My wife and I are television addicts. I know from an intellectual standpoint, it’s easy to look down your nose at us.

“Television rots your brain.”

And in recent years, when discussion turned to the fact that our cable bill had skyrocketed, it was even easier to make the argument for turning it off altogether. “Go read a book!” “Go outside or something.” Yeah, yeah, I know. But in our defense, the quality of television has skyrocketed in the last decade. We have actors, writers, and producers who would never have dreamed of touching TV fifteen years ago putting out amazingly good programs. Just look at True Detective, a show that I swear would have garnered multiple Oscar nominations (and wins) if it were an 8-hour movie, rather than a TV series.

Also, it’s in my lifeblood. I’m an aspiring screenwriter, so it’s important to me that I keep up on current trends. And you know what else? I’m an adult so I do what I want. Judge me if you must.

I’m getting off track now. I had been unemployed for about 7 months when we cut the cord. We had managed all right for a while, but my unemployment benefits were finally exhausted, so we had to start making hard choices. It’s difficult to justify a $200 monthly cable bill when you’re trying to calculate how you’ll afford food that month. So I began to look into other options.

We were already Netflix subscribers — have been since the DVD-by-mail days — and I’d sooner die than give up my Netflix membership. We were considering Amazon Prime, which is a good deal, except for the fact that the annual cost must be paid upfront, instead of smaller monthly installments, like Netflix. Then a friend recommended XBMC (now known as Kodi).

The short answer to “how we pulled it off” is that we’re now using a multitude of services, but Kodi was the one that pushed me over the line and made me say, “Yeah, we can totally do this.”

Is it as easy as having cable? No, absolutely not. And I miss my DVR like I mourn the loss of dear friend. But the benefits outweigh the costs by far. Let me break down for you what we’re doing, one service at a time:

HD Antenna

This is the biggest “duh” of the bunch. With an HD antenna, we get all of our local network channels in glorious HD (slightly better than our cable box, actually; the HD antenna gives us a 1080p picture, whereas the cable box was only 1080i — a minor difference, but I can tell).

In addition, with an HD antenna you get a multitude of channels that weren’t available in the pre-HD days. Most of them are garbage (MeTV, Grit, LWN, etc.), but it’s nice having options. And with a toddler, the four PBS channels are a godsend. Not to mention, Retro TV is now showing classic Doctor Who six nights a week. What’s not to love about that?

I will say that quality counts when it comes to your HD antenna; a lesson I learned the hard way. I had purchased an antenna a few years ago for $5 at Goodwill and never used it, so that’s the one we’re now using. It’s not great; the picture occasionally becomes pixelated and even unwatchable at times, depending on the channel. I’m going to have to upgrade to a better antenna soon.

HBO GO

I know. I just said we cut the cord, yet HBO GO requires a cable subscription. Oh, how wrong you are.

Unlike other services — like Netflix — that have limits on how many people can be logged into one account at the same time, HBO GO has no such rules. And, as HBO’s CEO made clear in a January 2014 interview, HBO doesn’t care if you share your password! Now, the hammer is sure to fall on all of this at some point, but in the meantime, HBO GO is yours for the taking. All you have to do is find a friend willing to share their login with you.

In addition to streaming all of HBO’s current programming, HBO GO also has EVERY EPISODE OF EVERY HBO SERIES EVER MADE. That’s huge. And you won’t find that content anywhere else (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.). We’re talking about The Sopranos, Sex & the City, Game of Thrones, Girls, True Blood, The Wire, True Detective…I could go on and on. There’s also a huge catalog of movies available through the service, and that list is updated constantly.

You can watch HBO GO on a number of devices; my personal preference is on my Xbox 360. Also? HBO has announced that sometime in 2015, they’ll be offering HBO GO as a standalone product, without the need for a cable subscription! So, if you don’t want to borrow a friend’s login, you’ll soon have an option to pay for HBO GO yourself.

