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Cutting Costs - Monthly Subscriptions

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11:37a, 1/29/22
AG
Netflix just announced another price increase effective in February. They are adding $2 to your monthly sub which is an 11% increase, if you haven't realized this yet. This triggered a budgetary review by me of our monthly, recurring subscription spend.

In the spirit of transparency, I present to you what we spend every month on subs (note: some of these costs are paid annual and I've allocated them to monthly for sake of discussion). Feel free to ridicule it as if you won't.

I post this to maybe trigger others into reviewing what you are really spending on subs because many people organically add these and never really add up how much of your spend you are leasing (recent price increases in bold/italics):


Current Monthly Costs:

Health
  • Shred - $8.93 (workout app - offsets a gym membership)
  • Wine Club - $75.78 (17% increase)

Subtotal = $84.71

Productivity / Data
  • Apple - $2.99
  • Todoist - $4
  • MS 365 - $9.02

SubTotal = $16.01

News / Internet

  • TexAgs - $13.85
  • Dallas Morning News - $35.68 (14% increase....94% increase since 2018)
  • WSJ - $42.99

SubTotal = $92.52

Entertainment
  • Disney - $6.31
  • Sirius - $6.48
  • Hulu - $7.57
  • Apple - $10.81 - Music
  • Amazon Prime - $12.54 (17% increase....40% increase since 2018)
  • MS GamePass - $16.23
  • Netflix - $21.64 (11% increase)
  • Barkbox - $32.48 (for dogs)
  • YTTV - $70.35

SubTotal = $184.41

Grand Total = $377.65 / month or $4,531.80 per year. That is incredible.



Planned Reductions:
  • Hulu - $7.57 - cancelling when current show ends
  • WSJ - $42.99 - will renegotiate
  • YTTV - $70.35 - seasonal pause after Super Bowl
  • Wine Club - $75.78 - don't drink much anymore

SubTotal = $196.69 (~50% reduction in monthly costs depending on month)

On the Bubble (wife will have to agree to these):
  • Sirius - $6.48
  • Dallas Morning News - $35.68



Edit (2/04/22): I've revamped the original post of line items and added missing stuff, simplified presentation, made some price updates, and recategorized.
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evestor1
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11:58a, 1/29/22
Great thread idea

I spend over 80 a month on TV subscriptions. Drives me crazy.

The subscription that pissed me off was plushcare. Used a teledoc appointment w them. Apparently I signed up for 99 per month. Took three months to catch. Called and they said "sorry - we'll refund it"
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AgEng06
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11:59a, 1/29/22
AG
WTF is Barkbox?
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Ag13
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12:41p, 1/29/22
AG
You can usually get deals that make WSJ significantly cheaper. I've paid like $4/ month for several years (online only) by timing renewal with Black Friday/cyber Monday

Also you already have Hulu and Disney + …. I think they have a bundle with Hulu, Disney +, ESPN +, and Hulu live (to replace YouTube tv) that likely comes out cheaper for you and consolidates your bills a little bit.
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Dr. Horrible
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1:18p, 1/29/22
It seems like the common denominator is the wife.
I think I should get a 10% cut of the savings for this advice.
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Dan Scott
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1:27p, 1/29/22
AG
What's Apple Music's value, aren't there a lot of free apps right Spotify?

I don't listen to much music.
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jtraggie99
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1:36p, 1/29/22
AG
Why MS365? Granted, I use all MS for work, but I haven't paid for anything MS personally in years (outside of buying new laptops). I just use Google Docs, Sheets, etc now and have for some time.

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schwack schwack
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1:47p, 1/29/22
AG
I consider Sirius & Texags to be non-negotiable. One is for Christmas & the other for birthday every year so I consider them gifts that give all year long instead of monthly expenses.


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mazag08
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1:51p, 1/29/22
AG
Cut Texags.
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Ag CPA
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2:29p, 1/29/22
AG
Here is mine FWIW:

WSJ/Barron's
Netflix
Spotify
Disney+
Audible
Apple cloud storage
SiriusXM
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Brian Earl Spilner
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3:00p, 1/29/22
AG
Why does anyone need news subscriptions?
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AggieFrog
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In reply to Brian Earl Spilner • 3:13p, 1/29/22
AG
Brian Earl Spilner said:
Why does anyone need news subscriptions?

