By: Jenny Kerr The Jenny Pincher, LLC http://thejennypincher.com

Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

Copyright © The Jenny Pincher, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval system without express written, dated and signed permission from the author.

DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES: The information presented in this report represents the views of the publisher as of the date of publication. The publisher reserves the rights to alter and update their opinions based on new conditions. This report is for informational purposes only. The author and the publisher do not accept any responsibilities for any liabilities resulting from the use of this information. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided here, the author and the publisher cannot assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Any similarities with people or facts are unintentional.

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER. The short, direct, non-legal version is this: Some of the links in this report may be affiliate links which means that I earn money if you choose to buy from that vendor at some point in the near future. These are all things that I have experience with that I am recommending because they are helpful and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.

2 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

Table of Contents

Contents Step 1- Getting your Local HD Channels ...... 4 Ordering the antenna ...... 5 Step 2 – Choosing Your Streaming Method ...... 5 Gaming Console ...... 5 Digital Video Player ...... 5 Step 3 – Adding Private Channels ...... 6 Step 4- Deciding Which Subscriptions You want ...... 8 ...... 8 Playon ...... 8 So what is Playon? ...... 8 What channels are available? ...... 9 Hulu Plus ...... 10 Amazon Prime ...... 10 What does all this mean over a year? ...... 10 Final Thoughts ...... 11

3 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

One thing I was really sick of was paying a high cable bill. It was a little harder than I anticipated, but I finally got rid of my cable subscription. And when I say harder, I don’t mean because I had a hard time cancelling. I had a hard time because it was hard for me to let go of paying that bill each month! I know it sounds crazy but I kept having these thoughts in my head that I would be lost without having “regular” t.v. each month.

Boy was I wrong! I love my new set up! It has worked great for me so I wanted to share it with you so you can start saving money too. Keep reading to find my step-by-step instructions for watching tv for around $100 a year (and less every year after!)

Side note: I’m not all high tech with the t.v. These are just the steps I took and there may be better options for those a little more “technically” inclined. I’m writing this from the perspective of what the average person can do. Please do not be intimidated by this, it is actually quite easy to implement. If you are worried, you can test it out before cancelling your cable. If this does not work for you, just return your equipment within the allotted return time and you are not out anything but your time!

Please note, this guide also assumes you have high speed internet which allows you to stream content online.

Step 1- Getting your Local HD Channels

Since analog televisions are a thing of the past and everything is in HD (high definition) many people are able to get local t.v. channels for free. In this first step, we are going to test what channels you have available in your area for free.

Before you purchase anything, take a look at Antenna Web to see what channels you get using an indoor antenna.

If you are near a metropolitan area, you should be about to get at least a few channels like Fox local, ABC, CBS, etc. I live near a metropolitan area and I’m able to get 16 channels with an antenna (we’ll get to what kind of antenna in a minute).

Please note, if you use Antenna Web and find that you are not able to get any local channels or that the signal is weak, you will want to skip ordering an antenna since it will not help you get local channels. But don’t fret! I have more options for you, so keep reading!

4 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

Ordering the antenna

After you have looked at Antenna Web and found that you are able to get some local channels for free, you should now order an antenna. If your t.v. has a built in antenna you may also skip this step. Mine did, but I could not get it to work so that is why I purchased the antenna. (We are also assuming you have an HDTV, not an analog style). I purchased my indoor antenna and it has worked great. It was easy to install and immediately after installing this antenna (which is easy) you should at least now have access to local channels for free.

Total out of pocket – roughly $6-$7 shipped (the price may vary on this, depending on when you purchase it).

So far so good, right? Ok keep reading for more!

Step 2 – Choosing Your Streaming Method

In order to access more than just your local channels, you will need a device to get your shows to your t.v.

Gaming Console If you own a gaming console, chances are you can use this to do what I’m suggesting. I can’t really explain how to do this with a gaming console though because I don’t own one! But it should be mostly the same.

Roku Digital Video Player

After tons of research, I opted for the Roku Digital Video Player , which is basically a little black box that allows you to stream Netflix (with a $9.99 a month subscription), Amazon Prime & other channels to your tv. Ok so that’s not really the technical term for it, but this is what the website says:

Roku is a little box that allows you to instantly stream tons of entertainment on your TV. Watch movies and TV shows from Netflix, Hulu Plus or Amazon Instant Video, listen to music on Pandora, catch the latest ballgame, and more — it's all available whenever you want it.

