This post was originally published in the April 4, 2016 edition of the Southwest Journal, a Southwest Minneapolis community newspaper.#####How much do you pay for cable? The first year with a new cable or satellite provider is generally affordable with the generous promotions, upgrades, and free channels provided. However, after the promotional period ends, our bills always see to creep up a bit more here and there.Every year the bloating gets larger — an extra fee for that second box we hardly use, all the movie channels that we don’t watch often, the amount of taxes and additional fees we have to pay, and so on.All of this leads me to my next question. Have you ever thought about cutting the cord on cable or your satellite provider?You have loads and loads of channel options through your television provider, but how many do you really watch? Channel surfing used to be the norm, but these days most of us have specific shows in mind — and we tend to be deliberate in how and when we choose to watch. Plus, having experienced TV without commercials (thank you, Netflix!), who really wants to have their favorite show interrupted by a commercial break?The switch to being cable/satellite free is not as difficult as you might think. An over-the-air (OTA) antenna can pull in broadcast channels (PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW) for free in full, glorious HD quality for live viewing.Do you like to record your shows and watch them at your leisure? There are options for setting up a personal or digital video recorder (PVR or DVR).Missing a favorite cable show? You can subscribe to some movie channels without cable, like HBO and Showtime. There are also options for pay-cable channels like CNN, AMC (Walking Dead), and the History Channel. You can also purchase entire seasons of shows that you like through services like Amazon and as they air on TV, and you’ll have online access to watch them (sometimes they are not available until the next day.)So, with all of these options, what do you need to do?First off, think about and write down the shows you like to watch. Be sure to note the channels they are on. Are they on broadcast TV? Great, you can watch them once you have an OTA antenna. Decide if you are comfortable and available to watch them live or if you need a PVR/DVR to watch them on demand.Then look to see if you can watch those shows online through a streaming service like Hulu, HBO Now, or Sling TV. Or, explore whether your shows are available for purchase on a season-by-season basis through a streaming service like Amazon Instant Video, Google Play TV, or Apple TV/iTunes. Any of those options would be available on demand.Unless you have a smart TV with Netflix and other video app services installed, you will also need to purchase a streaming device to watch streaming services on your TV (i.e. Roku, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, etc.) At that point, you can choose whether to pay on demand for the TV show or subscribe to a service that provides TV for a monthly fee (much, much less than your current monthly cable or satellite fee.)Live sports are more difficult to get, but you can subscribe to many of the professional sports leagues directly and then watch them on your TV through a streaming device.All of this takes a bit of research, and you’ll need to carve out time to set up accounts and get yourself up and running. However, once established, you will have the ability to watch the TV you want, at a price that is often much easier on the wallet than a cable or satellite subscription.Please share any streaming tips that you have learned!Paul Burnstein is a Tech Handyman. As the founder of Gadget Guy MN, Paul helps personal and business clients optimize their use of technology. He can be found through www.gadgetguymn.com or email him at paul@gadgetguymn.com.