“But I don’t spend much money on subscriptions!” you say. Really? 15 dollars a year for a lame magazine you never read, 69 dollars a month for Cable Tv, 45 dollars a month for a gym member ship you WISH you used, 15 a month for netflix, and 30 a month for internet.. Lets add this up.. 15+828+180+360+540=$$1,923..
It doesn’t seem like a lot of money when you are just feeding these companies your green Lettuce you worked so hard for. But it is a lot of dough you could have used for Debt, Saving, Investing, ect.
The best part is, it is super easy to stop this madness. Cut the subscriptions.
Cancel the magazine, buy only the issues you are really going to use. In my case, i like Offroad magazines, but i have an older vehicle and new articles do not always apply to my 4×4. So i buy only the issues jammed packed full of info for my Jeep (not many, they are all talking about the FJ Cruiser now. Lame) Thing is you will probably save money this way, when you go into a store to buy magazines you will have to shell out cash on the spot and will tend to not buy it.
Next off, Cut the Cable TV, if you are in debt Cable TV is your worst enemy. First off it is ridiculously expensive, secondly it really eats up your time. If you have scheduling issues, cutting TV is a sure way to get some of your life back. If you really like a show, buy episodes from iTunes for $2.99. If you want to get out of debt you can’t be living like a rock star.
Hitting the gym is great, if you are an avid gym goer, this is one you might consider keeping. Weigh the benefits. How many times a month do you use the gym? Does the gym have a daily rate you could pay? If you only go to the gym once a week, and the daily rate is 7 dollars, you will pay less than the 45 monthly gym fee. Use your brain on this one, and don’t become a lard ass.
Netflix.. Ahh targeting the laziness of Americans.. I consider myself an AVID movie watcher, and i think Netflix is too much. I hate contracts, i hate limits. So netflix does not get my approval. $13.99 a month for 2 movies out at the same time, and exchange them as often as you want. How many movies CAN one rent in a month? Unless you have TONS of free time, i would just stick to using a RedBox, you pay $1 for one night for new releases. Can’t beat that, oh and they are all over the place, mostly McDonald’s, so when you are cruising through the drive thru getting a lard Burger you can pick up a flick!
Internet! Please do not cancel your internet, that would be the equivalent of going up to the mountains and living under a rock. But what you can do, is find a better provider, who is cheaper, offers better plans, or is willing to negotiate.
Last but not least, most subscriptions method of payment is Credit Card.. So how do you expect to get out of debt if your card is being piled on each month by these worthless subscriptions?
I am huge on not having subscriptions. So huge that in my Gamer madness i sold my Xbox360 to avoid paying the $8 a month membership fee to play Online games, and bought a PS3 who’s online system is free. Yes i know that is not much money, but i am saving $100 a year.
I canceled my 10 a month gym membership because i was not using it, i work out at home, so i save $120 a year. I do not subscribe to magazines, Cable TV, Netflix, (or any online service for that matter), gym, or Gaming System. I have my internet, and my web site domain. That is it.
Focus on the big savings at first, then get down to the small ones.