Paywalls, better content, and believe in supporting quality journalism are my reasons.
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In reply to AgEng06 • 3:29p, 1/29/22
AG
AgEng06 said:
WTF is Barkbox?
It's a subscription service that delivers a monthly box to you that contains 4-5 dog toys as well as several bags of treats. The boxes typically have a theme. Wife loves it. It sounds like a waste of money, and it probably is for most people. But it's actually kind of life saver for us because my big dog has become a nuisance to live with and the items we get from this box are a fantastic tool for distracting him.

We could argue the offset cost of this and if I would actually spend it on my own, but I'm ok with keeping it as long as we have the big dog. When big dog goes, we will reassess this because my Boston Terrier doesn't give a damn about what he's playing with. He could play with air and be happy if you could somehow make it physical.
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In reply to Ag13 • 3:31p, 1/29/22
AG
Ag13 said:
You can usually get deals that make WSJ significantly cheaper. I've paid like $4/ month for several years (online only) by timing renewal with Black Friday/cyber Monday

Also you already have Hulu and Disney + …. I think they have a bundle with Hulu, Disney +, ESPN +, and Hulu live (to replace YouTube tv) that likely comes out cheaper for you and consolidates your bills a little bit.
Good to know on WSJ. Thanks.

On Hulu/Disney, I was already midstream before they announced the Bundle because I did Disney annually. When I've run the math on the Bundle it's actually about $1 more per month to bundle. That seems miniscule, but I'll never use ESPN+ so I don't see any reason to do it.
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In reply to Dan Scott • 3:34p, 1/29/22
AG
Dan Scott said:
What's Apple Music's value, aren't there a lot of free apps right Spotify?

I don't listen to much music.
This is a newer sub for me. I always ignored it because I don't buy music. There is just not that much out there that rises to the level of an actual purchase for me.

However, the value I've seen with Apple is that I can easily add a song to my library with a click of a button that I randomly here in public (via Shazam) or most any other avenue. I hear it and like it? I can immediately add it via Apple Music. Don't have to buy it because I already have with the sub. Just have to discover it.
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In reply to jtraggie99 • 3:35p, 1/29/22
AG
jtraggie99 said:
Why MS365? Granted, I use all MS for work, but I haven't paid for anything MS personally in years (outside of buying new laptops). I just use Google Docs, Sheets, etc now and have for some time.

It's what I know, and I like their product. Plus, it's tax deductible through my LLC.
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In reply to mazag08 • 3:36p, 1/29/22
AG
mazag08 said:
Cut Texags.
I've considered it. Hard.
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In reply to Brian Earl Spilner • 3:40p, 1/29/22
AG
Brian Earl Spilner said:
Why does anyone need news subscriptions?
DMN is extraneous and worthless. Years ago, it used to be one of the top papers in the country. And considering its cost is approaching full retail WSJ that is a terrible ROI. Granted, WSJ has scale that DMN does not, but still....

The only reason we still have DMN is because my wife grew up in a newspaper family so it's in her DNA to support the local paper.

I keep WSJ because it has a ton of good stuff if you read beyond the headlines. I'm now considering some substack subs too to get some non-mainstream commentary that you simply can't get in the MSM.
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In reply to Ag CPA • 3:41p, 1/29/22
AG
Ag CPA said:
Here is mine FWIW:

WSJ/Barron's
Netflix
Spotify
Disney+
Audible
Apple cloud storage
SiriusXM
Used to have Audible and cut it. I couldn't keep up with it and it became unjustifiable.
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La Vernia_Ag06
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In reply to YouBet • 4:42p, 1/29/22
AG
Just did this, also falls right in line with YTTV cancellation because of the sports doldrums. I spend most of my time in other forums outside of premium the rest of the year while I wait for footballs return.

I do miss the watch and email functionality though, but could go down to basic sub if I miss these too much.
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chris1515
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5:21p, 1/29/22
AG
I went thru a similar exercise.

