The Cheapest TV
There was a time when television programming was free. The biggest expense was the purchase prices of the television its self. To receive programming, the television was attached to rabbit ears or for rural areas, an outdoor television antenna. Then came cable television. Today, in many areas basic cable costs about 30 dollars per month. Extended basic plus the premium movie channels can easily cost over 100 dollars per month. That means over 1200 dollars per year for a service that you may not need. Here is some good news. If you want the absolute cheapest TV programming, cut the cable.
When all televisions were analog sets, cable grew in popularity because reception was often bad. Pictures often had shadows or snow and in some cases were not viewable. Recently all television was changed to digital broadcasting. Television stations still send out their feed through the airwaves, they are at different frequencies than before. The good news about digital television is that pictures are always clear if there is any reception at all.
Free, local television broadcasts will allow you to see many of your favorite daytime or nighttime shows at no cost. Most local stations also offer local as well as national news.
If you are afraid that you will miss your favorite movie channels, try joining Netflix or Blockbuster online. Membership starts at 5 dollars per month and there is a two to three day turnaround for most movies. You will be able to see more movies than are offered on movie channels and can set your own viewing schedule. In addition, if you are an older movie fan, many of these can be downloaded to your computer for immediate viewing.
Some of the online movie rentals offer you the ability to download older movies immediately for viewing. This is included in your monthly agreement.
Many families find that they are watching less television than ever. If you are among the many families that watch two to four hours of television per month, then why spend even thirty dollars per month on television cable. That works out to 7. 50 dollars per hour. The price seems very expensive for something that you may not use that often.
Think about the savings of not having a cable bill. You may be able to afford the big screen television you have always wanted. The picture will still be great. Perhaps now you will choose a wall mount system that has the large screen but does not require a lot of floor space.
If you find that pulling the cable gives you an occasional evening with no shows to watch, then do not forget there is always the option to turn the set off. They you can spend time getting to know the other people who live in your home. Visit with family. Take a trip to the park or simply play a game together.