5 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

This is how it works (from the Roku Website):

There are a few options to pick from for your Roku Digital Video Player. At the time when I bought mine, I chose the Roku HD (middle of the road) player. Since then, Roku has added many different options from $29.99 – $129.99 in price, depending on the features you are looking for. Additionally, they now offer Roku ready TV’s to give you more access to tv shows and movies.

One thing to note about this is you will need a Roku box attached to each tv, or else you can move your Roku box between tv’s if you are watching in different rooms.

Total out of pocket – $79 shipped

Doing pretty good so far, that’s about $85 out of pocket. Remember some of these expenses will only be up front for your first year. After you have purchased the equipment, you will not have to buy it again so you will save money in subsequent years.

Step 3 – Adding Private Channels

One cool thing I recently discovered about the Roku Digital Player is you can add “private” channels so you have access to even more content. It’s almost insane after you see what is available. In order to add 6 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year private channels to your Roku you must do the following steps.

1. Visit http://www.roku-channels.com/home http://streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/ http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RokuDigitalVideoPlayer/ (you will need to join this Yahoo group and then click “database” so you can access the channels) so you can see what private channels are available. Take note of the channels you want as you will need the code later.

2. Once you have picked your channel, log into your Roku account at www.roku.com and click on “My Account” in the top right corner. This will take you to your account page.

3. At the bottom of the page, you will see the “Manage Account” section. You are looking for the “Add a Channel” link:

4. Click on “Add a Channel”.

5. You will be taken to the screen to enter the code for channel.

6. Enter the code you obtained from the Private Channel list and you are ready to go!

You should only have about 25-30 channels active in your “my channels” for Roku, otherwise it starts to act a little crazy.

7 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

Some of the private channels I recommend adding are:

• Playon (You will definitely want this later as it’s a way to get even more channels w/ a paid subscription)

• Nowhere TV(TONS and I mean TONS of content here!)

You’ll notice I’m not giving you the codes here only because if they change or become inactive, I don’t want you to think the Private Channels don’t work. You can easily search “Playon private channel Roku” or simply “Roku Private Channels” and find these codes. If you look at the links I gave you above, you will see they are very complete so you should be able to find what you need there.

Step 4- Deciding Which Subscriptions You want

The next step is to decide what subscriptions you want to purchase. Roku does come with some free channels that you might find interesting. But if you want more, keep reading.

Netflix I opted for Netflix because I love the Netflix Originals and they seem to cover all the bases with good shows and movies to watch.

Playon

Playon is another subscription-based service that allows you to stream movies, tv shows and sports right to your t.v. This is a subscription-based service that at the time of writing this, is as low as $2.50 a month.

So what is Playon?

From their website:

PlayOn makes it easy for you to watch your favorite videos, shows, and movies from websites such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and more on your TV using your , , or PlayStation 3 over your home internet connection. PlayOn also works on your iPhone or Android phone.

Using PlayOn is intuitive and easy. No technical knowledge is required. Just make sure PlayOn is running on your PC then click the PlayOn icon or list on your game console or mobile device. Before you know it, you'll be watching your favorite internet shows on your TV or mobile phone!

8 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

PlayOn gets your favorite shows off your PC and onto your TV. Your free trial includes all PlayOn channels such as Hulu, ESPN, Comedy Central, MTV, Netflix, and more. PlayOn also supports third-party plugin channels. It's all free to try and you can be up and running in under 5 minutes!

You can learn more about it by watching the Playon Demo. Just remember, you have to have Playon running from your PC if you want it to stream to your Roku box so you can watch it on t.v.

What channels are available?

This is the best part, you can get TONS of FREE channels through Playon. Right now they have:

Hulu – YES hulu online – you can get it to your tv for free through this subscription MTV TBS CBS Tv.com Amazon Video on Demand Syfy Adult Swim Spike ESPN NFL MLB Fox News Netflix (must have a paid subscription) Amazon Video on Demand (must have paid subscription)

Etc etc.!!

