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$200/Month Cable Bill? Here's Your $60/Month Alternative

Real case study: The Johnson family cut their cable bill from $165/month to $21/month. See their exact setup, costs, and $1,732/year savings.

$200/Month Cable Bill? Here's Your $60/Month Alternative

Let me guess: You're paying somewhere between $150-250 per month for cable TV. The bill keeps going up every year. You're locked into a contract. And you're paying for hundreds of channels you never watch.

Sound familiar?

Here's the truth: You can get all the content you actually care about—local news, sports, your favorite shows—for a fraction of the cost.

I'm going to show you exactly how, using a real-world example.

Want to see your exact savings? Get a personalized plan for your home in 60 seconds →

Real Example: The Johnson Family

Location: Hartland, Wisconsin (suburb of Milwaukee, 25 miles from broadcast towers)

Family: Two adults, three kids (ages 7, 10, 14)

TVs: 5 (living room, master bedroom, two kids' rooms, basement)

What They Can't Live Without:

  • Green Bay Packers games (every single one!)
  • Local news and weather
  • Kids' programming (PBS, Disney+)
  • Ability to record shows and watch later
  • National news (CNN, FOX News, MSNBC)

Previous Cable Bill: $165/month

  • Basic cable package: $89.99
  • DVR service: $19.99
  • HD fee: $9.99
  • Extra boxes for 4 additional TVs: $35.96
  • Regional sports fee: $9.99
  • Hidden fees and taxes: ~$15

Annual Cost: $1,980

Their New Cord-Cutting Setup

Equipment (One-Time Costs)

Antenna: Antennas Direct DB8e - $129.99

Why this antenna: At 25 miles from Milwaukee broadcast towers, they need a reliable outdoor antenna. The DB8e is multi-directional (perfect since some towers are north, some west), and its 70+ mile range ensures rock-solid reception for all Green Bay Packers games on FOX and CBS.

Network Tuner: HDHomeRun Flex 4K - $199.99

Why this tuner: With 5 TVs and a family of 5, they need the 4-tuner model. This lets four people watch or record different channels simultaneously. Plus it distributes the antenna signal to all TVs over their home network—no need to run coax cable to every room.

Streaming Devices:

Why this mix: The three main TVs (living room, master bedroom, basement) get Apple TV 4K for the best HDHomeRun and DVR experience. The kids' room TVs get Roku Sticks—still great performance at half the price, and perfect for Disney+ and PBS Kids.

Installation Accessories:

DVR Storage: WD Elements 4TB External Hard Drive - $89.99

Why 4TB: With three kids and Packers games to record, they wanted plenty of storage. 4TB holds hundreds of hours of HD content. They'll never run out of space.

Total Equipment Cost: $1,053.88 (one-time)

Monthly Costs

Streaming Services:

  • Disney+ - $7.99/month (kids love it)
  • Paramount+ - $5.99/month (additional NFL coverage, Nickelodeon for kids)

DVR Software:

  • Channels DVR - $79.99/year = $6.67/month

This gives them unlimited DVR recording with automatic commercial skipping. They can record every Packers game and watch later, skipping all the ads.

Total Monthly Cost: $20.65

What They're Actually Watching

Free with Antenna (No Monthly Cost):

Local Channels in Milwaukee:

  • FOX (WITI) - Packers games, NFL on FOX
  • CBS (WDJT) - Packers games, NFL on CBS
  • NBC (WTMJ) - Sunday Night Football, local news
  • ABC (WISN) - Monday Night Football (select games), local news
  • PBS (WMVS/WMVT) - PBS Kids (free kids' programming!)
  • CW, MyNetworkTV - Additional content

Packers Coverage:

  • Most Packers games air on local FOX and CBS (free!)
  • Sunday Night Football on NBC (free!)
  • They get 90%+ of Packers games with just the antenna

Local News & Weather: All the same local news they had with cable:

  • WTMJ (NBC) - Milwaukee's top-rated news
  • WISN (ABC) - Local news and weather
  • WITI (FOX) - FOX 6 News
  • WDJT (CBS) - CBS 58 News

Same news teams, same meteorologists, same reporters. Just free instead of $165/month.