(Showtime is also launching a standalone service next year, so if you’re a Homeland or Ray Donovan fiend like me, or you just want to gear up for the Twin Peaks revival, you’ll have options there, too).

Netflix

As I said, we already had Netflix so our usage hasn’t changed tremendously. The main exception being that without access to Disney Junior or Nick Jr., I find myself playing more shows for my toddler on Netflix than I previously did.

There is one significant change to how we now use Netflix, though, and it’s a big one. Which brings us to…

Hola Unblocker

I’d already been using Hola Unblocker for a few months before we cut the cord, but I’m using it a lot more now. Basically, Hola is a VPN service; it’s not a new idea, people having been using VPNs to circumvent geo-blocking for years now. Hola just makes it incredibly simple.

Basically, you download the Hola Unblocker extension, and anytime you want to switch your IP address to that of a foreign country, you just click the Hola icon and select your country. Boom — done. Now you can access BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora no matter where you live.

Personally, the only website I use Hola for is Netflix. You probably don’t realize it, but Netflix has different movies and shows available in each country where it’s available. By using Hola, you can make Netflix think that you’re logging in from one of those countries, and thereby access content that you normally wouldn’t be able to see.

For example, I mentioned before that without Nick Jr., I find myself using Netflix a lot more for my young daughter. Unfortunately, Nick Jr. has a contract with Amazon Prime here in the US, leaving their Netflix offerings bare. In order to circumvent this, I simply use Hola Unblocker to make Netflix think I’m in the UK, and suddenly we can sing along to as many Yo Gabba Gabba! and Dora the Explorer episodes as we want.

Moreflicks

Now, it can be daunting trying to determine what content is available in each country, and there’s where Moreflicks comes in to play. Moreflicks is a continually updated database of what movies/tv shows are available on Netflix in each country around the world. It also has listings for Vudu, Hulu, iPlayer, iTunes, Fox, and Crackle, but you can filter those out if you’re only looking for Netflix programming. The one caveat is that Moreflicks isn’t very user-friendly when it comes to browsing. If you just want to see what’s available, you’re going to come away frustrated. But if you know specifically what you’re looking for, you can do a quick search and be on your way.

I’ll give you another example. One of our current favorite shows is NBC’s Hannibal. My wife had actually never seen Manhunter or Red Dragon, which are the previously filmed versions of the same Thomas Harris tale. So, one night when we had nothing else to watch (a rare occurrence), we decided to watch Red Dragon. It’s not currently available on Netflix here in the US. Not a problem — I pulled up Moreflicks, typed in “Red Dragon,” clicked the Netflix icon, saw that it was available in Brazil and Columbia, clicked Hola, switched our country to Columbia, and we were in business.

Now that you have the pros, let me give you the cons. Hola is primarily a browser extension, so you must be on a computer to use it. You cannot switch your country and watch foreign Netflix offerings on Xbox, Roku, or the like. (Actually, there are ways, but it requires additional equipment and it’s MUCH more complicated than Hola). We simply hook an HDMI cable into our laptop when we want to use Hola, but for that reason, we admittedly don’t use it very often.

Hola has also reportedly started inserting ads. In order to avoid them, you must pay $27 a year for a “premium” account. Now, I personally have never seen a single ad when using Hola. But, as I’ve said I don’t use it very often. There are alternatives, such as ProxMate, but I’ve never tried them, so I can’t vouch for their usefulness.

Finally, a bit of a disclaimer: although using Hola to access foreign versions of Netflix is not illegal, it does violate Netflix’s terms of service agreement. So use at your own risk. Personally, I think it would be a HUGE undertaking for Netflix to try and prove that its users weren’t actually visiting all of those foreign countries, and it would be a PR nightmare to try and shut down all of the offending accounts. But that’s just my take.

Popcorn Time

Popcorn Time made a big splash in the media when it debuted in early 2014. It’s an open-source program that streams HD movies for free as easily as Netflix. Technically, everything it does has been around for ages; Popcorn Time just packaged it up and made it SUPER easy and attractive to use.

