Piloto Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 With all these AVGAS price increase I have been forced to look into ways of saving money without sacrificing my way of life. 6 month ago I terminated my DirecTV service and opted for off the air TV broadcast. Best decision I ever made. I get 47 HDTV channels including all the networks, locals, weather radar, PBS and BBC. Except for a few channels the off the air programming is as bad as the satellite one. I mostly watch the news and NOVA on PBS. I am old enough not to have a need for the History Channel. Nevertheless I am saving $60/month which is enough to pay for my WX\XM subscription. Unlike satellite were you loose the signal on heavy rains the off the air signal is solid and video quality over all is better. For father's day my son gave me this AppleTV gadget ($100) that connects your HDTV to your local Wi-FI router. It allows you to rent movies for $3.99 (no monthly subscription) and watch them at any time. You can see a preview of the movie before you rent. Something you don't get with DVDs. You can also watch other TV oriented websites (news) for free. It also playback your iPhone videos on your TV with no connections required. Since I do not need to pay $20 in movie theaters I can save up to $400/year, maybe more if you include all the grandkids. Database subscription: For my kind of flying which is mostly to the same airports every year I do not subscribe to a monthly database update, but rather update it once a year. I get the latest approach charts for free from the AirNav website and use them to confirm the validity of the data on the database. The money I save on this can be used to pay for my XM\WX. After all weather changes quicker than data on the database. Fine wire plugs can save up to 1gal/hr when running LOP. 1/gal/hr represents for me 100gals/year saving (100hrs/year) or about $600 year. I paid $400 for the plugs. So on the first year I made $200 on savings. Having long range tanks in my M20J gives me the flexibility of refueling at low price places or just flying non-stop. Flying non-stop into Puerto Rico saves me from refueling in the Bahamas and doing Customs (twice) saving three hours overall. I can save $600 in airline tickets and arrive at more convenient times. I justify every flight now but that's ok with me, it makes feel less guilty José Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Avalle Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Thank you for your tips... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantom Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N33GG Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Jose: What kind of antenna did you got for the TV? I have been thinking about dumping DirecTV lately also. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy0681 Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 There's no way I could do without Directv (or cable). I typically work 13 hour days and look forward to some respite in the form of TV entertainment. To lose Madmen, Breaking Bad, Homeland, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Californication, The Borgias and The Newsroom would simply be too much. The cost is miniscule compared to the big ticket items that I have to pay for like health ($2k a month) and homeowners ($6k a year) insurance as well as college. I find network TV to be at its lowest point in decades. Look no further than Big Brother, The Bachelor or Extreme Makeover (which I call "Pity this family"). To be bound to the three networks would drive me to drink. And for what it's worth, I support my local PBS station. No sir, my Directv subscription is a very small price to pay to bypass network programming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolter Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Quote: flyboy0681 There's no way I could do without Directv (or cable). I typically work 13 hour days and look forward to some respite in the form of TV entertainment. To lose Madmen, Breaking Bad, Homeland, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Californication, The Borgias and The Newsroom would simply be too much. The cost is miniscule compared to the big ticket items that I have to pay for like health ($2k a month) and homeowners ($6k a year) insurance as well as college. I find network TV to be at its lowest point in decades. Look no further than Big Brother, The Bachelor or Extreme Makeover (which I call "Pity this family"). To be bound to the three networks would drive me to drink. And for what it's worth, I support my local PBS station. No sir, my Directv subscription is a very small price to pay to bypass network programming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgePerry Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 AIRNAV is a great aviation resource, esp the Aviation Fuel Trip Planner. http://www.airnav.com/plan/fuel/ It amazes me how stopping for fuel just off the beaten path you"ll find the nicest people and get the best prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piloto Posted August 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 Quote: N6719N Jose: What kind of antenna did you got for the TV? I have been thinking about dumping DirecTV lately also. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiguy Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 No cable or sattelite bill here in over 20 years. We have a rooftop antenna & get plenty of stations, all the networks plus PBS & some odds & ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meddesign Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 I keep my bird outside, $535 vs $80 month, you will need a cover (planecover) plugs and tail bib in bird season, and a Proppastie for your prop in winter. The paint will fade unless you keep it waxed, and some say it is not worth it. My area of NJ does not get hail, and that might be the deal breaker for others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARZ Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 I quit smoking.... better for my health (duh) and the savings pays for my hangar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1964-M20E Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 I could do wihtout cable but the rest of the family insists on it. However, I would keep the highpeed internet. I do like the history channel and the military channel. My money saving tip owner assisted annual and owner assited maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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