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Starlink is not the cheapest internet service provider, at $99.00 US a month and $135.00 CA a month plus a hefty down payment of $500 plus, add in some installation pieces and you're left with quite a bill to start. Starlink is one of the pricier internet providers, but with the internet being so important for homes these days people are willing to pay the extra in order to have reliable, good and usable internet. Working from home was impossible for some before the Starlink system came on the scene. Now that Starlink is here and delivering beyond most expectations, what are some options for us users to help save money. How can Starlink make up for the initial cost and recoup some of the monthly bill? Let's take a look at some examples.
Satellite TV Cable Bill, ok not everyone has a cable bill, but for those of us that have satellite TV in rural areas you get used to getting a bill every month. Starlink internet speed delivers enough bandwidth to use multiple TV's at the same time with ease, I myself have been running 30 devices and 6 of them were TV's playing 1080P to 4K videos! ALL AT THE SAME TIME! There is no way my previous provider could have done this. So how can this save you money, BECOME A CORD CUTTER! I ran satellite TV for years and loved it, well most of it, my ever increasing bill was at $140.00 dollars before I decided to cut it off, more than my Starlink bill is! Since I have gotten Starlink my streaming uptake has increased 10 fold, I can access almost every show needed through apps that exist, and if the app does cost money it is usually under the $10 a month unless it's sports, the Sports apps are around $20.00 a month. So even if I add a few apps like Netflix or Prime and maybe a ESPN you would still be under $50.00 a month to get all that TV, at a fraction of the cost, thank you Starlink!!! If I'm really trying to save money then I could just stream free content only, there is literally thousands of shows that are safe and reliable to stream for free, you just end up watching there ad's which I always did on my satellite system anyways. So this to me is one of the biggest savings to be had right from the start.
Cell Phone Bill - for some, cellular technology was maybe the only internet they had, cell data is expensive! My family could rack up a $1000.00 bill in just one month! Having Starlink broadband service hooked directly into your cell's WIFI and turning on your WIFI calling on your phone will save you a ton of data that otherwise would have cost you money. In some cases you might even be able to contact your provider and tell them to reduce your data package and lower your bill. Although I do recommend leaving some data on your phone plan as you're not always connected to your home network when you're in need of searching the web. Once you have set this up correctly your phone should instantly connect to the Starlink system once you're in range and from then on you're only using Starlink data with no cap on it, IT IS UNLIMITED! No overage charges, use as much as you want, as often as you need.
The old landline connection, well this is a bit of a no brainer here. If you're still paying for a landline to your home you can cut that cord for sure. Most rural property owners that we run into are not even running the line to their houses anymore, saving thousands of dollars worth of trenching lines under the ground. Now in some cases you might be using that line for a security system alarm, so you want to make sure to set this up correctly so that nothing gets shut off in the process. Most land lines run from $5-35 a month, which is not that much but every little bit helps. The reliability of the Starlink system is extremely good, and if it does go down then you have your cellular services that you can use, basically making a landline a redundant third option. If you're still interested in keeping a phone line at the house there are a lot of VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) options available that run purely off internet bandwidth and cost very little comparatively. These applications are often used when you talk outside of your country and region as there is usually no long distance charges, but make sure to read the fine print and ask around who has had success with their VOIP provider.
Security Systems, if you have a monitored security system then you're paying a monthly bill. These bills can be from $20.00 a month to as much as $100.00. This cost might have been needed in the past for peace of mind, but now with the Starlink system you can go to a self monitoring system, skip the bill and watch your place for yourself. Starlink is more than capable of powering up the hungriest of bandwidth eating security systems. Get one of the newer smart security systems that are on the market and you will be able to keep your eyes on your property with ease! No more false alarms, because you're watching your property and you know the difference between a deer and a burglar. In this day and age with the tech out there, this has become a huge addition to rural living. With automated surveillance systems sending notifications to your phone while you're away, why would you pay someone else to watch for you?
Working From Home, well here is a big ticket item! The cost of gas these days is going through the roof, I watch dollar bills fly out of my tailpipe every time I start my vehicle. Well what if I don't have to drive in? What if I can get done what I need to from my house? After all, I have fast internet now. This might not be an option for all but it is for some, many people have chosen to WFH.(work from home) Maybe you still go a few days a week, but everyday you don't start the car is a day in which you save money. Now not all jobs will be able to offer this but it is worth the conversation with your employer, you never know what you might get from them. Now a little more on the extreme side would be completely changing careers, this is certainly a good and valid option as the amount of jobs out there for WFH has exploded over the past couple years. So don't rule it out, maybe the Starlink system will help your take on your next career.
The Side Hustle, this next idea ties directly into the previous one, maybe you like your job and where you're at but you're looking for a little supplemental income. Starlink internet speeds open up a vast array of online marketing tools, from affiliate marketing, drop shipping, reviewing, blogging or start your very own Youtube channel. There is a huge market out there where many people have found success. Now I don't want to make this sound too easy as it does require patience, time and effort, but the success stories are real and you now have enough bandwidth to dip into the waters. You might not be able to quit your job next year but perhaps you're able to put enough money away from your side hustle to pay for your families holiday or maybe get a new car, maybe it just covers the gas for the month, whatever the case may be it is because you have fast enough internet speed to do so. Not to toot our own horn but if you're looking at building an online store or website www.allmediaservices.net is a great place to start.
Simple Things, I used to have an old boss that told me if you count the pennies the dollars will take care of themselves. Sometimes it's the little things that make up the difference. Smart home features like a smart thermostat can now be utilized to save monthly on heating. Also monitor your plumbing with flood and temperature sensors to avoid a catastrophe. These smart home options can now be used in a rural setting with Starlink. Maybe on a even more basic level you can use it to help make sure you don't miss deals at the grocery store, or you get in on the great sale of the month because you signed up, maybe you save a dollar off of your bill because you went paperless. There are a plethora of ways in which you can maximize your time and energy. Having Starlink has allowed me to capitalize on all of these options. I can do almost everything online from banking, paying the bills to making online appointments, all done from my kitchen table. So when I do go to town it is more because I want to then need to. Every penny saved will eventually turn into a dollar, so experiment a little, try some new technologies that are supposed to help with these kinds of things, talk to Google, Alexa or Siri and ask for their help, you might be very surprised at what floats to the surface.
These are just a few of the main ideas that I can think of but I know there are other great ideas even better than these out there. Starlink may be a bit on the pricey side but there are oodles of ways that it can help you recoup some money. But really more important to me is that I don’t care if it does or doesn’t do all these things, these are just perks. I just want a good, reliable, fast internet connection, and that is exactly what Starlink has delivered for me.
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A great many thoughtful ideas in this report. Quite enough to keep me researching for a while. I especially related to the “cord cutting” section and VOIP calling. I find all of these interesting and look forward to the next installment. i’m at day 385 in my wait for Starlink; hope I get a notice soon. J.K.Bowers