Kicking Cable TV to the Curb:
So, you’re thinking of going off grid with the micro home movement, but how prepared to go off grid are you? If you are like the majority of inhabitants in the real world, you have probably grown quite accustomed to conventional forms of entertainment, namely cable TV. When adopting an off grid approach that will be integrated with a micro home movement, cable TV will probably be one of the first things to consider getting rid of.
Cable TV requires a technician to make a scheduled trip out to your house. If this is truly an off grid environment, then running cable from the nearest service pole, could cost quite a bit of money. Cable TV also requires signing a contract for services. In most regions the length of cable TV contracts averages 24 months. In order to sign the contract you must provide personal information. This personal information can then be used to target you with additional advertisements for other services. It will also result in a monthly bill. The monthly bill may fluctuate with continued escalations in package prices which are common within the cable TV industry.
Opting out of a cable TV contract often incurs an early termination fee, so if you sign up for the service, you will be held financially responsible. If you fail to meet these obligations, you will then find yourself being hounded by credit collectors. You may also find yourself being harassed by the service provider as they attempt to retrieve any equipment provided as part of the contract. Another modern day disadvantage to having cable comes in the form of credit ratings. If you default on a cable TV contract in the present era, it will have a negative impact on your credit rating. This does not necessarily mean you have to give up TV altogether. There are alternatives to cable worthy of consideration.
Adapting to Antennas:
Believe it or not, television reception is still possible with TV antennas. Granted, you probably are not going to find the tried and true, age old rabbit ear antennas that were commonplace when television sets and stations first became available in the United States, but there are several digital TV antennas on the market which will serve the purpose of providing entertainment.
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While you are not going to receive access to all of the channels you might find in a cable TV package offered by a service provider, there are several stations which still broadcast content locally over the airwaves. The best thing about this type of service is that it is provided free of charge. All you need to have at your disposal is a working TV set, and any one of the digital antennas available for sale. You may want to research various antennas before buying one to try out on the micro home, as well as discovering which of the local stations still provide over the air service.
Using this format to cut the cord will reduce monthly expenditures, there will be no monthly bill, no cost increases for service, no service calls, and no credit damage for defaulting on, or opting out of a cable TV contract.
Internet Provided Entertainment:
It is not necessary to have a contract with a service provider in order to access the internet. Using a smartphone from a non-traditional carrier, such as Straight Talk or TracFone, you can easily access the internet using the 4G service. From here you can sign up for a monthly subscription service from several online providers. Netflix, Hulu, & Vudu are some of the more well-known entertainment service providers.
If you set the non-traditional smartphone up correctly, you will not be leaving a digital footprint of your activities anywhere online either. The best thing about online streaming services is that there is no contract. Monthly subscriptions for these types of services are very affordable, most of which average in between $8-$15 a month depending on the number of devices you would like to grant access to. As these are monthly subscription based services, you can cancel any time, free of charge and without any unnecessary hassle.
Final Thoughts:
Cable TV is overrated. The majority of people that have cable subscriptions do not view shows on the full spectrum of stations made available. In fact most subscribers use less than 25% of the channels available in the package they signed up for. Cutting cable could save you over $50 monthly!
Original article by Justus Agenstrum, published in Survivalist Magazine
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