There comes a time in a lot of people’s life when they realize that they are just spending too much on cable or satellite television.  The question comes then, what do you do to get rid of cable.  Even in a digital age, people wonder how they are going to watch their favorite shows.  Let’s see how it’s done and maybe you too can cut the cord.

Decide What Shows You Want

The first step to cutting the cord is deciding what shows you want to be watching.  Think of your favorite shows and ones that you enjoy.  What kind of shows are they?  Make a list.  This list will be what you start your research with.

Decide What Shows You NEED to Watch

Chances are there will be at least a couple shows that you don’t want to stop watching.  Go ahead and go through that list you made and cross out as many as you can.  The ones left are the ones you are going to look for on the various streaming services that are out there.

Pick A Streaming Service

Now it’s time to pick a streaming service or two.  There are a lot of options out there.  Try to use the list of need to watch shows to help you locate a service that allows you to see them.  You might have to wait for the season to end to watch a few of the shows though.

Here is a list of some streaming services:

• Amazon Prime TV (Free with Amazon Prime)
• CBS Go
• HBO Now
• Hulu
• Netflix
• YouTube Red

There are also a variety of streaming services that allow you to watch live television.  This means that you can watch whatever channel you want and see whatever show you want.  While some of these services get expensive, they aren’t on a contract like many traditional television services are.  That means you can cancel at any time, even when your shows are in the off season.

Here are some of the live streaming services:

• DirectTV Now
• Sling TV
• com
• PlayStation Vue

Read Over Your Cable Agreement

As we already hinted at, most cable providers and satellite providers require that you sign a contract when you get service.  Most of these contracts are rather deceptive and can end up costing you more money over time.  For example, one major cable company tries to advertise one price and then sleekly slips in that the price is only for a year.

Your job when reading over the cable agreement is to see if there is any way out of the agreement.  If there is, use it.

If There Is No Loophole

If there is no loophole you will probably end up having to pay a fee to terminate the contract.  Depending on your cable company this fee can vary.  Most aren’t over $200-$300.  The savings starts adding up quickly though if you are paying for a lot of channels.

Another way to not have to pay a termination fee is if you have internet and TV with the same company.  If you simply modify your plan instead of ending it, most companies will not charge you a fee.  This means that you can still have internet but you won’t have to worry about your cable.  However, note that you may lose any bundle pricing.

Either way, if you are truly looking to cut the cord, it is time.  Get rid of your cable service and enjoy the no contract, no overcharging, life of cord free life.

Choose A Streaming Device

You will need to decide on a streaming device.  There are a lot of options out there.  For some people, they simply stream from their computers.  For others, they use their smart televisions.  It is very common though to go out and buy a streaming device.

Here is a brief list of streaming devices:

• Amazon Fire TV/Amazon Fire TV Stick
• Apple TV
• Chromecast/Chromecast Ultra
• Nvidia Shield TV
• PlayStation
• Roku (Various Options)
• Xbox

Once you have followed all of these steps you will truly be among those who live a cord free life.  Streaming services are a cheaper and better alternative to cable.  You can pick and choose which ones you want and when you want them.  For more on cutting the cord, read some of our other posts.