Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Disney+, Audible, HBO Max, Paramount+, Britbox, ESPN, if you’ve got them all, then this is for you! I can remember when Netflix first came about and I convinced my parents to start a subscription so that I didn’t have to. I thought this was both clever and a huge success for my budget. I had seemingly unlimited TV at the touch of a button, until suddenly it wasn’t enough. Over time I slowly added one subscription on top of another because I wanted to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race on Paramount+ and Killing Eve on Hulu, until suddenly I’ve had more entertainment than I could possibly consume. The problem was, even though I knew I wasn’t regularly using each subscription service, I didn’t want to cancel any because each had one or more beloved series to watch! Until I heard of a la carte subscriptions…
Well, the a la carte subscription model is the idea of subscribing only to the services you will actively use in a given month! Now, instead of constantly subscribing to all of the services available to me, I hand select which I actually have time to watch and where I can actually get my money’s worth in a given month and sign onto those services on a case-by-case basis.
Well besides money back in your budget, you might find you actually get time back in your day too! When subscribed to multiple entertainment services, you can quickly pay more than $100 a month in subscriptions alone! When switching to just one or two providers per month, you are instantly unlocking around $80 per month that can go to more higher priority goals. That’s a win in my book!
But the surprising secondary success, I’ve found with a la carte style subscription is a more deliberate consumption of media. Since switching to this model, I’ve found I’ve become more selective with what and when I watch TV and other forms of entertainment, and without really trying, I’ve cut down a few hours of screen time each week.
Bonus perk!
The last bonus perk that took me completely by surprise is the free or discounted services I’ve been able to access. Because entertainment providers don’t want to lose customers, they are often more than willing to offer you a free or steeply discounted month, and sometimes several months, to keep you signed on! So don’t be afraid to pick up the phone, let the customer service representative know you are considering cancelling, and see what they can do for you!
Likewise, you might get “win-back” offers! A few months after having cancelled Disney+, I got an email saying that I could restart my subscription with slashes rates, so I decided that month that I’d find something to watch on Disney+ and let me tell you, I did so as a happy customer.
So, my recommendation is, instead of constantly subscribing to more services than you can possibly utilize, pick and choose which providers you need or want in a given month and cancel the rest. Don’t worry, if a new fantastic show comes up on another provider, it’ll always be there waiting for you!
