Subscription Fatigue - Cable, Internet, Cell, Netflix, etc.

[JS80]

I just tallied all my family's subscriptions:

Monthly
Apple One $19.95
iCloud $2.99
Disney / ESPN / Hulu $9.17
Netflix $13.99
Prime $9.92
Paramount+ $5.00
Peacock $5.00
Audible $14.95
Xbox Gold $5.00
Cable / Internet (Spectrum Silver tier, 3 boxes, 300 mbps internet) $220.00
ATT cell phone (7 lines, $40/mo of this is device costs) $210.00 ==> $170 if you remove device cost, pure wireless service only.
Total $515.96

Assume these are non-negotiable. Anything I can do to consolidate, replace, etc. to get it down? I have the Amex Platinum Personal which pays for Audible, and the Biz Platinum which covers $10/mo for cell phone (btw the cell covers 7 lines). My cell includes HBO Max but my cable package tier includes HBO so I'm double paying there.

Only obvious thing I can think of is switch to ATT fiber with DirecTV Stream which will save me ~$75/mo (not sure if there's some discount with ATT having all 3 services together) but I will lose NFL Network. Looked into YoutubeTV and there's no Spectrum Sportsnet.

Anything I'm not considering?

 

[pete6032]

Your local library probably has audiobooks for free via Overdrive or Libby.

If you live in an urban area you could switch to TMobile 5G internet for $25/month.

I also wouldn't call a cell phone plan a subscription. It's more like a necessary utility these days. You can get better deals with prepaid but that depends a lot on how much data you use.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

My cell is on TracFone for about $10/mo.

 

[Captante]

Limit it to one streaming service per family member and cut back the cable TV package to the bare minimum you can live with. (or better yet cancel it completely!)

Depending on where you live you might also try getting a quality antenna.

OR if it's really "non-negotiable" just grin and bear it? (might be less painful!)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Get a side hustle so that you can afford to pay for cable ?

 

[Captante]

Get a side hustle so that you can afford to pay for cable ?

 

[lxskllr]

I'm trying to think of what would entertain me enough to justify spending $500/month, and I'm drawing a blank. Oh, and fuck audible. I still need to crack that file I bought from them. That's my first and last audiobook from them.

 

[brianmanahan]

stop watching TV and start posting on ATOT

it'll save you thousands a year

 

[Red Squirrel]

When inflation really started to catch up with me to the point that I was feeling it, maybe around 5 years ago or so I cancelled cable and my land line (was part of a bundle so it made sense to just cancel both and keep only internet). I even dropped my internet down to lowest package. I get 20m down/15m up which is honestly plenty for me. Saved myself a bit over $100/mo by doing that. It's not much in grand scheme of things when I consider all the other bills but it was one of few places I had control over. Dropped mortgage from 600 biweekly to 400 as well. With all the other bills going up I'm basically back to square one now though, but I'd be in a worse situation had I not done those cuts.

Tax and water are the highest bills overall though, and nothing I can do to lower those other than move.

 

[JEDI]

I just tallied all my family's subscriptions:

Monthly
Apple One $19.95
iCloud $2.99
Disney / ESPN / Hulu $9.17
Netflix $13.99
Prime $9.92
Paramount+ $5.00
Peacock $5.00
Audible $14.95
Xbox Gold $5.00
Cable / Internet (Spectrum Silver tier, 3 boxes, 300 mbps internet) $220.00
ATT cell phone $210.00
Total $515.96

Assume these are non-negotiable. Anything I can do to consolidate, replace, etc. to get it down? I have the Amex Platinum Personal which pays for Audible, and the Biz Platinum which covers $10/mo for cell phone (btw the cell covers 7 lines). My cell includes HBO Max but my cable package tier includes HBO so I'm double paying there.

Only obvious thing I can think of is switch to ATT fiber with DirecTV Stream which will save me ~$75/mo (not sure if there's some discount with ATT having all 3 services together) but I will lose NFL Network. Looked into YoutubeTV and there's no Spectrum Sportsnet.

Anything I'm not considering?

with all those streaming subscriptions, drop cable!
Just have internet. Also, add rabbit ears= free broadcast channels!

Why do you need nfl network?
local nfl games from rabbit ears = free.

and Doesnt' Amazon Prime include paramount (or Peacock)?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Get a side hustle so that you can afford to pay for cable ?

