Cord cutting can sound scary at first with a ton of options and decisions to make, but we hope this guide will help you find out that cord cutting is surprisingly easy. In fact, you may already have most, if not everything, you need. We want to be here to help you cancel cable TV and legally stream content online, so you pay less and still get all your shows.
To help, we are kicking off a new series to get you started with cord cutting. Each post will focus on a different topic, so you can read all of them or just the topics you are interested in.
In today’s post and video, we are going to look at what you need to do before you ever jump into cord cutting.
If you prefer a video, click Part 1: Getting Started with Cord Cutting.
What is cord cutting?
In short, cord cutting is the practice of canceling cable TV and streaming your content online. We will cover saving money on internet and phone services later but for now, we will be focusing on TV.
Our focus here is to help you watch the shows, news, and sports you want without an expensive long-term contract with cable TV.
Why become a cord cutter?
Most cord cutters cut the cord to save money with the average savings being over $100 a month. Yet there are other reasons including more control over your TV experience, no contracts, credit checks, or equipment rentals.
There is also a ton more content with cord cutting that you can’t get with cable TV. Many top shows only stream on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. That is why many cable TV subscribers also have streaming subscriptions.
How do you get started?
Before you call and cancel your cable TV bill, you need to slow down and consider what you are doing. One of the biggest mistakes new cord cutters make is rushing into cord cutting before they are ready.
Do Your Research
Now that you know you want to cut the cord, do a little bit of research first. (Note: We will cover these topics in more depth in future parts of this series.)
#1 What Services Do You Want & What Do You Already Have?
There are over 100 streaming services in the United States. We suggest before you pick a streaming service you figure out what shows you want.
Make a list of what shows you really want to watch once you cut the cord. Use this list to help you pick the services that offer the content you want.
Remember to first look at services you already have. You may find the show you want on a service like Hulu.
Need more help picking a service? Stay tuned for a new post diving deep into streaming services.
#2 Get an Antenna & Streaming Player
Next, now that you know what shows and services you want let’s get set up. The first thing I suggest is getting an antenna. That will help you get a ton of content including—in most areas—ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC for free.
Then look into getting a streaming player that supports the services you want to use. This will replace your cable TV box giving you even more access to the content you want.
If you need help picking an antenna or devices check back later for a new post diving deep into this topic.
#3 Test It Out
Now that you have the services you want and the devices you need, test it out. Before you cancel cable TV try it out for a few weeks first. This gives you the safety net of cable TV while you learn how to cut the cord. It took my family about two weeks to find out how to watch all our shows with streaming.
Check back soon for future parts of our cord cutting series.
Did you know we have a YouTube Channel? Every week we have a live Cord Cutting Q&A, and weekly Cord Cutting recap shows exclusively on our YouTube Channel!
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