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Cut Cable, Use A Digital Antenna, and Save Thousands!

Last Updated: October 30, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 185 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Cutting The Cable Cord By Getting A Digital AntennaWe finally eliminated cable earlier this year. Cutting the cable cord wasn’t hard due to the fact that we have a digital antenna.

And, guess what?

We haven’t missed it one bit.

According to NPD Group (a market research company), the average monthly cable bill in 2015 is expected to be $123. By the year 2020, the average cable bill is expected to be around $200 a month.

That’s A LOT of money!

In fact, that’s $1,476 for 2015 alone. By 2020, the average annual cable bill would then be $2,400.

Who wants to spend that much money on TV?

I know I don’t!

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I know there are some out there who prefer to have cable because they watch sports, but I doubt that is the norm. I believe many have cable just because it’s an expense that most people have and are “used to.”

However, that money could be used for something else. Perhaps a vacation, retiring a little bit earlier, paying off debt, and so on.

One of the main ways I recommend cutting the cable cord (and making it a bit easier) is by purchasing a digital antenna.

Related money saving tip: You can also ditch cable and get Hulu instead. It’s as low as $5.99 and a great way to save loads of money each month on cable.

 

Cutting the cable cord is easy with a digital antenna.

When you think of TV antennas, you probably think of the classic rabbit ears that are big and ugly. You probably also think about how the picture is never perfect and how channels can get blurry and almost completely fade away.

Well, these days antennas are no longer like that and this makes cutting the cable cord much easier. Digital antennas are sleek looking and allow you to watch your favorite TV shows with no problem at all.

Digital antennas are also cheap. They start at around $29.99 on the Antennas Direct website and go up from there. There is no monthly cost to use a digital antenna, so you can still receive many of your favorite local TV channels (that’s all I ever watched anyways!) and never have to pay money again.

Just think about it – around $30 for a digital antenna and be set for a really long time, or spend thousands of dollars on cable that you probably don’t get full use out of?

Seems like a clear winner to me!

Related: 16 Alternatives To Cable TV That WILL Save You Money

 

Our digital antenna.

We recently got a digital antenna (you can go to this website and find many great digital antennas – this is an affiliate link, but I didn’t find out I could be an affiliate until after I was already using their digital antenna. I truly enjoy this product and recommend it!) and it has been working well for us.

We have the ClearStream™ Micron Indoor Multi-Directional Digital TV Antenna.

It’s an indoor one that sits behind our TV, there is no ugliness that goes along with it, and you can’t even see it.

The digital antenna gives us around 14 channels and they are all of great quality. I’ve even heard of others getting 50 or 60 channels. The antenna we bought was around $60 and it will allow us to save hundreds of dollars a year for years to come, so it was a great deal.

Do you have cable? Why or why not?

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185 Comments
Filed Under: Budget Tagged With: Budget

About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I'm Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I'm passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

Comments

  1. Sohair says

    October 13, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    Because it has a lot of channels that my hubby likes to watch

    Reply
  2. Elaine Powell says

    October 13, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    we do for now. thinking of trying something less expensive. if not for Nascar and a couple of my husbands fav, channels, I would unhook the cable

    Reply
  3. Lisa L. says

    October 13, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    No cable, too busy traveling full time in RV. But lawd how I miss the NFL !!! Broncos keep winning though. Me and my Denver Bronco styled RV are happy for that. Which is for sale by the way, :o) 1k finders fee if they mention your name! Lisagee1234 on instagram

    Reply
  4. molli vandehey says

    October 13, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    i do because my roommate already had it. i will likely cancel soon

    Reply
  5. charlene says

    October 14, 2015 at 2:39 am

    I have cable but I wish I could get rid of it. I am in a pretty rural area and would only get about 5 channels and the kids would go nuts

    Reply
  6. amy tolley says

    October 14, 2015 at 8:31 am

    yes we have cable because my family wouldnt go without tv..and we dont really get reception out here all to great and you can only watch so many dvd’s then its time for something else ..but would love to try this out if lucky enough to win…and drop the cable bill that coast out the butt

    Reply
  7. Crystal Rogers Walker says

    October 14, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    We have Dish Network we live in Smoky Mountains and don’t have alot of choice for TV or Internet

    Reply
  8. Bella T. says

    October 14, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    I’ve never heard of this! 🙂 I currently do not have cable due to the expensiveness and hassle!

