The Wake-Up Call
When I finally sat down and added all my subscriptions to Payment Calendar... the total shocked me. Over $120/month on subscriptions alone.
What I was paying for:
- Netflix $15.49
- YouTube Premium $13.99
- Spotify $10.99
- Apple Music $10.99 (wait, why do I have both?!)
- iCloud $2.99
- Various other services...
Step 1: Write Everything Down
I pulled up 3 months of bank statements and listed every recurring charge. Entered each one into Payment Calendar.
Seeing everything in one list made it clear exactly what was draining my account — rent, insurance, all those subscriptions I'd forgotten about.
Took about 30 minutes. Worth every second.
My Decision Framework
I asked myself three questions for each subscription:
- Did I use it in the last 2 weeks? → If not, it's a candidate for cancellation
- Is there overlap? → If two services do the same thing, keep one
- Is it worth the price? → Be honest with yourself
What I Cancelled
- Apple Music: Already had Spotify. Gone.
- Unused cloud storage: Free tier was enough.
- Fitness app: Hadn't opened it in 3 months.
- News subscription: Plenty of free alternatives.
The Result: $50/Month Saved
After the cleanup, I was down to about $70/month. That's $600/year back in my pocket.
But the bigger win? Peace of mind. I now know exactly where my money goes.
My New Habit: Monthly Check-In
Every 1st of the month, I spend 5 minutes reviewing my Payment Calendar. Any new subscriptions to add? Anything to cancel?
It's a small habit that prevents money from silently draining away.
Try it yourself. You might be surprised how much you're spending on things you don't use.