4 tips to help you save money with streaming

There’s two things we all love: watching TV and saving money.

In this post, I’ll outline the top four ways I’ve found to save serious money by becoming a cord-cutter. To get started, you’ll need a streaming device – our ultimate player is the Roku Ultra with crystal clear 4K and a voice remote. But whatever your budget, there’s a Roku device that’s perfect for you.

CUT YOUR CABLE BILL

Cable TV adds up fast. On top of basic service, I was also paying extra each month for premium channels, not to mention the cost of renting my cable box (more on this later). What’s worse, I rarely watched a majority of the channels I was paying for.

Many people think that if they want local and live TV, cable is their only option. This is definitely not the case. The Roku platform has several live TV services including fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling, YouTube TV and more. Their pricing is simple, with no hidden fees or contracts, and most of the services offer a Cloud DVR TV recording option.

Is free live TV your jam? You’ve got to check out our Live TV Channel Guide. It provides easy access to loads of live TV entertainment, all in one place. Including news, sports, kids and family entertainment and more on over 200 live linear channels.

To open and browse the guide, turn on your Roku device and find the “Live TV” item on your home screen menu, or find it within The Roku Channel.

FREE ENTERTAINMENT

My favorite kind of entertainment! The Roku Channel offers thousands of movies and TV episodes available at no cost. The selection refreshes every month, so there’s always something new to watch. There are even Roku Originals, like my personal fave, Reno 911! Defunded.

Finding free shows is easy, the home screen of every Roku device includes Featured Free –a handpicked selection of free movies, in-season episodes, and classic favorites from top channels.

Also, there are a bunch of channels you can access at no cost. Finding them is simple – just head to the Free Movies & TV category of Roku Channel Store or enter “free” in Roku Search. This will take you to the Free Movies and TV Zone, where you can stream till your heart – and your piggy bank – is content.

USE AN ANTENNA

No, these aren’t the bunny ears you remember from your childhood. Modern TV antennas pick up a multitude of free over-the-air content in high-definition. It’s a great option for keeping up with local stations, and today’s antennas can even pick up a signal from up to 100 miles away (depending on your equipment and area, of course). The number of stations you’ll get varies by where you live and signal strength, so check your area’s availability ahead of time.

What’s even better is that if you have a Roku TV, your antenna can connect directly to it. Once you do, just follow the on-screen steps to scan for local broadcast channels. Just like that, you’re all set. Now, your Roku TV can search both live and streaming channels, pause live antenna TV, and will even add your antenna channels to the Live TV Channel Guide.

USE A ROKU DEVICE IN SECONDARY ROOMS

Remember when I mentioned the monthly fees for renting a cable box? Well imagine having several rooms in your house with TVs and having to pay a separate fee for every cable box that’s connected to them. It may not seem like much at first, but paying $5-$10 per box adds up fast. If you’ve had cable for a few years, you’ve ended up paying the retail cost of each box several times over!

A cheaper option is to replace those boxes with Roku devices. You get all the benefits of Roku streaming without having to pay more money per month. What’s also nice is that Roku devices take up MUCH less space than a cable box – in fact, a Roku Streaming Stick 4K gives you a cinema-quality 4K picture through a device that hides easily behind your TV. It’s the perfect solution for small rooms.

So there you have it – with these tips, you’ll become a cord-cutting guru and in no time you’ll have saved enough dough to put towards a nice summer vacation – or you can swim around in it like Scrooge McDuck. It’s your choice! Either way, it’s better than handing it over to your cable company each month, that’s for sure.

Ready to begin your hunt for the latest and greatest free entertainment? Check out what’s new to The Roku Channel this month!

Happy Streaming!