If you’ve already cut your cable, congratulations on taking advantage of big savings provided by free streaming services!

If you haven’t… here’s how to cut your cable!

With so much free streaming, there’s never been a better time.

We found over 30 free streaming options for 2024. Having so many options to choose from can be a little daunting, so let’s divide these free streaming services into three different categories:

1. Long-term free streaming services: We can’t guarantee these will always be free, but there don’t appear to be any current plans to charge for these streaming services.
2. Free streaming service trials: Enjoy a week or a month free, but cancel before your trial period ends to avoid being charged the normal subscription fee.
3. Other special streaming offers: During the pandemic, several streaming services were offering free programming to help combat our collective cabin fever.

Let’s start listing!

Long-Term Free Streaming Services

You may be surprised by the many options available for long-term free streaming. Here are our top picks.

1. Pluto TV

Pluto TV boasts 250+ channels and thousands of movies, totally free. You can even get news and sports. The Pluto TV app is available on all your favorite devices: smart TVs, game consoles, tablets, and phones, and it is a no-brainer if you’re looking for long-term free streaming.

2. IMDb TV

IMDb TV promotes free “Hollywood hits and TV favorites,” and the selection doesn’t disappoint. You won’t find the latest releases on IMDb TV, but you’ll find lots of popular movies from the ‘90s and ‘00s, well-reviewed TV series, and even some IMDb original content!

3. The Roku Channel

If you have a Roku device, the Roku Channel offers an “always-changing selection of free movies, shows, live news, kid’s TV, and more” (of course you can also stream from any ol’ web browser as well). You also have the option of adding premium subscriptions to popular channels like Starz and HBO.

4. Crackle

Crackle offers some of the same ‘90s comedies and action films as many of the other free streaming services on our list, but it shines with a documentary channel, reality channel, and some original content. Going from Broke, from producer Ashton Kutcher, is an especially interesting original series featuring real-world stories of people getting their finances in order after years of drowning in debt.

5. Vudu

While Vudu is largely known for offering streaming rentals (at around $5.99 per rental). This service also offers thousands of movies and TV shows, with limited ads, completely free of charge. The free options may not contain current blockbusters, but you’re sure to find something for everyone in this selection.

6. Tubi

Tubi may not offer a comprehensive cord-cutting streaming package like some of the other services on our list, but you’ll find some gems on this supplemental streaming service. There are lots of cult classics from the ‘90s and ‘00s, a wide range of horror flicks, and even some popular reality TV shows.

7. Sling

Most people think of Sling as the cord-cutting solution to live TV; you get live news channels and popular cable channels like HGTV and Food Network; but, of course, you pay a monthly subscription fee for that service. Most people don’t realize Sling offers over 5,000 movies and TV shows totally free of charge! Just visit Sling on any browser and click “watch free now” to browse the selection and enjoy free entertainment.

Check out my full review of Sling here. 

Additional Options for Long-Term Free Streaming Services

You would think seven free streaming services might be enough, but nope, there are still more options available! Check out these services to round out your free streaming:

• NBC’s Peacock: NBC’s Peacock will offer ad-supported TV, movies, and news for free (or you can go ad-free for $4.99/month).
• Kanopy: You just need a public library card to access this “thoughtful entertainment.”
• Popcornflix: No need to create an account or sign in. Anyone can start watching anytime.
• XUMO: Over 160 channels including news and sports.
• Hoopla: With your library card, you can “check out” digital media including ebooks, music, audiobooks, movies, and TV shows.
• Plex: Originally a content management system for digital media you own, Plex has started offering free movie streaming.

Free Streaming Service Trials

As great as our long-term free streaming services are, sometimes you need a subscription to a specific streaming service for their exclusive content. Why not get your fix during a free trial period?

Here are the best streaming services currently offering free trials.

1. Netflix

If you don’t already have Netflix, here’s your chance to get a free 30-day trial. Catch up on original pop culture hits like The Queen’s Gambit, Stranger Things, and The Crown. If you choose to keep your subscription after the free trial, plans range from $8.99 to $15.99/month.

2. Hulu

Hulu is another streaming giant offering a free 30-day trial. In addition to popular network TV shows, Hulu offers originals like The Handmaid’s Tale, Little Fires Everywhere, and High Fidelity. If you choose to keep your subscription after the free trial, plans range from $5.99 to $11.99/month. You can also add on popular channels like HBO and Showtime.

