Cutting the Cord

Cutting the Cord

     Ok I became a reluctant "Cord Cutter". But so far it has worked out well. Plus I am saving about $100 a month by doing this. I didn't want to this, but cutting costs, meant cutting cords. That also meant losing NFL, college sports, NBA, MLB and all the History Channels. No more TNT, TBS no Fox News, no Fox Sports, no ESPN and so on.

     I had DirectTv for years. I only cared about a hand full channels though. That's a lot of money for a bunch of channels I didn't even want. So when I lost my home and had to move into an apartment, I decided cable just cost way too much. It was time to change my ways. Time to live a more frugal life.

      First thing I decided to do is to go out and find something I hadn't had to use in many years. Rabbit ears. Yes, that's right, over the air channels via antenna. You can get all the major networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. Plus it's in glorious HD. So my first goal was complete. Most NFL games? Check. A lot of NCAA games? Check. Some NBA & MLB? Check. Also I discovered ME TV, and Antenna TV that would broadcast all the old shows that I grew up watching. "Leave It To Beaver", The Rifle Man", "Brady Bunch", "M.A.S.H." and many more like that. Christian music videos too.

     Next I was reading a Sooner message board and the guys were talking about "Cord Cutting" and mentioned an "app" call "SlingTV". $20 for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNEWS, ESPNU, TNT, TBS, History, H2 and many more. Next item on my list, more NCAA, NFL, etc. Check. You do have to have a smart phone or tablet, Xbox or PS, but I can take it and get it anywhere.

     Finally, the other day a good friend told me about "Plex". Plex is another "app" that you can take anywhere and use on your tablet, Smart phone and gaming box. Plex lets you use your computer as a network server. If you keep movies, TV shows, music, pictures and such on your computer. You now can access that media. You can take that anywhere. Plex cost about $5 a month or you can get it for $48 a year.

    A lot of you youngsters already know about this stuff. I am, however, not ashamed to learn from the younger generation.

     Another added benefit of cord cutting is I spend a lot fewer hours on the tube. I can stop and do a lot more things I should be. I will have to update this post when I discover how to DVR without cable. Hopefully some of you will email me and let me know what you have found.