice plus. TIVO also came with the ability to stream online content, such as Netflix, Blockbuster Video and Youtube.
I did pay for a Hulu Plus account and Netflix streaming account. So after cutting my cable and paying for everything I am sure you are asking me- what was the cost and the savings right?
Cost for Equipment:
Antenna with Coax and connectors $89.99
Roku $99.99 (now available for $49.00)
Tivo $99.99
Cost for Equipment = $289.97
Subscription Costs
Tivo= $19.99
Hulu Plus= $7.99
Netflix= $7.99
Total cost for monthly subscriptions = $35.97
Cable bill prior to cutting cable (with internet) = $220.00
Cable bill with Internet only= $79.00 (Business class)
Old Cable Bill= $220.00 minus new cable bill of $79.00 = $141.00
$141 Dollar savings minus subscription costs of $35.97 = $105.03
So there you have it- I save $105.00 per month/ $1260.00 per year!
So, if you are reading this, trying to decide if it is 'worth it' to cut cable and find a better solution for you and your family- I guess you have to do the math. In my case, paying almost $1300.00 for Discovery Channel, HGTV and History was not at all worth the cost (since those were the only channels we watched).
Cable companies are bleeding- I read a recent report that said that the cable industry lost 9% of their subscriber base in 2011 and it is expected that they could loose an additional 11% in 2012. If that trend continues- the face of TV entertainment is and will change. People of America are tired of paying hundreds of dollars for channels we are never going to watch.
I personally have one hope and desire- for NFL Season Ticket to come to Roku. I am not the only one waiting- there are several! Roku is boasting more then 2.0 million watchers with their products now sold at Target and Walmart- so I hope it is only a matter of time before NFL realizes that there is real money to be had by joining with Roku.
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