3. Amazon Prime

Yes, Amazon Prime membership comes with free two-day shipping, but it also gives you access to Amazon Prime streaming. You can get a free 30-day trial to everything Amazon Prime has to offer. Among the notable original series are The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Good Omens. After the 30-day trial, Amazon Prime membership costs $12.99/month or $119/year. You can subscribe to the Prime Video service, only, for $8.99/month.

We also took a look at the Amazon TV Firestick to see if it was worth getting.

4. Disney+

Disney+ launched just in time to save the sanity of the many parents working from home with young children during the COVID-19 crisis. You can, currently, get a 7-day free trial of Disney+; perfect for catching up on The Mandalorian, checking out the latest Marvel movies, and re-watching some of your favorite Disney cartoons. After the free trial, you can subscribe for $6.99/month.

5. Paramount+

Popular CBS network shows are all available on Paramount+, and now you can a 7-day free trial. This is the only streaming service where you can find CBS hits like Survivor, NCIS, and Young Sheldon. After the trial period, you can subscribe for $4.99/month.

Here’s my full review of Paramount+ if you’d like to learn more. 

6. Showtime

Enjoy Showtime originals like Homeland, Shameless, and Billions, as well as popular, current movies, with a free 30-day trial. After the trial period, you can continue streaming for $8.99/month.

7. NFL Game Pass

With NFL Game Pass, you can watch NFL originals like Hard Knocks and A Football Life, replay games from the past ten years, and even watch coach’s film. Free 7-day trial and then rates are $18/month or $199/year.

Additional Options for Free Streaming Service Trials

For those with more niche interests, here are a few other options for free streaming service trials:

• Hallmark Movies Now: When need some feel-good flicks. Free 7-day trial; $4.99/month (with an annual plan) after.
• Sundance Now: Good for indie films and documentaries. Free 7-day trial; $4.99/month after.
• Broadway HD: Check them out for classic musicals. Free 7-day trial; $8.99/month or $99.99/year after.
• Shudder: For horror films. Free 7-day trial; $4.75/month after.
• Acorn TV: To get your fix forBritish shows. Free 7-day trial; $5.99/month after.
• Criterion Channel: They specialize in curated film collections. Free 14-day trial; $10.99/month or $99.99/year after.
• EPIX Now: This is your answer for current hit movies. Free 7-day trial; $5.99/month after.
• Apple TV+: New Apple originals. Free 7-day trial; $4.99/month after.

Happy streaming!

The post Best Free Online Streaming Services for 2024 appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Not everyone has the luxury of a steady income. If you’re on an irregular income, you know the uncertainty and stress it can cause. You also know it creates budgetary challenges.

An irregular income doesn’t mean you have to just “wing it” with your finances every month. You can still build an effective budget to help you make the most of every dollar you earn, and you can do it in 3 easy steps.

3 Easy Steps to Budgeting on an Irregular Income

Before we get to step 1, you have a mini pre-step to complete: decide how you’re going to track your budget.

There’s no right or wrong here. Different tracking systems work for different people.

Some people like to physically write their budgets in their bullet journals where they can, essentially, turn their budget into a work of art. Just please double-check your math if you’re going completely analog with your budget!

Alternatively, you could go the opposite direction by using an automated budget tool. You Need a Budget (YNAB) is an inexpensive option at $6.99 per month. If you’d rather try a free tool, consider the free version of EveryDollar.

Many people choose to create their own spreadsheet in Excel or Google Sheets instead of going the automated tool route. You get 100% customization and have a template with formulas to reuse month after month. This customization is important to many but critical to some. For example, as a bi-continental family with an income in Euros, British Pounds, and US Dollars, the automated tools don’t work for me, so my personal Excel workbook is everything.

Take a minute to decide which system is best for you. No pressure here, you can always change systems if you find you’re not happy with your initial decision.

Step 1: Estimate Your Monthly Income

This is supposed to be the hardest step in budgeting on an irregular income, right? Estimating what income amount you should use?

Well, we’re going to make this easy. Instead of trying to project your future income or average your past income, simply use the amount of your lowest-paying month from the past year; that will be your estimated monthly income for the coming month.

