The most popular television reception method today I think is still Cable but maybe your a Satellite fan. Usually this is bundled with their internet and phone service. I know of several people that use Comcast for cable in my area and they've told me that they each spend $180 per month for pretty basic service. I'm not a fan of either cable or satellite and the price, well that's just crazy to me. Think about it, that's $2,160 a year for an entertainment service. It's not a necessity, it's a luxury, and even the most struggling families pay for it. I know that you'll probably need to still have internet and that will add back in, but you can easily save over half that amount.
I stopped using these kind TV services in the summer of 2008 and I don't miss it a bit. For several years though I did have a hole in my television service since I mostly only used Netflix or Amazon Prime. Each of these have their benefits, not least of which is NO commercials, but those services are not the point of this article. I still had something missing, and that was local channels, news, and sports.
A few years ago, in 2011, I decided to try using an antenna, the first one was a very small one that was as thin as a floppy cutting board and could be hung on a wall or better put in a window. This worked pretty well but not great, it had only a 35 mile range rating and I live nearly 40 miles from the big cities where the channels are being broadcast from. This was usually OK, but sometimes I couldn't get good enough reception. I found myself trying to re-position it so that I could get my channels.
I bought this bigger antenna in the summer of 2014, and I wish that I hadn't waited so long, it's absolutely awesome! I must have looked lots and lots of them them 5-10 different times and just shrugged and moved on. This one has a 65 mile range and easily gets all of the local channels. Its not powered and it's wide pickup design makes it so that you only need to point it in the general direction of the broadcasting stations. I have to say that I really like it! I mounted it on to one of my old satellite masts and hooked it up to the cables that were abandoned. Simple and done!
With either one you can get nearly 40 channels in the Seattle area and a lot of them come in HD. And when I say it's HDTV it's better HD reception than I would ever get from Cable or Satellite television. Remember that those cable and satellite TV companies are doing the same thing by getting those channels with an antenna and then just rebroadcasting it to you for a fee. Something is definitely lost in that rebroadcasting they do though, it's just not as sharp as over the antenna.
It's really amazing to me! Why are we willing to pay to get local channels when they're available like this for free? And, not only are they free but they look far better on all those new fancy televisions and for a one time $70 purchase. This is a really great way to save money! Just think, after 10 years, you will have saved more than $10,000 by cutting that bill in half! That's a huge savings that can go to better things, like your retirement!
You know, if you think about it, it's also the price of some small new cars today. Is your entertainment worth a new car to you? It's not to me... I prefer to build my savings.
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