Do you really need a year-round live streaming service?

If you cut the cord and replaced cable with a live streaming service -- YouTube TV, Fubo, Sling TV, or Hulu+Live TV -- I have a question for you: why?

Why did you simply replace cable with a live streaming service? What was it about cable you didn't like? The price? If that's the case, take a look at your current bill. With YouTube TV at $83, Hulu+Live TV at $90, and Fubo starting at $85 (often exceeding $100 once regional sports fees are added), that price gap has nearly vanished.

Or was it paying for channels you didn't watch? If that's the case, does your live streaming service have channels you don't watch? I bet it does. So what did you solve? If the answer is "price," then we are back to the same problem: the cost of live TV is rising everywhere, regardless of the delivery method.

The real benefit of streaming is control. There is nothing wrong with wanting to control your TV rather than ceding that to a cable company. With cable, you are often locked into long-term contracts. With streaming, you have many options, including those listed above. You can switch easily with month-to-month service. You can subscribe, cancel, and return whenever it suits your budget or your interests.

My reason for cutting the cord was price, and it's still true that I'm saving money. I used to subscribe to a live streaming service for about four months of the year to cover football season. But this year, I didn't even do that. The landscape has changed. With the launch of direct-to-consumer options like ESPN Unlimited ($30) and FOX One ($20), I was able to get exactly the sports coverage I needed without the $90 "everything" bundle.

Do this little thought experiment. Suppose you didn't have a live streaming service. Everything else you have for streaming is there, just not the live service. Would you be okay with that?

If you did not have a live streaming service, would you just stop watching TV? I suspect you would find plenty to watch. Likely, you already have other services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, HBO Max, Apple TV Plus, or Peacock. Furthermore, the rise of free ad-supported television (FAST) means services like Pluto TV or The Roku Channel provide a "live" feel for exactly zero dollars.

Then there is the antenna. As I recently noted, antenna usage is actually up nearly 30% since 2020. People are realizing it's the ultimate hedge against rising streaming prices. Not only are the four major broadcast networks available for free in most locations, but there is a massive amount of other content available through digital subchannels.

The real winners of the recent antenna surge are the "minor" networks like MeTV, Antenna TV, Grit, Ion, and H&I (Heroes & Icons). These channels provide the classic, passive "linear" experience that many of us miss from the cable days -- without the cable bill. Combined with a solid DVR setup, you can have a robust "live" experience with hundreds of hours of classic shows, movies, and news for exactly zero dollars a month.

Of course, while you can watch something, you wouldn't be able to watch everything you want. So is it a bad idea to drop live streaming? For you, it may be. But it is something to consider. If you only subscribed for a few months out of the year, how big of a problem would that be? If you could catch up on the missed shows later, would the savings be worth it?

You can't do this with cable. If you drop cable, they'll sometimes have a reconnect fee. Streaming services don't require that. You can subscribe and drop as often as you like.

I'm really not trying to talk you out of a live streaming service, but I am trying to get you to put some thought into ways to save money. You have options with streaming that you don't have with cable. If utilizing these options saves you some money, then you're ahead of the game.

If you put a little thought into your streaming habits, you may end up putting some money back in your wallet. That's a good thing. My Streaming Life is built on the idea that you should own your entertainment, not the other way around.