Being a college student can be pricey. Between tuition, books, basic living expenses and trying to keep up some semblance of a social life, monthly expenses can really add up, especially considering college is many young adults’ first foray into financial independence. If you’re a student, you may have realized you’ll have to cut out some luxuries just to stay afloat. For many, cable TV is one such luxury, and cutting the cord can be painful. Without it, how will you watch “Game of Thrones” and football?
You may be tempted to turn to piracy or mooching off friends’ subscriptions, but you don’t have to stoop so low. There are plenty of legal ways for college students to snag quality TV on the cheap, as long as you know where to look. Please note: For most of these deals, you’ll need a college email account, so make sure to use your school email when you sign up. Also, many of the discounted prices are good for four years or until graduation, whichever comes first, so make sure to take advantage of these deals while you’re a student.
[Read: Cord-Cutters, Use Free Trials to Save Money and Discover Streaming Services.]
Find free channels with a digital antenna. The most old-school solution for getting cheap TV is buying an antenna. The digital antennas of this modern age are small, stylish and easy to use, perfect for even a tight-on-space dorm room. Channel lineups depend on location, but most antenna users can get access to ABC, NBC, CBS and a lot of other channels. The best part? Once you buy the antenna itself, all the content it provides is absolutely free, so you won’t have to shell out anything or pay a monthly subscription fee. There’s a variety of antennas out there for a wide range of prices (anywhere from $10 to $100), but you can find some solid options around the $25 mark, such as the Mohu Leaf Metro or an antenna by AmazonBasics.
Get other benefits with Amazon Prime. With perks like two-day shipping and early access to deals, Amazon Prime is a great choice for the college student on a budget. Many of the deals are even tailor-made exclusively for students. For TV lovers, a huge benefit is access to included Amazon Prime Video, which has a strong library of shows and movies on demand, including some originals. College students get all this for a steal. The first six months are free, and it’s 50 percent off, or $49 per year, after that.
[See: 6 Ways to Treat Yourself on a Budget.]
Bundle your music with Hulu and Spotify. If you listen to music as much as you watch TV, Hulu and Spotify offer a low-priced subscription bundle: College students can get both services for $4.99 a month. Functionally, that’s like getting Hulu for free, which is hard to pass up. This deal comes with the Premium version of Spotify, so you can play all the music you want ad-free and even offline. More importantly for TV lovers, you’ll get access to Hulu with Limited Commercials, so you’ll be able to watch full seasons of many great shows and even some original programming with few commercial breaks.
Sign in to HBO Go with your school’s credentials. HBO is well known for its mega-popular shows, but what you may not know is that some schools offer its HBO Go service for free to students. Each school does this a little differently. Some may offer the service only to students who live in the dorms, and others will ask you to sign in using a Facebook account. Whatever the parameters, it’s worth checking to see whether your school offers it on the HBO website.
[Read: 7 Ways to Save Money on Your Internet Bill.]
Use a free streaming service. If you want to avoid paying for TV altogether, you can still find many free streaming services. There are some drawbacks — limited libraries, rotating content and ads — but with no monthly subscription charge, these free options are handy for college students on a budget. Crackle and Popcornflix are a couple of the best-known free services, but there are many others that cater to specific content types.
Being a college student isn’t easy and it isn’t cheap, but you shouldn’t have to stop doing the things you love just because you’re in school and on a budget. For television-loving college students, expensive cable packages aren’t the only way to get access to the best shows on TV. With options like digital antennas, Prime discounts, streaming bundles, school partnerships and free streaming services, even the most budget-conscious ramen-eating college student in the tiniest dorm room can watch plenty of great TV.
More from U.S. News
12 Frugal Ways to Save on Vacation
12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender
7 Habits You Can Learn From Highly Successful Savers
The College Student’s Guide to Cheap TV originally appeared on usnews.com
