Spring Cutting

Time to spring clean your monthly subscription charges


There’s a good chance you’re paying for a subscription (or three) that you don’t even use. Don’t be too hard on yourself. This is just one byproduct of the “subscription era” — we sign up for so many that eventually some are going to fall to the wayside. The problem is that every little unused subscription charge quickly adds up. Sure, $10 a month doesn’t seem like much… Until you realize that’s $120 a year. Here are some tips for cleaning up the subscription fees in your life.

  • List Them. The first thing you need to do is find and list every subscription charge. Go through credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, checking accounts, everything. Go back at least one year to find recurring charges. Once you have found them all, list them out.
  • Think Longterm. Now that you can see all of the subscriptions, Marketwatch suggests multiplying the monthly charges by 12 to see what you’re shelling out per year. If you look at any of those numbers and hesitate for even just a second, that’s a red flag. You should consider cutting that subscription.
  • Assess the Value. Another way to narrow down your subscriptions is to ask yourself if they provide value. Does the service save you time or money? Do you actually enjoy the service? Does it add something positive to your life? These questions will help you decide where it will be painfree to cut back.
  • Check for Overlap. If you have cable TV, Apple TV, Hulu and Netflix, you have subscription service overlap. Look into where you’ve got overlapping channels, what you’re watching regularly vs. rarely, and cut the excess.
  • Chris O'Shea

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