Note: Playon can be a little awkward to run at first.

There is so much content on Playon I don’t know how I will ever be able to watch it all. It is not perfect, I’ve noticed since I’ve used it there is streaming issues at times. I definitely recommend you try the free 2 week version before purchasing to see if it’s right for you.

9 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

Hulu Plus

Hulu Plus let’s you access more channels through your Roku for $5.99 a month. You can also get a 1 week trial to see if you like it. The channel lineup is listed here and here is the difference between Hulu & Hulu Plus in case you were curious. You do get a little more with Hulu Plus but of course then you are paying about $96 a year for it vs. $40 for Playon.

Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime customers can stream content to for free to their Roku box. At the time I’m writing this, the Amazon Prime members can get instant streaming of movies and tv shows at no cost. I am an Amazon Prime member for the free and fast shipping benefits so being able to stream additional content is also a great benefit. The cost is $79 a year but sometimes there are sales where you can get it even lower.

What does all this mean over a year?

My annual agreement with Direct Tv was around $120/month when I was under a 2-year agreement with them.

Total up front costs: $6 for Antenna $79 for Roku player $85

Total annual costs: $9.99/mo Netflix subscription $119.88

If I had stayed with Dish network at $120 a month, the total for the year would be roughly $1,440.

Total annual savings: $1,236

The first year, you will need to buy the antenna and Roku box, but after that your only monthly subscription will be for Netflix (if you choose to get that).

I’ve had this setup for over a year and I really love it. I don’t watch a ton of TV so this works perfectly for me.

10 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

You could easily get this annual fee down if you chose not to have a Netflix subscription.

Subsequent years would be cheaper because you wouldn’t have to pay for the equipment.

Final Thoughts I’ve had this now for awhile and I really love my new set up. The problem I have now is deciding what to watch!. I have over 100 movies and t.v. shows in my Netflix queue and usually spend my time trying to decide what to watch!!!!

Some things to remember:

ü Roku only works on the t.v you have it plugged into. If you have multiple tv’s you will need to buy multiple Roku boxes or you can transport the Roku box between TVs in your house pretty easily. If this doesn’t work out for you, consider using the antenna to get local channels on one tv (the one you watch the least) and the Roku box on the other tv in the house that you watch more.

ü You should probably only have around 25-30 channels active in your Roku box otherwise it starts to act weird.

Why I like Roku

ü After I bought the Roku box, the only thing I pay monthly is a $9.99 subscription fee to Netflix. So I love not having a huge cable bill each month. ü I still get local channels for free since I bought the antenna that picks up local HD channels. ü I am watching all kinds of shows that I never knew existed!

Downsides to Having Netflix

ü In the winter I find I’m watching more t.v. than I did when I had cable – I watched 6 years of Lost in 1 month! Having all of the episodes ready to go makes it hard to stop watching. ü Netflix isn’t the quickest to add all the new seasons – At the time of writing this, I’m still waiting for season 2 of Gavin & Stacey to get on Netflix, as well as later seasons of Sons of Anarchy. ü Too many choices aren’t always a good thing – Sometimes I find myself getting lost in the titles. I have literally sat in front of the t.v. for an hour trying to decide what to watch. Then I just give up because I can’t decide!

11 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more! Step by Step Instructions for Cutting Cable & Saving $1,200 a Year

ü Not everyone is watching shows from 2001 – When I was watching Lost, I wanted to have discussions with friends about the show. I forgot most of them watched it years ago when it was on so I guess I would not be a good person to try to discuss current shows with!

All in all, the Roku box is an excellent solution to curb a high cable bill. I highly highly recommend Roku to anyone who wants an alternative to cable!

Do you have questions about budgeting? If you’d like to dig a little deeper into budgeting, I created a Budget Bootcamp to get you on the right track so you can get out of your financial hellhole. This bootcamp is a 16-week program that can help you to:

o Pay all your bills on time o Save any where from $450-$1,100 a month o Become debt free (at last!) o Watch your savings and investments grow o Have extra money for the vacations you want or the dream house you desire o Freedom and peace of mind to know you will be free of the burden of debt

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or reach out to me so I can help.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a shout!

Http://thejennypincher.com

12 Want more information? Visit http://thejennypincher.com to learn more!