Guide to Cutting the Cord


The Frugal Librarian's Guide to Cutting the Cord


This post is a little off-topic for me.  I am writing this because so many have asked my advice for cutting out cable.  Last year my family decided to cold-turkey ditch cable.  Our most basic cable package had surpassed $100 per month.  We wouldn't have been so frustrated if we actually had the time to watch TV.  Additionally, we were primarily watching free network TV and paying for the DVR capabilities.  We decided to go with the Amazon Fire TV.  Perhaps the most useful Amazon tool in the process of replacing cable was the Interactive Guide for streaming TV.


Our Amazon Experiment

Right now we are using Amazon Fire TV with an Amazon Prime subscription.
  • Amazon Fire TV Stick - Fire Stick runs between $29.99 - $49.99
  • Amazon Prime subscription - This runs $99 for the year and includes so much more than Videos and free shipping.
  • We are also using the minimal versions of Hulu and Sling since we like to stay somewhat current 

Watercooler TV - latest TV
  • Hulu -  $7.99 a month w/commercials [major free networks on demand next day ABC, NBC, and Fox ]
  • Sling TV -  $20- $45/month [3 different packages] cable networks regional FOX Sports networks (depending on location), NFL Network, NBCSN, AMC, FX, CNN, HGTV, Comedy Central, USA, Cartoon Network, History, TNT, Bravo, Food Network, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, TBS, BBC America, FXX (on demand), Syfy, Nick Jr., Disney Channel, IFC, A&E, TruTV, Lifetime, Cheddar, Travel Channel, BET, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Newsy, Bloomberg TV [app is slow at times]
  • The CW - Free [app works well]
  • PBS Video - Free [app is a little glitchy]
  • NBC - Free [app is a little glitchy]

Binge Watcher - whole series and movies
  • Amazon Video - $10.99 or currently comes with a Prime membership
  • Crackle - Free  - Older television and movies 
  • Netflix -  $7.99 a month w/commercials

Free Apps that we like
  • CBSn - somewhat Live News
  • YouTube - What can we say its YouTube
  • Frequency - "If YouTube and cable television had a baby"
  • Haystack TV: Watch world news, business & finance, and celebrity gossip











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