Paid subscriptions add up quickly. It was time for my annual audit to cancel or downgrade what isn’t providing enough value.
Here’s where I’ve landed.
Cancelled
ClickUp (save $144/year). Just using 2Do + Obsidian for project management and it’s working fine.
YouTube Premium (save $32.99/month). As a marketer I was inspired by Alex Hormozi to watch the ads as a way of learning what works. I’ll see if the novelty lasts!
Downgraded Webflow plan (save $24/month). I’m using Framer for most projects now - see below.
Moved website hosting for my business landing page from Webflow to Framer (save $196/year).
Downgraded ChatGPT account (save $20/month). Not getting enough value from the paid plan to justify it.
Cancelled Binge (save $18/month). So many entertainment subscriptions. The plan is to subscribe to no more than one at a time.
Continuing
1Password (can’t imagine life without it)
Amazon Prime (because we’ve become used to not going to the shops)
iCloud (for backups)
Office 365 (for client work)
Google One (for backups)
Have you done an audit? What’s made the cut? What got the chop?
This is great. Might be worth using a finance app like Mint, CoPilot, Quicken Simplifi to keep track of subscriptions every month. Helps to understand if a sub really offers value.
Every year I struggle with this one. The paid version really doesn’t offer that much more that I am not getting through other sites. The biggest thing that keeps me is the advanced segment info and I do like their route maker better than Garmin’s. The heatmap is a cool feature, but I don’t really use it much.
Just a suggestion, if you purchase an app like MindMac (which I got during BF 55% off), you can use the OpenAI GPT-4 on PAYG pricing which works out much cheaper, unless you’re using it a lot. For me it works out about $4-5 US per month. The only downside is that you don’t have access to the ChatGPT Plus plugins (I think).
Try Bobby, an app that will allow you to track all your subscriptions. No matter the payment interval (monthly, yearly, etc.), it will give you a monthly average. Also has reminders for due dates. A very handy (and enlightening) app.
Or just make a note in your app of choice, or even better a spreadsheet. Look at it once a month. For reminders, everything sends an email. All this is really about is being aware of your finances, no special apps needed.
Really handy little app. It’s such a simple, at a glance view of your subscriptions and when they next fall due, plus a choice of showing average, remaining, or total expenses of all subscriptions combined.
Idk the current pricing, but it was only $2 or 3 USD one time when I got it. By comparison, other tracking options seem unnecessarily complex.
I get that you like the app, but that is simply not true, and you already have everything you need on your computer, phone, etc. I will give you that in Numbers you would have to some very slight knowledge to get it set up.
I messed with one of the apps last time someone posted it. I could get all that info in a spreadsheet with a couple of formulas. It only took 10 minutes and I could arrange the data how I wanted to.
The most important thing, no matter whatever you use is remembering to check it. An app or a note isn’t going to make you responsible.
I disagree. I’d find a spreadsheet more complex and slower to set up and find on my phone when I just want to take a quick look at the status of my subscriptions, but you do you.
I have nothing against versatile apps (I use Obsidian, after all), but I also don’t mind having extra apps installed that do one thing well.
OTOH, I found I don’t need or like managing my tasks in specialized apps like Things and Todoist, but I wouldn’t tell those who swear by them that they’re wrong and ought to be doing it my way.
If a spreadsheet is too much, use a notes app. The name, amount, date that’s all you need. Set a reminder to check it every month. Pretty graphics, averages, histories, etc, are irrelevant. Even the grand total is not that useful other than in the “I am spending that much a year?” thing.
All I am saying is that this is an incredibly simple thing to track without any special tools. Most people here use a notes app or a todo tracker and that has all the tools you need. I know I am barking up the wrong tree though, we are all suckers for a nice app.
Here if a very simple Numbers spreadsheet I made for someone 2 years ago. Not fancy, but will do the job if anyone needs one one. you can edit out a bunch of the columns to make it appear on a phone without having to scroll horizontally.
Why should I do that? I already have a solution that’s working well for me, and that I find superior. What would I gain by switching to a notes app or spreadsheet for that purpose?
You shouldn’t, keep doing what you are doing. And when anyone posts that people should buy some app to do a simple task they can do for free, I will remind them it is way overkill for a simple task.