How to fix your high streaming bills
The other day on my national radio show, I mentioned that the average American drops $110 a month on streaming services. Add another $80+ for a solid internet connection, and suddenly old-school cable doesn’t look so bad.
My inbox lit up with folks asking, “Kim, how can I lower my streaming bills?” I’m willing to bet you’re paying for stuff you’re not even watching. Let’s fix that.
🕵️ Start with an audit
So, how many streaming services are you paying for right now? Netflix? Hulu? Disney+? Max? Peacock? Oh, throw in Prime Video because you have Amazon Prime. Before you know it, you’re spending more than you ever did on cable.
Step 1: Pull up your bank or credit card statement. Not all the charges will be obvious. Look for:
- Google, Apple and Amazon auto renewals
- Obvious ones like Hulu or Paramount+
Pro tip: I use Rocket Money* to do this for me. It scans your accounts, flags subscriptions and cancels the ones you forgot about. So easy.
Step 2: Open your phone or smart TV to check which apps you actually use. If it’s been more than a month since you watched, unsubscribe. You can always rejoin later. Most don’t even erase your watch history.
Do what I do and rotate services. If you’re watching a Netflix series now, cancel the rest. Come back later when your binge list is long enough to justify the cost.
📺 Go cheap
Why pay when there are so many free, legit options with great content? There are ads, but free is free!
- Tubi: Tons of movies, including classics, thrillers and ’90s gems like Happy Gilmore
- Pluto TV: Popular option for news and sitcoms
- The Roku Channel: Slick interface, free movies and Roku Originals
- MUBI: Hidden gem for indie films and documentaries
- Freevee from Amazon: Solid shows, including Bosch: Legacy and The Good Wife
The freebies don’t have all the hot new streaming shows, but they’re excellent for background noise, old comfort shows or when you’ve “watched everything.”
🛠️ Stop jumping app to app
Open JustWatch or Reelgood and search for a movie or show to see where it’s streaming, free or paid. You’d be shocked how often what you want is already included in a service you forgot you had.
Ya know, they said an ’80s TV show about Dungeons & Dragons couldn’t work on a modern internet streaming platform. But Stranger Things has happened.
Whoa, all the money I just saved you is definitely worth the price of this newsletter. Wait! It’s free! Use the buttons below to share this with a pal, and call it your good deed for the day.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Tags: Amazon, Apple, Google, internet, streaming services
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