    Reply
    • Bella T. says

      October 20, 2015 at 8:56 am

      p.s. My FB name is Isabella Renee if you need verification for the FB Share entry! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Amanda says

    October 14, 2015 at 7:41 pm

    I love this idea, but my husband is all about the TV. We’ll see what he says when I run it by him. Our cable bill will double in March if we stick with the current plan.

    Reply
  10. James says

    October 14, 2015 at 7:47 pm

    I’ve been using a Over-the-Air digital antenna for the last three years and it works great. Add a long HDMI cable from your computer to your television and you have a lot of great free streaming options online for content.

    Reply
  11. Christy Caldwell says

    October 15, 2015 at 10:34 am

    I don’t have cable. It’s just too expensive. I use an antenna for network TV. I have been looking for a better digital antenna.

    Reply
  12. Sandra Watts says

    October 15, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    I just got a new television that has all the apps and include Roka. I want to cute the cable, I am just not sure how yet.

    Reply
  13. christine burd says

    October 16, 2015 at 12:20 am

    We do have cable and it is bundled with phone and internet .. We never really looked into other options

    Reply
  14. debbie says

    October 16, 2015 at 11:26 am

    No we dont I live in new zealand and we still dont have a lot of tv channels but we do have what we call freeview which s free to watch We also have sky which is like cable but there are only about 15 channels Plus its quite expensive and repititive but slowly getting other tv services available which will prob drive the costs down

    Reply
  15. Richard Brandt says

    October 16, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    Yes, for Turner Classic Movies.

    Reply
  16. Barbara Montag says

    October 17, 2015 at 12:58 am

    I entered the wrong info for following you on Twitter
    @JalapenoMama

    Reply
  17. Barbara Montag says

    October 17, 2015 at 12:59 am

    Shared on FB https://www.facebook.com/barbara.montag.7/posts/10207034802044752

    Reply
  18. Diego F. says

    October 17, 2015 at 9:18 am

    I don’t have yet cause of money, but ll have it soon 🙂

    Reply
  19. Gord says

    October 17, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    I have cable only because its included where I live.

    Reply
  20. Annmarie W. says

    October 17, 2015 at 6:16 pm

    We don’t have cable…we’re longtime DirecTV subscribers. But my mom has cable, and this might be a great option for her!

    Reply
  21. Allison lesley says

    October 17, 2015 at 8:14 pm

    We cut our cable about 3 years ago and we stream Netflix and Hulu now. It saves us a ton monthly just by making this one cute. Cable is outrageous and the plans are always changing so its not worth the money paid for it.

    Reply
  22. Laura J says

    October 18, 2015 at 12:04 am

    We do have cable, but I have been thinking for the last year about cutting it. This would be such a great option!

    Reply
  23. Julie Waldron says

    October 18, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    We have satellite TV but we’ve thought about getting rid of it.

    Reply
  24. Patricia Delgado says

    October 18, 2015 at 7:28 pm

    We do have cable because my children enjoy nick and disney jr

    Reply
  25. Priscilla S. says

    October 18, 2015 at 9:58 pm

    We have the basic package but plan on cutting the cord soon. When we really looked at our typical viewing habits we stream more than anything else. I’d like to give SlingTV a try too!

    Reply
  26. Natalie Brown says

    October 19, 2015 at 2:55 am

    I do have cable and it’s just okay. It’s so expensive though. This is a really cool product! Thank-you for the helpful information & generous chance. 🙂

    Reply
  27. david says

    October 19, 2015 at 10:18 am

    No, I do not have cable. Too expensive.

