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2024 for us is all about reducing waste, both in what we're using and what we're spending. After looking at all of our subscriptions this past year, TV/cable was at the top of the list that was nice to have, but often never used. We officially "cut cable" three or four years ago and moved to YouTube TV, and at the time were saving about $30/month. But it's no secret that these streaming companies are basically cable anyway, so this year we're officially cutting ties and at $73/month, it'll save us nearly $850 to do so.
First and foremost, we loved YouTube TV! If you're looking for a streaming cable alternative, we can't recommend this solution enough. The channel selection, unlimited DVR, and layout/interface were all top notch. The only reason we're getting rid of it is due to the lack of time spent watching. It has become the spot just to watch sports and with having a toddler, sports were more of a background than actually watching them. We're also subscribed to nearly every other streaming platform under the sun, so other cable channels just weren't important.
What was important, was having access to our local channels and being able to watch the sports content on them when needed. The biggest thing we're sacrificing is access to ESPN, but in the next year or so they'll launch the ability to solely subscribe to it and gain access to everything they don't include with ESPN+. So we'll just wait for when that time comes.
Ensuring Success with a Digital TV Antenna
To gain access to those local channels, we first made sure we were in range of what we needed. There is a great resource from the FCC to find out what you're near. This was important to gather what kind of power was needed in the antenna and to make sure the entire project was feasible.
Then we went ahead and bought a digital TV antenna. They are fairly inexpensive and got this particular one at Lowe's for only $30. There are also so many on Amazon, but we simply chose Lowe's because they had it in stock so we could get it the same day, and they've been an incredible partner to us over the last year and wanted to support them.
The particular digital tv antenna we bought came with everything needed for an easy installation, and has:
A 55+ mile range to cable towers (plenty for the 20+ miles we were from ours)
A black and white side, plus is paintable to match your walls/decor, and
An included signal booster in case it was needed.
In total it took all of 20 minutes to set up and a good majority of that time was spent playing with the location of the antenna for the best signal. We tried a few different spots and ultimately settled on the side of our fireplace. It was a great location as we could drill a little hole for the single cable and run it to our Samsung Frame TV's accessory box.
Most importantly, the reception that comes in is amazing. It's on par, if not better, than what we had with YouTube TV!
Here's the final breakdown of the costs saved:
YouTube TV Subscription = $73/mo or $876/year
Digital TV Antenna = $30
Net Yearly Savings = $846
Other tips from our research and installation:
If you're close enough to the local TV towers, you may actually be better off with metal bunny ears. There are several instances where those will pick up signal better than the flat version!
Higher antenna placement is always better, but you just have to try several locations to see what works.
We didn't end up using the signal booster that came with our antenna. We tried with and without, and the same amount of channels came in both times. The booster had to be plugged in, so we opted to just not use it.
Almost no where will tell you how to actually mount these digital tv antennas. We found that using some command strips or adhesive tape should work out just fine. The antenna itself weighs maybe less than a pound, so very lightweight.
If you're dead set on needing some kind of DVR, there are solutions like the HDHomeRun or Tablo box that can provide that functionality still without needing a cable subscription. That's a whole other project, but worth looking into if you're seriously considering cutting the cord!
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