This works well for a few reasons:

1. This is a conservative number. You’re far more likely to exceed that number than fail to meet it.
2. It’s easier to add more money to your budget when you exceed this estimate than it would be to cut expenses from your budget if you didn’t meet this estimate.
3. Using this number will force you to prioritize your expenses in the next step. By using this conservative estimate, you’re not giving yourself much wiggle room, so you’ll have to plan your budget to efficiently cover your most important expenses first.

Easy, right?

Step 2: Prioritize Your Expenses

Now we’re going to allocate that conservative income estimate to each of your expenses.

Always start with the necessities:

• Food (as in groceries not dining out)
• Shelter (your mortgage or rent plus the utilities and any taxes and insurance)
• Transportation (car payment plus gas and insurance or public transportation costs)
• Hygiene (toiletries, detergent, and basic clothing needs)

Then add in the extremely important expenses:

• Medical insurance
• Debt payments (like student loans or credit card debt)
• Professional memberships, publications, events, and ongoing development (whatever you need to ensure your success in your career – after all, that’s what’s going to drive your income, right?)
• Savings (even if this isn’t your favorite expense item to budget for, it is critical and should absolutely be considered before discretionary spending)

Finally, add your “wants.” You may or may not have enough in your budget at the beginning of the month to cover these, but that’s ok because you’re probably going to exceed your estimated income. That excess can be applied to these not-quite-critical expenses:

• Entertainment
• Paying down additional debt
• Gifts for family and friends
• Lattes
• Travel
• Hobbies

You may have noticed an important category missing…where does charitable giving fit in? Charitable giving could fall into any of these categories. If you strongly believe in tithing, you may consider it a necessity, or it may be extremely important to you. It may just be something you want to include if you have money left over. Add it in as you see fit.

Step 3: Track and Adjust as Needed

Since your income will almost certainly vary from your estimate, you’ll want to make adjustments to your budget as you move through the month. As you out-earn your estimate, you get to decide how to spend that extra money!

To make appropriate adjustments, you’ll need to track your expenses. How else would you know if your actual spending is in line with your budgeted spending?

Some people make a habit of logging expenses at the end of each day. But if that sounds like too much for you, simply choose one day per week to log all your expenses for the week and make your budgetary adjustments.

Tracking expenses isn’t exactly a fun way to spend half an hour, but it’s a critical part of budgeting (especially when you’re on an irregular income!). Though, figuring out how to allocate the extra money over your estimated income amount is fun.

Budget Hacks

Now that you understand the process of how to budget on an irregular income, you can simplify your life by applying a few critical budget hacks.

1. Build Murphy’s Law into your budget.

You know Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. When applied to your budget, it means that there will always be an unexpected expense from something “going wrong.” It could be a traffic ticket, a small appliance breaking down, or a cavity that needs to be filled. Most people will have some expense or other fall into this category nearly every month. So, why not build it into your budget?

Add an expense line item for Murphy’s Law and allocate 3-5 percent of your income to that category. At the end of the month, if you haven’t used your Murphy’s Law money, you can add it to your savings, use it to pay down your debts, or celebrate your Murphy’s-Law-free month by treating yourself to a little something special.

By the way, this line item is different from your emergency fund, which should be reserved for true emergencies: transmission failure, medical emergencies, job loss, etc.

2. Automate your savings and investments.

Automating my savings and investments changed my life. With auto transfers from my checking account to my savings and investment accounts, I never have to worry about forgetting to save. Because I have the transfer take place as soon as my paycheck hits my account, I never accidentally spend the money I intended to save. With zero effort, I’ve been able to build an emergency fund, prepare for retirement, and invest in my “Dream Fund” for bucket list travel, buying more real estate, and launching my own business.

If you’re paid on a regular schedule, you can set up your auto transfers to take place on specific dates. If you’re only paid periodically (like when you make a sale), ask your HR department about direct depositing a certain percentage of your paycheck to separate accounts.

3. Build a “Feast or Famine” fund.

If you’re in a rollercoaster business where you have some great months in terms of income and some painfully slow months, you should strongly consider a “Feast or Famine” fund. During your strong months, you simply move some of your excess income to your “Feast or Famine” high-yield savings account, where it will be waiting for you when you need to cover your expenses during an exceptionally slow month.

If you follow our recommendation to use your lowest-paying month as the basis for your budget, you’ll rarely need to use your “Feast or Famine” fund; though, there will likely come a time when you will need it. Then, you’ll be glad it’s there!

The post How to Budget on an Irregular Income in 3 Easy Steps appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.