Within a week of its newfound media attention, its creators caved to the pressure from the Hollywood studios, and shut it down. Fortunately, considering it’s an open-source platform, another team of developers quickly picked it back up. There are now multiple versions available, including one that promises TV shows as well (but hasn’t always worked). Since it changes rapidly, I’ll leave it to you to research which Popcorn Time is the most current working version at this time.

Now, obviously this is PC software, so like Hola, you’re going to have to hook a PC to your television in order to view.

The CW App

A number of networks have apps for the Xbox 360, on which you can watch a good chunk of their programming. Unfortunately, almost all of them require a cable subscription login to access (including FOX, which makes no sense whatsoever).

The CW app does not require a login, however, and has the last 5–6 episodes of every CW show available in brilliant HD for your streaming needs. Since we actually watch a good deal of their shows between the two of us (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Supernatural, Arrow, The Flash, The 100), this app works out perfectly for us. There is advertising, but compared to broadcast television, it’s very brief.

(Yes, the CW app is also available on Xbox One, for those of you with deeper pockets than mine. It’s also available on Apple & Android devices and Windows 8).

Kodi

At last, we come to the star of the show. If you haven’t heard of it, Kodi is an open-source home theater program initially developed to run on the original Xbox. Formerly known as XBMC (as in “Xbox Media Center”), it no longer runs on Xbox, and its developers officially changed the moniker to Kodi earlier this year.

The original intention of Kodi was to organize the media you already owned, such as DVDs/Blu-Rays, CDs, MP3s, photos, and other digital media, and to make it easily accessible through your home theater. It still does this, and does it well. In fact, officially, that’s all it is designed to do. However, over the years, third-party developers have come along and created various add-ons that increase the function of Kodi by a large degree. It is now, in fact, the ultimate streaming software.

Through these add-ons, you can now use Kodi to stream almost any episode of any television show or any movie ever made (including those that are still in theaters). And most of it is in stunning HD. Now, obviously this content is not being made available by the people who own it — it’s all pirated. I’ll fully admit that I’m no lawyer, but my personal understanding is that as long as you don’t download and/or host the content on your machine, you are legally in the clear. Meaning, as long as you simply stream the content from wherever it is hosted, you are breaking no copyright laws. I could be wrong. If so (well, either way actually), then it’s a moral decision on your part. As an aspiring screenwriter, I’ll admit to being conflicted about streaming other artists’ content without paying for it; but as a struggling writer/stay-at-home dad, I’m more than happy to do so.

As I said, Kodi no longer runs on Xbox, so you’ll need a PC to make it work. I originally installed it on our laptop, but hooking and unhooking it from the television quickly became old. If you have the extra money to buy a dedicated PC for Kodi, by all means do it. If, like us, you’re looking for a cheap method to do just that, consider a Raspberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi, for the uninitiated, is a tiny, credit card-sized computer designed to be cheap and easy to modify. The Model B Raspberry Pi, which we bought, costs all of $35. Now, bear in mind, that $35 buys you nothing more than the Pi itself. You get no power supply, no mouse/keyboard (not necessary if you’re hooking to a TV), and no case. That’s right, the Raspberry Pi comes as an exposed circuit board; you’ll want a case to protect it from dust and other elements. You can make your own or buy a cheap case online; I ordered one for $6 from the same company I bought the Pi from.

Now, the Raspberry Pi runs on Linux, so you have several options when it comes to installing Kodi. The two most popular are Raspbmc and OpenELEC. I chose Raspbmc because it’s incredibly easy to install and run, but there are pros and cons to each. Installing the software requires a few additional steps and equipment, but it’s very easy and cost-efficient. (Also, please note that the upcoming new version of Raspbmc has changed its name to OSMC.)

Once you get it up and running, you have a myriad of options when it comes to add-ons. 1Channel and IceFilms remain the most popular choices for viewing TV shows and movies, but there are countless alternatives. Some are redundant, some don’t work at all. You get what you pay for. My personal favorites are Genesis and Stream. Other add-ons will live-stream cable channels and international networks, but the quality is usually poor. I’ve spent a little time watching BBC and ITV, simply because I’m a glorified Anglophile. You can also find web content, such as Funny or Die, The Onion, Machinima, and much, much more.