Streaming Services ($13.98/month):

Disney+ ($7.99):

  • Disney movies and shows
  • Marvel, Star Wars content
  • National Geographic
  • Keeps the kids happy

Paramount+ ($5.99):

  • Additional NFL games (AFC on CBS)
  • Nickelodeon shows for kids
  • Movies and original series
  • Backup for Packers games (when they're on CBS streaming)

The Before & After

Before (Cable):

Monthly: $165 Annual: $1,980 5-Year Total: $9,900

What they got:

  • 500 channels (watched maybe 15)
  • Local channels (paid for something available free)
  • Expensive DVR with limited storage
  • Contract with annual price increases
  • Equipment rental fees forever

After (Cord-Cutting):

Equipment: $1,053.88 (one-time) Monthly: $20.65 Annual: $247.80 (streaming + DVR software) Year 1 Total: $1,301.68 5-Year Total: $2,292.88

What they get:

  • All local channels in perfect HD
  • 90%+ of Packers games
  • Unlimited DVR storage (hundreds of hours)
  • No contracts
  • No equipment rental fees
  • Disney+ and Paramount+ included
  • Own all equipment (never pay rental fees)

The Savings

Year 1 Savings: $1,980 - $1,301.68 = $678.32

(This includes the one-time equipment cost)

Year 2+ Savings: $1,980 - $247.80 = $1,732.20 per year

5-Year Savings: $9,900 - $2,292.88 = $7,607.12

10-Year Savings: $19,800 - $3,532.68 = $16,267.32

What That Money Could Buy Instead

The $7,607 they'll save over 5 years could pay for:

  • 15 weekend trips to Chicago (hotels, dining, activities)
  • A reliable used car (cash, no payments)
  • 529 college savings (invested, grows to $9,000+ with compound interest)
  • Home improvements (new appliances, landscaping, deck)
  • Family vacation to Disney World (all 5 of them, including park tickets and hotel)

Or just stay in the bank earning interest.

Installation: Easier Than You Think

The Johnsons were worried installation would be complicated. It wasn't.

Saturday Morning (2 hours):

  1. Dad and the 14-year-old mounted the DB8e antenna on the side of the house using the J-Pole mount
  2. Pointed it southwest toward Milwaukee (using rabbitears.info and a compass app)
  3. Ran the coax cable through an existing cable entry point
  4. Connected to grounding block for safety
  5. Plugged into HDHomeRun Flex 4K

Saturday Afternoon (1 hour):

  1. Connected HDHomeRun to router via ethernet
  2. Plugged in external hard drive for DVR storage
  3. Set up Apple TVs and Roku Sticks on each TV
  4. Downloaded HDHomeRun and Channels apps
  5. Scanned for channels (found 35!)

Sunday:

  • Watched Packers beat the Bears in crystal-clear HD
  • Recorded the game to watch highlights later
  • Skipped all commercials with Channels DVR
  • Kids watched Disney+ in their rooms

Total installation time: 3 hours

Addressing Their Concerns

"What if we can't get all the Packers games?"

Answer: They get nearly ALL of them:

  • FOX and CBS games (free with antenna) = ~70% of regular season
  • Sunday Night Football on NBC (free with antenna) = most big games
  • Paramount+ ($5.99/month) gives them streaming access to CBS games as backup
  • Monday Night Football on ABC (free with antenna, select games)

The only games they'd miss are occasional ESPN-exclusive games, which are rare. And if they really wanted those, ESPN+ is $10.99/month—still way cheaper than cable.

"What about DVR space?"

Answer: 4TB holds approximately:

  • 500+ hours of HD content
  • 1,000+ hours of SD content
  • Every Packers game for 3+ seasons plus tons of other shows

They set Channels DVR to auto-delete recordings after watched. They've never come close to running out.

