How Hulu, Roku, others will give you network, cable shows for $10 a month

Have you seen your cable TV bill lately?

If it includes Internet service and a DVR, as many people have, you are probably paying more than $100 a month.
       
So we decided to look into some of the newest ways to reduce that rising bill.

Kelli Haller loves watching TV, but like so many of us hates that monthly cable bill that was $60 a month, then $75 and now almost $100.

"It's expensive to live on your own, and gas and everything else," she said. "Those bills add up quite a bit."

So like a growing number of young professionals, she now watches her favorite shows via an antenna, the Internet and a service called Hulu.

"I'm able to watch ABC, NBC those shows," she said. "I'm able to watch them whenever I want, instead of when it's showing on TV."

Amanda Fischer has also given up her expensive monthly bill, and now watches network shows and movies on her laptop.

"I pay $7.99 a month for Netflix, and with Hulu I just use the free options they have," she said. Her $8 a month Netflix subscription gives her hundreds of movies and many network shows.

"There's a ton of them. They just started their own original series, 'House of Cards,'" she said.

How to Cut Your Costs

 

So here are three ways to lower your TV costs to less than $10 a month.

1. Buy a $20 rabbit ear antenna at Radio Shack (or another store), to watch local channels and other live broadcasts: You may pick up as many as 20 local stations free.

2. Then, buy a Roku, Boxee, Google TV, or Apple TV box for around $100. This lets you stream Internet video.
       
Or buy a new Internet-ready Smart TV, so you don't have to buy a separate box.

3. Subscribe to Netflix for $8 a month or Hulu Plus, also $8 a month. There's a free version of Hulu, but it has less programming.   

Sure, there are downsides: You don't get all network shows and you still have to pay for an Internet connection, around $30 a month.

And if you are a big ESPN sports watcher, this is not for you. Most games are still not available this way.

But Haller and Fischer, like a growing number of people, are fine with these new options.

"I don't want that $80 a month bill," Fischer said.

Remember that you will still need some sort of Internet connection. So we are not suggesting you drop the cable or phone company entirely, just that there are new ways to keep that bill down.

That way you don't waste your money.
 
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