My daughter bought a Roku streaming stick for the family TV this fall: My frugal thoughts

A few months ago, my daughter Julia bought the least expensive Roku, spending about $25 at Target. What is a Roku (and other streaming devices), you ask? Streaming devices hook up to your television so that you can stream on a larger screen than your computer or phone and share with your entire family. Roku uses our existing wireless internet in our home. It's recommended that you have high-speed internet access, such as cable, fiber, or DSL.

There are no monthly fees. Once you buy the streaming stick, you're set. Simply attach the stick with an HDMI cable (usually included), set it up (takes just a couple of minutes), and begin streaming. The device is tiny and basically hidden from view. 

There are dozens of free channels available, providing music, television shows, sports, news, and movies. We stream our church's worship services in the family room with Roku instead of each of us individually watching on a small computer or handheld screen. We also stream free movies. There are several free services for content as well as paid subscription services. We have taken turns signing up for free trial accounts with various paid subscription streaming services (canceling before any fees accrue) for wider access to available movies. There's even a handy search feature for locating specific movie titles.

some of the free streaming services

Are we getting Julia's money worth on this? Doug (husband) and Julia are huge movie fans. This is right up their alley. In previous years, we'd check out stacks of dvd's from our local library. With the pandemic, the physical building of our library is closed, limiting our ability to dvd-browse. In addition, streaming provides a wider selection of free movies than our local library ever could. 

Our other former mode of getting movies for home-viewing has been to rent them from that well-known red kiosk. At near $2 a pop, kiosk rentals would become more expensive than Roku in just over a dozen movies. I know my family has watched more than a dozen free movies with Roku in just the last two months. 

Beyond movie watching, we've been streaming content from YouTube, opening the possibility to watch all kinds of content, including workout videos, cooking shows, DIY info, funny video clips, and old episodes of favorite tv shows. Again, money's worth? I think so. When you consider that we use streaming for more than just entertainment, but also for fitness and DIY projects for the large screen, we're getting a lot of use from our Roku.

Besides the content, some things I like about Roku:

• The technology was super easy for me to learn. I'm not very tech-savvy, so this is saying a lot. The Roku was easier to figure out than learning how to use the television's remote or setting up the dvd player. 
• It comes with its own remote. I had thought that smart TVs or similar devices would require using a laptop or phone with every action. You can access Roku with a smartphone, but the remote does most of what you would need.
• We didn't need a special type of television. The only requirement was an HDMI connection. Our TV is a 2008 Samsung, so not super old, but getting up there in years.
• The actual "stick" isn't even a stick. The device is smaller than a smartphone and can be placed anywhere on the TV with the self-adhesive tabs. It has a very low profile.
• We get a much larger screen for streaming, which means our family has been more inclined to spend time in the evenings together, instead of us all scattering after dinner.
• We can watch content without cable, a dish, or even an antenna. That means we can watch content anywhere on our property where we have wi-fi and can plug in a TV. 

We're cord-cutters, cutting cable about 30 years ago and relying solely on an antenna and dvd/VHS player for video content. For cord-cutters, cord-shavers (those folks who are trying to reduce the expense of paid TV access but not cut it out altogether), and cord-nevers (those who have never been tethered to satellite disk or cable), streaming devices offer expanded content at a very low cost. Other than Roku, brands include Amazon Fire, Apple, and Google Chromecast. 

We're enjoying what Roku can bring to us. At a one-time $25 cost, it's a frugal option for added entertainment content in place of cable/dish plans or dvd rentals from the red kiosk.