When Did Everything Become a Subscription?

Waiting in line while checking out at the grocery store, I checked my bank account wondering where all my money went. I swear yesterday I had more than enough for this transaction. Now, it looks like a good share of it is gone. I study the transactions more, Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, Disney+, iCloud storage, that random one that I had to sign up for their free subscription that I forgot would charge me later. The list goes on.

I am surprised my electric toothbrush, car and refrigerator don’t require a subscription at this point just to keep doing the basic services.

When did everything become a subscription?

It’s Only $8.99!

They sound good at only $8.99. But after having 14 of them also around the same price, I now have a monthly payment of $126.

I remember when we would pay for cable or satellite service and we all wanted to cancel that because we thought it was ridiculous to have to pay for different channels. Well welcome to 2025, where we replaced it with 10 different streaming services.

And yet, my kids still complain about not having anything to watch!

Wait, I’m Still Paying For That?

I read an article on NerdWallet where someone cancelled all their streaming services. They wrote about how all those pesky monthly payments added up gradually. I guess I am not alone in trying to figure out how just watching a show to relax added up to another household expense.

The most annoying is when the subscription is one of those that are forgotten about. You signed up for that 14-day free trial, to watch one show, and then you find out six months later that you are still helping that company pay their bills.

In another NerdWallet article about cancelling subscriptions, they talk about how it is so easy to forget when you have signed up for a service and then forgot to cancel and are charged for months without noticing. The service was easy to sign up for but not so easy to cancel. It only takes the push of a button to sign up but then about 20 questions or the dreaded calling in just to cancel the service you didn’t really care for in the first place.

Do We Actually Need All Of This?

I read another article that was written blog style about reviewing monthly subscriptions and cutting unwanted or unneeded services and how it can save quite a bit of money.

Maybe that will be my plan on one of my days off, to sit down and go through my bank account to see all of the subscriptions that I am currently paying for and see if they are needed or if it is a service that I no long want.

I do love how easy and personalized my streaming services are, but I do miss the days of buying something and owning it.

Now I wonder how many subscriptions you are paying for at the moment, and how many do you actually need?

Apparently paying the same price monthly as a car payment for subscriptions is the new normal…but should it be?

Audience & Research Reflection Statement

My intended audience is the everyday person that is living with streaming services and subscriptions and spending a good amount on maintaining them. After reading other blogs about the same type of subjects, many of them talk about personal experiences, using humor and relatable examples to make the topic of finances more interesting. I used the same type of style by including a time in my life that I noticed the same subject affecting me as well. I used short paragraphs and tried to keep it light and funny. I tried to get readers thinking by asking questions throughout about whether they should continue to pay for these services and subscriptions.