feature story / 17 But you can cut even further. In 2009, traditional an- alog over-the-air TV broadcasting ended, replaced by a digital signal. Most of us took that to mean ca- ble was the only way to watch. But TV is still free, just like the old days, except that now it’s digital. For under $30, you can purchase an in- door HD antenna for your TV. There’s even a website – An- tennaweb.org – that will tell you what sta- tions you can expect to get, based on your address. It took me a while to find the best posi- tion for mine. The higher you place it, the better. My little 8” x 10” antenna gets CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, MeTV, The CW, PBS, MyTV, plus all of their substa- tions. If you’re planning on commit- ting to this, you can spend more mon- ey to get an outdoor omnidirectional version. Maplewood resident Steve Mayer installed an antenna outside of his attic window. “We subscribe to TiVo and purchased a TiVo Roamio OTA DVR.” he says. “This was an up- grade over the Fios box we returned. I can record four channels at the same time and 80 hours of programming.” These HD antennas can be subject to weather disruptions. If you’ve ever had Dish TV or other satellite services, you might be familiar with the pixelation that occurs on stormy days. Steve also enjoys Hulu and Netflix, which carry their own monthly fees. Still, he feels that when he adds it all up, “The savings are well worth cutting the cord.” Barbra Levy of South Orange had a familiar complaint: “Our phone would ring all day, and it was always spam calls,” she says. “It’s the smallest part of the cable bill but we really only use our cell phones these days.” Inspired by a thread in a local Face- book group, she took action. “Our cable bill was over $200 a month. Now we’re down to an internet- only plan for a flat $64.99.” Her fam- ily watches Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. “Our current cellphone agree- ment with AT&T even includes Di- recTV,” she adds. “When you add up the various streaming services it starts to cost a lot, but it’s still cheaper than the bundle package.” Cable companies actually charge more for internet and phone packages, forcing most people to stick with their triple-play plans. So how do you ditch the bundle and keep a home phone? Google Voice! It’s free, and simple to set up. A small $49 box called the OBi200 plugs into your internet rout- Steve Mayer installed an outdoor HD antenna to receive digital TV channels and purchased a TiVo DVR (below) to record program- ming. Keep your home phone number and get free service with Google Voice. You can retrieve voicemail online. Barbra Levy dropped her landline phone and cable service and spends just $64.99/month for internet. Demand for SOMA homes is STRONG. The number of available homes is LOW. The interest rate is moving UP. It all equates to a SELLERS MARKET! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. Let me use my experience and industry experience and industry leading tools to sell your home. Roger Salomon MaplewoodResidential.com RSalomon@weichert.com Direct: 973.996.8080 Office: 973.762.3300 South Orange Country Day School Montessori Education Since 1964 Preschool · Pre-R Rindergarten Full and Half Day Sessions Extended Day Hours Available School Year and Summer Camp Session · Largest Outdoor Play Space REGISTER NOW FOR CAMP! socds.com/programs 973.762.6451 Visit seeds.com · Email learn@socds.com 461 Vose Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079