I sometimes toy with that, not for cable but just to have a bit more money overall to try to overcome inflation a bit. Maybe do drywall or painting on the side or something. Or once I setup my saw mill might also sell lumber or firewood on the side, if I end up producing more firewood than I need myself.

I'm thinking painting would be easy enough to get into, don't need any special equipment or license or anything like that. I'd setup a web site where people can just book the time they want me to come do an estimate and for the actual job, so I can automate lot of it. The days I'm not working would be the only ones that show up as available, so it saves lot of the trouble of trying to make it work with my schedule. The site would do it for me. Ideally line up 3 jobs in a single day so I can just rotate between them while I wait for last one to dry. I'd only want small jobs but depending how well it works out I could do full houses. There's lot of demand for people doing that kind of work.

Solar installs would be nice to get into as well but I imagine you need a license for that.

 

[dingster1]

Drop cable tv and just keep internet. Stream every thing else.

 

[BoomerD]

Dish Network $125/mo
Internet $125/mo
Verizon $275/mo (3 phones)
Amazon Prime. $139.99/year (or whatever it is this year)

 

[VirtualLarry]

I used to pay $40/mo for Verizon, $10/mo for Comcast internet, and $15+tax/mo for a cell, but I bumped the internet up to gigabit for $75/mo.

All-in, still under $100/mo total for cell + internet. I don't watch any tv.

Edit: /that's for a "family of one".

 

[MtnMan]

ATT cell phone $210.00

Verizon $275/mo (3 phones)

How many phones, or is part of that paying for a phone(s)?

Verizon 4 - lines, unlimited data, etc... $185

 

[ElFenix]

tmo 5 lines $134 w/netflix, appletv, and paramount
one line has a phone payment on it so add however much that is.

 

[MrSquished]

FiOS 300/300 $34.99
T mobile Magenta - $40
YouTubeTV - $65
Spotify $10

HBO max, Apple TV and prime I pay for. I hop on my sister's Netflix and Disney plus when needed. I pay $3 a month extra for 200gb from Google too.

Of course I have other monthly subscriptions like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, and some other apps.

It's not too bad. I think the Adobe subscription model is bullshit though.

I bought a lifetime office 2022 key from Mashable for $35 so no need to pay for that every month.

 

[snoopy7548]

Wow, you pay a lot, OP. I'd at least cut cable.

Comcast 200/10 - $83.95/month
Amazon Prime - $14.99/month
Tracfone - ~$10/month

 

[BoomerD]

How many phones, or is part of that paying for a phone(s)?

Verizon 4 - lines, unlimited data, etc... $185

Yep. 3 phone payments included...one of which was SUPPOSED to be "free with a new line," when we added our grandson to the account,but for a fckn year, Verizon keeps charging us for that phone. i call them every other month to TRY to reaolve it..."Oh, that's not right. i'll take care of that immediately!" (But they never do)

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I don't NOT pay for ANY subscriptions to any services or programs.

I just updated Quicken to the last version BEFORE they started a monthly plan. I use LibreOffice so I don't have to pay for the M$ version.

 

[pete6032]

I don't NOT pay for ANY subscriptions to any services or programs.

Not even ATOT premium?

 

[Dulanic]

Thats insane for cable/internet. Have to love duopolies.

 

[Dulanic]

Yep. 3 phone payments included...one of which was SUPPOSED to be "free with a new line," when we added our grandson to the account,but for a fckn year, Verizon keeps charging us for that phone. i call them every other month to TRY to reaolve it..."Oh, that's not right. i'll take care of that immediately!" (But they never do)

Thats when you get over to retention's by threating to cancel or you do cancel.

I don't NOT pay for ANY subscriptions to any services or programs.

I just updated Quicken to the last version BEFORE they started a monthly plan. I use LibreOffice so I don't have to pay for the M$ version.

I only agree to pay for office because of the HUP program and they give me 1TB of OneDrive space and that seems fair since 1TB storage would cost me nearly the same otherwise.

 

[WilliamM2]

I don't NOT pay for ANY subscriptions to any services or programs.

I just updated Quicken to the last version BEFORE they started a monthly plan. I use LibreOffice so I don't have to pay for the M$ version.

No internet? No phone?

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Those aren't subscriptions as such. Those are basic monthly costs for utilities.