    Reply
  28. Lyz S says

    October 19, 2015 at 10:57 am

    Cable is too expensive for us, so we haven’t had it for years.

    Reply
  29. Kay says

    October 19, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Yes, I do have cable. I guess I don’t feel tech savvy enough to have anything else. It’s soooo expensive though! I’d like to try other options but I just don’t understand them.

    Reply
  30. Sharon Kaminski says

    October 19, 2015 at 12:42 pm

    We do have cable. We do like it because we love football.

    Reply
  31. jimmy Rector says

    October 19, 2015 at 1:54 pm

    we have dish getting higher every day

    Reply
  32. Edmond says

    October 19, 2015 at 10:18 pm

    RE: no cable. Can’t afford it. Pick me, pick me! Your next winner!!! Show me the money!!! It would be a dream come true and means more to me than anyone else to win. Starving artist here desperately needs the prize $50 and eat. Winner, winnner. Chicken dinner. A life changing experience. Top of my bucket list. Thank you for the awesomeness, the contest, and generosity. Dear Santa: I’ve been nice. My X-Mas wish this year is to win this contest.

    Reply
  33. Kelly Nicholson says

    October 19, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    have direct tv..i really need this

    Reply
  34. christopher h says

    October 20, 2015 at 1:32 am

    i do not have cable anymore, I found I was spending too much money on something I wasn’t watching that much

    Reply
  35. Carlos says

    October 20, 2015 at 12:13 pm

    Indeed, we still have cable as some of the shows we are currently hooked on are exclusively on it, like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead…

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      October 20, 2015 at 3:15 pm

      Walking Dead is on Netflix 🙂

      Reply
  36. Horace says

    October 20, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    Our family does not have cable. We cut the cord to save money about a year ago.

    Reply
  37. sarah s says

    October 20, 2015 at 1:32 pm

    We haven’t had cable for a little over two year, we use mainly the free version of Hulu and free episode selections on the main cable channels.

    Reply
  38. David says

    October 20, 2015 at 2:29 pm

    We don’t have cable. It is too expensive and there are plenty of free channels.

    Reply
  39. LindaG. says

    October 20, 2015 at 3:25 pm

    We have cable now, but we want to try the indoor antennas, so thank you for the review.

    Reply
  40. Wanda Bergman says

    October 20, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    We do have cable so we can gain a few more channels.

    Reply
  41. Jack says

    October 20, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    Right there with you. We’ve saved thousands of dollars so far by cutting the cord and switching to Netflix and Roku. Best of all, no commercials!

    I do miss Mythbusters, but if I missed it that much, I could always buy it on Amazon.

    Reply
  42. Anita L says

    October 21, 2015 at 7:09 am

    Yes, we have cable because without it, we would not be able to watch television!

    Reply
  43. wudstock08 says

    October 21, 2015 at 9:03 am

    nope we dont have cable. just an antenna to save money

    Reply
  44. Sharon says

    October 21, 2015 at 2:49 pm

    No, we don’t have cable, and we need a digital antennae to get local and more channels better! Thanks for an Awesome Giveaway!!

    Reply
  45. Anna says

    October 22, 2015 at 11:58 pm

    We don’t have cable because it is too expensive!

    Reply
  46. Stacy says

    October 23, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    We do have cable, but I have been trying to convince my husband to cancel it so that we can save money. His two excuses are that he loves watching the History channel and that since we bundle our Internet and cable that we will end up paying more for the Internet. But we have Netflix and everything else we watch can be picked up with a digital antenna so I don’t know why he is resisting.

    Reply
  47. aaron wells says

    October 23, 2015 at 8:52 pm

    no cable here as its not available in new zealand

    Reply
  48. Allyson Bossie says

    October 24, 2015 at 7:17 am

    We currently have cable. Husband works 14 hour night shift, and on his nights off, he is awake all night. He likes watching tv during those hours.

    Reply
  49. Robin says

    October 24, 2015 at 12:47 pm

    I have cable only until the contract is up. It is just too darn expensive for me to continue. It’s higher than my power bill and that’s nuts.