I called to cancel my online access to DMN, and they replied with some pretty aggressive discounting. I countered with $20 a year…and they said they couldn't go that low and would process my cancellation.
I like supporting the local media, but decided they were just too politically left for me to continue supporting.

I also logged on to XM and noticed they have a lot of options. I think I was paying extra for an option that included Howard Stern. I dropped that to a smaller package that should cover all my listening needs and saved a little bit each year.

I was getting home delivery and online for Barron's. But they only actually delivered the paper once a month or so. So I switched that to online only. And tbh, I probably don't get enough value from that to keep it.

Thought out the year I'll cycle between streaming services to catch up on various shows.

Amazon Prime is a keeper though.
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In reply to La Vernia_Ag06 • 5:30p, 1/29/22
AG
La Vernia_Ag06 said:
Just did this, also falls right in line with YTTV cancellation because of the sports doldrums. I spend most of my time in other forums outside of premium the rest of the year while I wait for footballs return.

I do miss the watch and email functionality though, but could go down to basic sub if I miss these too much.
Sorry, which item are you referring to?
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In reply to chris1515 • 5:32p, 1/29/22
AG
I will have my wife call DMN. That is her baby and account.

Sirius/XM: yes, I discovered when I called to cancel that we were paying way too much. We were paying $20 a month and they dropped to $5 something immediately.

You just have to call these companies.

Also, I forgot about Prime and added that into my OP. Dammit.
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5:34p, 1/29/22
AG
Also, we have two different subs for workout apps accounting for $175 per year. However, that is so much cheaper than our gym memberships we use to maintain (per month) that I'm not including those.
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La Vernia_Ag06
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In reply to YouBet • 6:38p, 1/29/22
AG
TA subscription.
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In reply to La Vernia_Ag06 • 6:54p, 1/29/22
AG
La Vernia_Ag06 said:
TA subscription.
Well, duh. That makes sense.

Not very bright at times.
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Quinn
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8:05p, 1/29/22
AG
Why is your Netflix so expensive? Ours is around $11.
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In reply to Quinn • 8:13p, 1/29/22
AG
Quinn said:
Why is your Netflix so expensive? Ours is around $11.
Good question. I don't know.

Did you do something to get that rate? I assumed mine was the street rate that everyone paid.
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In reply to Quinn • 8:16p, 1/29/22
AG
Quinn said:
Why is your Netflix so expensive? Ours is around $11.
Checked. I'm paying for Premium which is the best PQ which includes 4K.

You are paying for Basic in standard definition. That is horrific to think about. At least upgrade to1080p.
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permabull
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8:59p, 1/29/22
AG
I don't think it's fair to combine the price if Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, prime and yttv and compare that to your old cable or satellite bill. Your old cable bill didn't give you everything d+, Netflix or the free shipping Amazon prime has. It's more fair to compare just the YouTube tv price against your old cable bill since many people who have cable still pay for Netflix and prime. And most people signed up for prime for the free shipping not the content, that just became a bonus.
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In reply to permabull • 9:12p, 1/29/22
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hypeiv said:
I don't think it's fair to combine the price if Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, prime and yttv and compare that to your old cable or satellite bill. Your old cable bill didn't give you everything d+, Netflix or the free shipping Amazon prime has. It's more fair to compare just the YouTube tv price against your old cable bill since many people who have cable still pay for Netflix and prime. And most people signed up for prime for the free shipping not the content, that just became a bonus.
Valid point.
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azul_rain
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9:34p, 1/29/22
Do y'all subscribe to everything each month? I rotate from hbo to netflix to prime once a month
you may all go to hell and i will go to Texas
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The Dog Lord
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In reply to azul_rain • 9:46p, 1/29/22
AG
hedge said:
Do y'all subscribe to everything each month? I rotate from hbo to netflix to prime once a month

I have some year round (Prime, Netflix, HBO) and get others as desired.
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bco2003
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10:42p, 1/29/22
AG
For DMN, some suburb's libraries' post their login credentials for anyone to use, which gets past the paywall.
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AggieStan
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11:52p, 1/29/22
You need to get outside
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