Bear in mind that even the best add-ons don’t always work as you’d expect. Sometimes video or audio is poor quality, and you’ll have to try multiple sources before you find one you like. If a show has just aired, it can take hours for it to be available through an add-on. Also, since Kodi is open-source, it is highly customizable and therefore, highly breakable. I wouldn’t say it has the biggest learning curve I’ve ever seen, but it’s not something your grandma could use.

Also, since Netflix uses Microsoft Silverlight to display its videos, it will not run on a Raspberry Pi. Supposedly, Netflix is planning a move to HTML5, so this won’t always be the case. There are workarounds, but I haven’t tried them; just thought it was worth mentioning.

A few other notes about Kodi and Raspberry Pi: if you have a CEC-compatible television (which we do), then you’ll be pleased to discover that you can control Kodi with your existing TV remote. If not, there are plenty of alternatives out there. You can even use your smartphone! Most often, that’s what I find myself doing; it’s much easier to use the on-screen keyboard on my phone than to peck-and-click with the remote. There are several apps, but the one I use is an Android app called Yatse.

I didn’t mention Hulu separately, although I know a lot of cord-cutters use Hulu as an alternative. You can actually access Hulu through Kodi, and you don’t even have to have a paid Hulu Plus account to do so (although without it, you’ll be limited to the basic Hulu programs). I actually find us using it very little, since it’s actually easier to just stream our programs through the other add-ons.

Also, I didn’t know this when I first purchased our Raspberry Pi, but having a good power supply is very important. The Pi uses a micro-USB port to charge, like most modern cell phones. I originally went to Walmart and bought a cheap universal charger for $6. At first, I had the cord plugged into the USB port on our TV, but that caused the Pi to lose power every time the TV was powered off. So I now have it plugged directly into the wall, but we were having issues. Without a proper power supply, your Pi will frequently freeze and/or shutdown.

My bottom line on Kodi is this: it’s glitchy as hell, takes a lot to work to set-up and use properly, but it’s free. And you can’t beat free.

Trakt

There’s one last service I want to mention that ties in closely with Kodi.

What I miss most about our cable is still the DVR. And there are several reasons why. I do miss being able to pause and rewind live TV (although that is definitely possibly with Kodi using an external HDD and a PVR add-on), but the thing I miss most is just knowing what’s on. With the DVR, I never had to worry about missing my favorite shows; if it was on, it got recorded.

Trakt is a free website you can use to keep track (get it?) of your favorite shows, and even rate and discover new shows you might enjoy. But the best part of using Trakt is that many popular Kodi add-ons will sync with your Trakt account. As I mentioned, one of my favorite add-ons is Genesis. With Genesis synced to my Trakt account, all I have to do is click the “Latest Episodes” icon and the newest episodes of all my favorite shows are listed in order of airdate. It’s almost exactly like having a DVR, except the shows aren’t recorded, they’re just listed for me to stream.

And if I want to know what shows are on tonight, I just visit my Watchlist on the Trakt website. It has a constantly updated list of all of my current shows and which episodes are airing this week.

Believe it or not, even with all of these tools, cutting the cord has actually caused me to watch less TV, and experience more freedom. Sure, having a DVR to record all of your shows is incredibly freeing. But the constant threat of filling the DVR to capacity forced me to watch a lot of shows when I might not have otherwise felt like it. Now I can focus on the shows I really love and know that the other time-wasters I enjoy like Toy Hunter, Tattoo Nightmares, and Hoarding: Buried Alive will still be there to watch, but when I actually feel like it. I’m finding more time to play Xbox and Wii U, and discover new movies on Netflix. I’ve even finished a few books this year, something I hadn’t done in quite a while.

So take that. I did read something. And I still watched enough TV to rot my brain.