Saving Money On Your TV
In the beginning of the television industry, television programming was free. The only expense to watching television was the purchase price. Everyone had rabbit ears or an outside antenna. In the 1960s, cable television came along. While cable seemed inexpensive at first, the prices have risen. Basic cable cost almost 400 dollars annually in many places and full connections can cost over 100 dollars monthly. Quick calculations will tell you that you could easily spend 1200 dollars or more yearly on cable television. In all of this, there is some good news. Television programming can still be free and free television is better than ever.
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.
By attaching your set to an antenna you will still have access to most of your favorite shows whether the broadcast in the day or at night. The cost to you is absolutely nothing. In addition you will be able to see some sports and local and national news.
If you are addicted to movies, then a less expensive option is to join an online movie rental. The fee is in proportion to the number of movies you wish to check out at one time, but begins at only 5 dollars per month. Within two days of sending one movie in, you will have another in your home. You can watch the movies at your convenience, mail the back and get the next movie in you cue.
Even if you have missed favorite shows, they can be downloaded on the internet and view at another time. Your movie rental club may allow you to download older movies for immediate viewing and this not count against the number of movies you have checked out.
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 of what you can do with all the money saved by cutting the cable. In a few months time you will have saved enough to buy the big screen you have been wanting.
What happens if there is one evening when nothing is on the local channels and you just sent the last DVD back to the rental site? You get the privilege of turning off the set and getting to know your family once again. Play a game, got to the park or simply sit and talk. Your children will love hearing stories of when you grew up.
