Cord Cutting Guide 2026: How to Actually Save Money (Not Just Move Costs)

Updated February 2026 • 12 min read

The Cord-Cutting Trap

Here's what happens to most cord-cutters:

1. Cancel $120/month cable ✅
2. Subscribe to Netflix ($15), Hulu ($18), Disney+ ($14), HBO Max ($16), YouTube TV ($73)...
3. Total streaming: $136/month 😬
4. You're paying MORE than cable, with less content, and worse DVR

The Real Cord-Cutting Strategy

Tier 1: Free ($0/month)

• HD antenna: $20-40 one-time. Gets ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS in 1080p. Covers NFL, major events, local news.
• Pluto TV: 250+ channels, ad-supported, completely free
• Tubi: Massive movie/show library, free with ads
• The Roku Channel / Samsung TV+ / Plex: Free live TV and on-demand
• YouTube: Unlimited content, music, tutorials, documentaries
• Library apps: Kanopy, Hoopla — free movies and TV with your library card

What you get for $0: Live local TV, hundreds of streaming channels, thousands of movies and shows. For many households, this is genuinely enough.

Tier 2: One Service at a Time ($8-18/month)

The streaming rotation strategy:

1. Subscribe to one paid service per month
2. Watch everything you want on it
3. Cancel and switch to the next service
4. Rotate through Netflix → HBO → Disney+ → Hulu over 4 months

Annual cost: $120-200/year (vs $1,200+ for keeping all four)

Tier 3: With Live Sports ($28-55/month)

Sports are the hardest part of cord-cutting. Here's the smart approach:

• Antenna covers 60% of live sports: NFL on CBS/Fox/NBC, college football, local NBA/MLB
• Sling Blue ($40/month): Fox Sports, NBC Sports, NFL Network — covers most gaps
• Philo ($28/month): If you don't care about sports, this is the cheapest live TV
• Subscribe SEASONALLY: Sling for football season (Sep-Feb), cancel for summer

The Equipment You Need

• HD antenna: $20-40 (Mohu Leaf, ClearStream, or Amazon Basics)
• Streaming device: Roku Express ($30), Chromecast ($30), or Fire TV Stick ($25) — only if your TV isn't a smart TV
• Total one-time cost: $25-70

That $50 in equipment pays for itself in the first month you don't pay for cable.

What About Internet?

You still need internet for streaming. Tips to keep that cost down:

• Negotiate annually: Call your ISP when your promotional rate expires — threaten to switch to get re-promoted
• Buy your own modem/router: Saves $10-15/month in rental fees ($120-180/year)
• Check for competitors: T-Mobile Home Internet ($50/month), Starlink ($120/month rural), or local fiber
• You don't need gigabit: 100-200Mbps handles 4K streaming on multiple devices

Cancel Guides for Live TV Services

• Cancel YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Cancel FuboTV ($80+/month)
• Cancel Sling TV ($40-55/month)
• Cancel Philo ($28/month)
• Cancel DAZN ($25/month)