Something as easy and simple as a coax cable splitter should be cheap and easy to find, right?

A couple of years ago when all of the cable companies were forcing everyone to go digital, we decided that we would make the upgrade only because we wanted more channels.

I didn’t want to upgrade because our cable bill was only $50 and I could barely afford that.  After the upgrade to digital, my bill went up to $89.  It has gone up significantly since then but that’s not the point.

Before we were forced into the digital cable age, I was able to record shows on my DVD recorder which I had just bought 2 years before that.  Some nights I had 2 shows on at once so I would watch one while recording the other.  Other nights I would just record my shows so that we could go out to eat.

Then DVR’s came along and I couldn’t afford the monthly fees just to record my shows.  Why should I be forced to pay for that when I can do it for free?  Well, like I said, I bought a DVD recorder for $225 or so 2 years prior so it wasn’t really free.

When we switched to digital cable, our new cable box put a block on my DVD recorder so I couldn’t record anything.  Heck, I couldn’t even watch tv with it.

For reference, it’s a Panasonic DMR-ES35V which has a DVD recorder and a VCR.

So it has been sitting there not being used for a couple of years now, except when I rent movies at the Red Box.

I knew I was going to miss my shows last week so I decided to hook the cable up to the DVD Recorder to see if I could record it straight from the cable instead of from the cable box and it worked!

BINGO!

So, I went looking for a cable splitter.  I went to Walgreens on Saturday but they stopped carrying them.  I went to Radio Shacks website and they charge $15 – $30 for them now.  Screw that!  I remember when they only charged $1.

I went to the Sears and Target website and it was the same story.  There was no freakin’ way I was going to drop that kind of cash on something that I should get for only $1.

I found it on NewEgg for $5.35 with tax and free shipping so I bought it.  I’m still waiting for it to arrive by USPS mail.

Last night we went to the chinese buffet place and right next door to them is a Dollar Outlet Plus.  We decided to go in and look around and you will never guess what I found for only $1.49…

If you guessed a cable splitter you would be correct!

How can Radio Shack, Sears and Target charge such outrageous prices for something that a dollar outlet plus store sells for $1.49?  I’m sure it’s cheap and you probably won’t get great cable reception but I don’t get great cable reception straight from the cable to my DVD recorder anyway so it doesn’t really matter.

I’ve decided that I am not going to send my coax cable splitter from NewEgg back since I’ve waited such a long time for it to arrive but I now know for future reference that if the retail stores charge you up the ass, check the dollar store first.

Update: My splitter came and it worked and I was so glad to be able to record again.