The Recessionista: Antennas Ain’t Just For Your Grandma Anymore by Mery Diaz
In times of economic crisis and belts being tightened to match, some of us have opted for going out a bit less, hanging out at home and enjoying some good old TV nights ( because its not un-cool to do so when everybody is doing it). But here is the issue,cable and Fios and dish networks and direct tv and all that good stuff can be expensive. These bills can run the average joe up to $70 a month and that is without “special” channels. They can shoot up even more when accompanied by (cue the reggeaton music ) internet and telephone services..four! four! Four! eight!. Ehem… If you are like me, you wont let the “Man” get away with taking your money anymore ! Use your “frugal” ways to find alternative modes of getting your TV fix! Some ways a recessionista like you and I can get some television without exorbitant monthly bills, if any, are the following: Get an HD Antenna! That’s right an Antenna and not the rabbit ear type your grandmother had. And yes,they do work even after everything changed from analogue to digital, but you will need an updated television, at least circa 90s to the present. These can run anywhere from $14:99- $80 bucks if you care to spend that much. I purchased an antenna for about $30 online and can see up to 40 channels. By going to antennaweb.org, you can find the antenna that is right for your geographic region. Sure some of these channels are Korean, since I live in Fort lee, NJ, and sure some of these channels are the second and third and even fourth sister channel of the NBC network, but for the most part I can and do watch with incredible and uninterrupted HD definition all the network shows I am interested in. I hide the sleek looking antenna behind the flat screen and no one is the wiser. Monthly cost: 0 bucks!
You may ask, what about the shows I love on cable? And movies?Well if you are savvy, you already know that most shows are online and on Netflix. There are some cool little sites online like surfthechannel.com that have just about any show and any season. Furthermore Netflix, which for a low monthly bill , can get you anywhere from 1-3 dvds at a time and you can even catch some flicks online instantly. If you don’t want to watch on your computer, you can purchase a wire that can connect your computer to your flat screen and voila!There you have it! Now you can go forth and prosper the recessionista way!
