Man Corner:

The Big One -- It caused arguments and battles. It was discussed, proposed, vetoed and re-proposed. Tensions mounted and something had to break. After all was said and done, you finally decided as a family to take the most painful of all frugal steps: you cut the cable TV.  Dad and the kids went through multiple stages of grief, wandered aimlessly through the living room, and once even asked what the strange item full of paper pages was, to which you politely replied, “it’s a book.”  After a while, you may discover that even the most committed of frugal Fort Wayne families can’t live on PBS alone. You can only watch so many re-runs of Law and Order, after all. So what is a 6-channel (7 if you count Doppler radar!) frugal family to do? Here are some ideas to help expand your viewing pleasure in an air-only TV house.

Sports – In a complete pinch, most local teams have their games broadcast on the radio. It may not be the most common experience anymore, but it beats nothing when the season is on the line…but not the screen. Then, there is an antenna-only man’s best friend: ESPN3.com What is ESPN3? Well, their website explains it like this: ESPN3 is a broadband network for live sports programming. ESPN3 harnesses the quality ESPN has built through its TV networks and delivers online sports programming to fans through a rich, interactive, and easy-to-use experience. In short, it’s ESPN sports on the internet! The catch is that the service is offered through your internet provider. Good news for those on fiber in Fort Wayne – Frontier carries ESPN3. Plug your laptop into your TV as a display for a poor man’s ESPN on the big screen!

Shows – Since frugal families are often out doing frugal things, they may not be sitting in front of the TV during all hours of primetime. Fortunately, a couple options allow you to keep (relatively) in touch with the latest shows. First, you could borrow show set DVDs from your friends. Often, people will get DVD sets of a show and only watch them once. This is where you swoop in and borrow them. Or, you could familiarize yourself with hulu.com – Once again harnessing the power of the internet, hulu is a huge online collection of shows and movies. Hulu used to be all free, but some content is now subscription required. It’s like YouTube for shows and movies. Finally, check network sites. ABC has plenty of recent episodes for family favorites like Modern Family or Grey’s Anatomy.

Movies – Our family has never ventured into Netflix waters, but some people swear by the cost savings of this popular service. Others mention cheap movies from Redbox. These services may be a good place to start for saving on cinema, but frugal troopers can save even more on movies. Find yourself a VCR from grandma’s house or a thrift store. Go through the old collection of VHS tapes for family movie nights. You will be surprised how timeless Home Alone gags are. The horrible quality simply adds to the nostalgia. Scan local listings for movies on TV, often on the secondary channels.  Don't forget the library as a great source of free movies and other entertainment. 

Cutting cable TV represents a huge sacrifice for most families in today’s world. These simple ideas help soften the blow and keep your house filled with kickoffs, drama, and laughs.