The third way to cut the cord is a combination of the first two options. You get a majority of the TV you watch for free using an over-the-air antenna while supplementing that with a streaming device.

In our example, Joe gets almost all his TV programming from the antenna. He’s able to get all the major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, CW) plus a few others like AntennaTV.

He still likes his Netflix, Amazon Prime, and his fast internet, so no savings there. He gets the Amazon Fire Stick for $40. If you remember from the first option, the antenna equipment cost him about $200 since he lives so far from the broadcast towers. His total equipment cost is $240. He decides to buy the HD (1080p) versions of Game of Thrones for $40 and Walking Dead for $42. He could have spent less by buying the SD (DVD quality) versions, but for our example he decided to splurge on the HD version.

He was paying $1,420 a year for traditional cable plus Netflix and Amazon Prime. His first year cost in this example is $240 (equipment cost) + $220 (yearly Netflix and Amazon Prime) + $40 +$42 = $542. His first year savings would be $1,420 -$542 = $878. After the first year he already owns the equipment. Unless he finds another show that he “just has to have” his yearly saving would be $878 + $240 = $1,118.

As in the streaming example, he now owns the full season both of his favorite shows in 1080p for $82 and can watch them any time he likes, where the HBO add-on alone is $15 per month ($720 a year).

Only you can decide if one of these options is right for you. Each person’s individual situation is different. You might not be able to get a reliable OTA signal where you live. Or you might have a ton of “must have” shows. There are many individual factors to take into account. Do what we did with our example cord-cutter Joe. You might find that cord-cutting isn’t right for you, at least not until the next cable price increase.

Please feel free to check out the rest of the site for more information on over-the-air antennas, streaming devices, and streaming services. And don’t forget to subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get the latest news, tips, and guides.