There are so many reasons to hate cable, I struggle to know where to begin. Hating cable is a hobby of mine, and it began right about the time when a rather large company that shall remain unnamed here began sending me bills containing a mystery charge. I’m calling it a mystery charge because to this day, neither they nor I know exactly what the charge was for. I asked, they said they didn’t know and demanded that I pay it.
Needless to say, this didn’t go over so well. Rather than deal with strange charges and fluctuating bills, it was time to find a more
affordable solution. Like a newborn baby, I was ready for my cord to be cut. This one decision gave birth to a much more flexible watch schedule ( and a much fatter wallet) for me. You may have heard of the virtues of leaving cable behind, and you’re anxious to hear more. Let me tell you what you’re going to need.
Ditch Cable and be a Cord Cutter
A kick butt internet connection
Not to send you right back into the clutches of the cable companies, but you’re going to need a wi-fi connection no matter what you do. It is time to choose wisely here: a slow internet
connection might save you money, but it will leave to major frustration when it is time to sit down and view your favorite programming. You don’t have to choose the most expensive package,
but make sure you are choosing one that has enough speed to handle the streaming you’ll be doing.
A smart TV or something else
If you already have a smart TV, great! You are ahead of the game here. If not, don’t rush out to buy one. There is a wide range of options here that are affordable and come with some perks
of their own. Roku, Apple TV and Firestick are all well-known options for streaming television and you will have your reasons for whichever one you choose. The best suggestion I can give is
to choose one that coordinates well with your telephone. Roku actually has a remote app that allows you to control your television with the touch of a telephone screen. No more searching for
the remote!
Time to Pick your Poison . . . Errr . . . Service
Netflix is considered the gold standard in streaming services, but there are many companies hot on their heels. You need to know what exactly it is you want to spend, and whether the service
(s) you choose have the right combination of what you want to watch. Do you prefer to watch movies but don’t care a lot about television shows? Netflix is definitely the way to go. They have
a great selection of movies for your night in, and a wide range of kid-friendly viewing. One drawback is that if it isn’t available for streaming currently, you’re just going to have to wait.
Amazon Instant Movies has the solution for that. In addition to movies and television, you have the option to pay for the shows they do not have available currently for streaming to make them
available through a rent or purchase option. That means you’ll never be stuck waiting for programming to become available. Careful though, if you rent too frequently it could become
expensive. If you are a big fan of current television shows and you want to remain current, you have to take a look at Hulu’s subscription service. Each television show is available the day
after it airs, and they have a great set of exclusives, like the current hit, The Handmaid’s Tale. That means you won’t be waiting months and avoiding the water cooler to stay away from the
spoilers.
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