What technology can I dump to increase my retirement fund? [ASK MR. NOOBIE™]
QUESTION: I'm all a twitter over the discussion on ditching my ISP. So - for the free standing Wi-Fi device, is there a fee involved? Also, I heard a conversation the other day about dropping your cable and going with the digital box, roof antenna for your local channels then using the Internet for anything else. Will you expand on this solution and cover all the hardware needed and if a noobie like myself could complete this process. Do you know how much more we could add to our retirement fund if we could drop Internet and cable? Lastly, how stable are these services in bad Indiana weather? - Marla, Indianapolis, Indiana
ANSWER: Wow, that's a lot of topics jammed into one question! Let me tackle them one at a time.
The free standing Wi-Fi device you heard about was probably from my recent blog post titled Options for dropping your home Internet service. And the Wi-Fi device itself is either your existing cell phone or a standalone MiFi device. In either case, there is definitely a fee involved. I wish I could tell you exactly how much but rates differ across all carriers and depend on how much data you transmit. But for a rough estimate, I'd plan on it costing anywhere from $25 to $70/month depending on what device you use and what data plan you select.
As for dropping your cable, that will definitely save you money. In fact, I did this for nearly two years. I replaced my DIRECTV satellite service with a rooftop antenna and two TiVo set top boxes. The solution worked perfectly and saved me a ton of money. Only one problem. I couldn't live without my NFL Sunday Ticket that I needed to watch the Green Bay Packers games on Sunday. So I finally caved and went back to DIRECTV.
So as you can see, dropping both your ISP and your cable provider is entirely possible. But how much you'll save for your retirement fund depends on how much you spend on equipment and service fees to replace them.
Maximum savings
My recommendation for maximing your savings? If you can swing it, dump your ISP and give up your laptop or computer completely. Use only the data plan on your smart phone for email, web browsing, etc. Then dump your cable provider and go with the rooftop antenna. You'll still get local channel shows in high definition but you won't be able to record them (that requires a digital recorder like TiVo). And like you mentioned, you'll still be able to get the bulk of the other shows you watch right over the Internet. Worst case, you buy a low-cost streaming service like Netflix or Hulu Plus.
Now about that Indiana weather. Probably not going to be a big factor. The bigger issue will be if you can get your antenna pointed in the perfect position to get good reception on all of the Indianapolis local channels.
Good luck! If you decide to implement any of my suggestions, drop me a line and let me know how it goes.
Do you have a question for Mr. Noobie™? Submit your question here.
3 comments for this blog post so far...
June 21, 2011 at 6:39 am
Geo.
Patric,
Don’t you want to suggest who to hire for placing an antenna in an attic?
geo.
June 21, 2011 at 8:07 am
asudduth
wow, so many things running through my head after this post.
first, call me old school, but I about fell over when you suggested ditching internet and computer! Of course if you don’t have a smart phone, that wouldnt work. and I’d think that home internet connections may be cheaper than getting a smart phone w/ data. (i.e. $15-20/month for cheap AT&T;DSL, as compared to $20-$30 for Data plans for your cell provider) - but your mileage may vary, and your needs will vary.
On the topic of TV. I do want to mention that if you’re in the Indianapolis area and struggle getting channel 8 (WISH-TV/CBS) that starting earlier this year they started-rebroadcasting on Channel 17. (here is where digital TV gets confusing—Channel 8 is really channel 9 - but it shows up virtually as channels 8.1/8/2/8.3—channel 17 should show up in this through some “magic” thats sent along with the program, and you may need to disabled 9.1/9.2/9.3 if those are too weak. - but it could show up as 17.3/17.4/17.5 or 17.1/17.2/17.3 depending on your TV or tuner)—I know this was probably really confusing, I can expand and try to clear it up later if need-be.
Lastly, there are some options for recording TV over the air. I went with a complicated solution (introducing a computer, since I had a spare modern computer) but there are some stand-a-lone DVR’s (in addition to TiVo) but I havent used any of them.
So far I’ve been without cable for 3 weeks I think myself… I did spend a bit to get a nice antenna and some other accessories I needed for my solution, but looking forward to not paying that bill!
oh, and maybe I should mention a site like antennaweb.org for giving you an idea of the reception you’ll get and how you’ll need to point an antenna.
Happy Savings!
June 21, 2011 at 9:17 am
RSC
So I had DISH sattelite and pay way too much so I called them to find out if they have any specials; they said they could not offer me any bec my equipment is owned by AT&T;and AT&T;does not honor any specials from DISH. So I called AT&T;and they said there is nothing they can do bec they no longer partner with DISH but I could switch to U-verse ---- you see, I got my cable when AT&T;did not have U-verse six yrs ago and was offering bundling with DISH....sigh.
So I had DISH disconnect (I DISLIKE watching shows and the weather becomes bad and the picture on my screen is no longer - one year it was during an American Idol finals that I watched all year—total DISLIKE!) Anyway, thought I would get some kind of service before the scheduled disconnect but yah, life got busy...so now I don’t have TV.
I then purchased an analog to digital converter box with a seperate antennae for $20 found on Craig’s List. Pleasantly surprised, I discovered that there are some pretty good channels available for free and offering some really cool shows I used to watch a long time ago. Further, I am discovering that I am getting more things done around the house - plus anything I do want to watch on cable, I can watch via internet (which I am willing to admit I am unable to live without).
It has been almost six months since I have been without cable. I can truly say that I have not missed cable nor have I missed paying that monthly $100+ cable bill either. So is it possible to live without cable? I guess it really depends on your lifestyle but for me, I would have to say most certainly yes! Here’s a good read - “How We Cut the Cord and Now Enjoy (Almost) Free TV http://yhoo.it/eBLEZB
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