Ryan Haines / Android Authority
I will admit it that before the economy tightened, I used to spend a lot on streaming services. Not only did I have nearly every mainstream-focused option under the sun, but I also had several niche services like CrunchyRoll.
When I first cut the cord in the early days of Netflix, I saved a lot of money. At the time, I was paying at least $100 or so a month for cable service. In contrast, Netflix with DVDs and free streaming back then cost around $10.
Fast-forward to around 2000 or so, and I was once again paying well over $100 a month just to watch some shows and movies. It felt excessive. This inspired me to take a closer look at what we were actually watching and whether we needed all these services. This opened the door to a spreadsheet and calendar system, as well as a few other optimizations that ultimately allowed me to cut my streaming bill nearly in half.
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There are ways to save big, but it requires planning and organization
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
The very first thing I did was create a tracking spreadsheet, and I even pulled the whole family into the discussion. I wrote down every major show we cared about, what services I was subscribing to, and how much I was paying in total. Since many of our favorite shows are comfort shows we often rewatch, we also included info on whether the show was concluded or ongoing. I also added estimated or official windows for when the show would return and when a season would likely wrap up. Once I knew exactly what we were watching and when, it became much easier to make important decisions. We quickly divided streaming services into two core categories: Regular viewing or Seasonal. Everything in the Regular Viewing list mostly stayed. It turned out that the only services we constantly used all year round were Disney Plus, Hulu , and Amazon Prime . The latter was mostly about shipping, if I’m honest.
Using a spreadsheet and calendar, I was able to get organized. I now turn my services on/off by schedule, saving money when I'm not using them.
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