"Will the antenna work in bad weather?"

Answer: Outdoor antennas are built for all weather. Rain, snow, wind—no problem. In fact, over-the-air signals are MORE reliable in storms than cable (which can go out during severe weather).

They've had zero reception issues in 2 years, including during Wisconsin's brutal winters.

"What if we move?"

Answer: They own all the equipment. Take it with them! Antenna and streaming devices work anywhere. They'd just need to re-point the antenna toward the new location's broadcast towers.

Why This Works So Well

1. They Pay for What They Actually Watch

Cable forced them to pay for:

  • 24/7 shopping channels
  • Specialty sports networks they never watched
  • Premium movie channels they didn't want
  • International channels they couldn't understand

Now they only pay for Disney+ and Paramount+—content they actually consume.

2. Local Content is FREE

The Johnsons realized they were paying $165/month for content that's legally broadcast for free. Local news, Packers games, network TV shows—all free over the air.

Cable companies charge you to access something you can get for free.

3. Better Technology

Cable DVRs are old, clunky, and limited. The Johnsons' new setup:

  • Channels DVR automatically skips commercials
  • Can watch recordings on any TV in the house
  • Can access recordings remotely (on vacation, at work)
  • Never runs out of space with 4TB drive
  • Beautiful, modern interface on Apple TV

It's a better experience than cable ever was.

4. No Price Increases

Cable companies raise rates annually. Often by $5-10/month, hidden in "fees."

The Johnsons' costs are fixed:

  • Equipment is paid for (own it forever)
  • Streaming services sometimes increase, but they can cancel anytime
  • No contracts, no surprise fees

Complete Shopping List

Want to replicate the Johnson family setup? Here's everything you need:

Antenna & Distribution:

Streaming Devices (for 5 TVs):

DVR Storage:

Grand Total: $1,053.88

First-year savings (vs $165/month cable): $678.32

Every year after: $1,732.20 in savings

Adapt This to YOUR Situation

The Johnsons' setup is perfect for them, but yours might be different.

Fewer TVs?

You can save money:

  • 1-2 TVs: Skip the network tuner, connect antenna directly to TV. Use 1-2 streaming devices.
  • Budget setup: Use Roku Streaming Stick 4K ($49.99) instead of Apple TV for all TVs

Don't Need DVR?

Save even more:

  • Skip the external hard drive ($89.99)
  • Skip Channels DVR software ($79.99/year)
  • Most streaming apps let you watch recent episodes free anyway

Closer to Broadcast Towers?

Use a cheaper antenna:

Different Sports or Content Needs?

Swap streaming services:

  • NBA fan: Add NBA League Pass instead of Paramount+
  • No sports: Drop Paramount+ entirely
  • News junkie: Add Sling Blue for CNN, MSNBC, FOX News ($40/month—still cheaper than cable!)

Calculate YOUR Exact Savings

Every home is different. Your location, tower distance, number of TVs, and content preferences all affect the perfect setup for you.

Stop guessing. Get a personalized recommendation that shows:

  • Exact equipment you need
  • What channels you'll receive at your address
  • Total costs (one-time and monthly)
  • Your specific savings vs your current cable bill
  • Complete shopping list with product links

It's free and takes 60 seconds.

Get Your Personalized Cord-Cutting Plan →

The Bottom Line

The Johnson family cut their TV costs from $1,980/year to $247.80/year.

They're saving $1,732.20 every year.

Over 10 years, that's $16,267.32 back in their pockets.

They watch all the same content:

  • ✅ Local news and weather
  • ✅ Green Bay Packers games
  • ✅ Kids' shows (plus Disney+ now!)
  • ✅ Network TV shows
  • ✅ Unlimited DVR

Plus they got:

  • ✅ Better picture quality (uncompressed HD)
  • ✅ Better DVR (commercial skipping!)
  • ✅ No contracts
  • ✅ No annual price increases
  • ✅ Own all their equipment

What could you do with an extra $1,700/year?

Find out your savings →

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