    Reply
  50. Jenny S says

    October 24, 2015 at 12:58 pm

    We’ve been thinking about getting rid of cable. It would save so much money.

    Reply
  51. Tonya Flores says

    October 24, 2015 at 1:09 pm

    We don’t have anything but we need something. lol

    Reply
  52. rajee says

    October 25, 2015 at 1:04 am

    I dont have cable as it is so expensive but kids love to have it

    Reply
  53. denise low says

    October 25, 2015 at 7:06 pm

    We got rid of cable because it was getting to high. Thank you for the entry.

    Reply
  54. mysweetiepiepie says

    October 25, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    Nope, we don’t have cable because I can think of about a million other things I could spend the money on.

    Reply
  55. Amanda Sakovitz says

    October 26, 2015 at 2:37 am

    I do because I havent researched other options yet.

    Reply
  56. Ruy M. says

    October 26, 2015 at 8:53 am

    I don’t have cable, but I watch Netflix and Hulu on a regular basis.

    Reply
  57. Betsy Rubendall Barnes says

    October 26, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    We do not have cable. About 4 years ago, we decided to cut the cord because the cost was rising constantly, plus, we were not watching a lot of the channels we were paying for. We have been so happy since. We have Netflix and catch up up on our favorite shows from network websites. We watch when we have time, so nice 🙂

    Reply
  58. Tracie Cooper says

    October 26, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    Yes we have cable but I would love to try this antenna!

    Reply
  59. Thomas Murphy says

    October 26, 2015 at 11:21 pm

    I do because I have been to lazy to switch it up.

    Reply
  60. Kelly says

    September 14, 2016 at 8:33 pm

    We had to cut cable due to the expense. My fiance did a little go ogling and watched some you tube videos and put a few ideas together and made this antenna from wire hangers in a zip zag patern all the way down a 3ft maybe 4ft board and back fed the whole house somehow with it got 40 channels! Way more then the 13 channels with the $60 antenna we tried first! It works perfect and clear and FREE

    Reply
  61. Diana Mota says

    January 12, 2017 at 4:45 pm

    I looked into quitting cable, but the Internet, which I would want and is currently is part of a package, would by itself be almost as much as the package is currently.

    Reply
  62. Angela says

    January 23, 2017 at 3:17 pm

    I do have cable because I am retired and I watch Hallmark and other stations you cant get on regular t.v., plus I have the Internet and home phone on my plan. I do plan on getting just the basics though.

    Reply
  63. JYDB says

    August 22, 2017 at 10:10 am

    I understand about the cost of cable but what I don’t understand is how to get rid of cable if it also includes your internet access. My cable company will charge me $75 for my fast internet connection and only an additional $15 for the cable TV with HBO. I don’t know how to get rid of that since all 5 of us use the internet. Please let me know of your recommendations.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      August 22, 2017 at 12:38 pm

      Not all cable companies do this. You may want to look around and see if you have other options.

      Reply
  64. VANESSA says

    January 29, 2018 at 3:11 pm

    how do you suggest cutting cable if you want to keep home phone and internet? Tried to get rid of cable but Comcast was then charging just as much with home phone and internet

    Reply
    • Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says

      January 29, 2018 at 6:03 pm

      Do you need a home phone? Also, are there other internet options in your area?

      Reply
  65. Ron Hill says

    February 20, 2018 at 12:48 am

    After reading some of the comments here, I’ve decided to do some research about the internet cause that’s the only reason we have stuck with cable.
    Thanks

    Reply
  66. Renee Lindsay says

    September 10, 2018 at 9:45 am

    I have tried cutting cable before but I definitely need wifi, when comparing cost it never seems to be that cost effective to just pay for Wifi so I always just get the bundle. Any advice?

    Reply
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My name is Michelle and I'm the author/owner of Making Sense of Cents. Learning how to save money and make more money changed my life. It allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans, start my own business, and I now travel full-time.

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