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Subscription fatigue is real.
When we got our new iPhone, we received a free three-month subscription to Apple TV+.
We immediately binged all the shows we hadn’t seen, including the last season of “Ted Lasso,” all of “Silo,” and are now working our way through “Severance.”
We’ve also started paying for Apple TV+, which is a modest $9.99 a month. However, we also pay for Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. With Netflix announcing a price increase, we’re now spending over $60 monthly on these services alone.
If you’re like our household, you’re probably sick of paying for all these subscriptions.
Here’s how to overcome it:
Keep A Usage Journal
It doesn’t have to be an actual journal — it can be a sheet of paper — but keep track of how often you use a subscription. Whether it’s a streaming service like Netflix or a gym membership, keeping track of how often you use it in a time-use journal can give you the confidence to cancel.
If you use a service frequently, you can justify keeping it around. It may surprise you, but we use all four streaming services because we have four kids. One is in love with anything Frozen, another enjoys several series on Netflix, and the older ones can’t get enough Star Wars on Disney. So, while my wallet may be tired of four streaming services, they’re all justified — though Netflix’s $25-a-month price tag may put it on the chopping block.
Cancel Subscriptions You Don’t Use (If Only Temporarily)
This next step is easy once you have a usage journal — cancel the services you aren’t using. Or, strategically cancel the ones you use less often and sign back up whenever you’re ready.
For example, we may cancel our Netflix subscription while busy watching shows on other streaming services. I know that once the current “Severance” season ends, we will likely cancel Apple TV+.
With streaming services, canceling and signing back up is easy. And with TV shows, it’s easy to wait until an entire season is released before signing back up.
Downgrade Your Subscriptions
You don’t have to cancel a subscription if service tiers are available. With Netflix, we are on the $24.99/month plan because we need to download on more than two devices.
If you don’t care about getting Ultra HD and HDR, you can downgrade to its $17.99 plan. If you don’t mind ads, it’s as cheap at $7.99 a month. We choose the ad-free experience because we’d like to reduce how often our children are subjected to ads.
By downgrading, you still get the service but at a reduced cost.
Look For Free Alternatives
With streaming services there are a lot of free online streaming service alternatives. I recently discovered Kanopy, which you can get free through your local library, as well as Tubi, which is ad-supported.
If you’re willing to sit through advertising, there are often plenty of free alternatives.
So, the next time you open your credit card bill and see a slew of subscription charges, try some of these strategies to overcome your subscription fatigue.