How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

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Caduceus
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How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Caduceus »

I am curious how much you are paying for monthly subscriptions a month in total for media entertainment. Between Youtube, Netflix, Disney, Spotify, etc. and all that ... would it be quite a fair bit of money?

We don't have any subscriptions currently and am trying to figure out just one service to subscribe to for weekends when we are bored.
muffins14
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by muffins14 »

A cocktail or two per weekend is probably equal to the cost of Spotify + Netflix + Disney + ... for a whole month

I really wouldn’t worry about having multiple, and trim your budget elsewhere on your “big ticket” items
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anoop
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by anoop »

$9.99 for Apple Music. Don't have anything else.
prd1982
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by prd1982 »

Think you are going about this the wrong way. What type of subscription(s) do you want? For example, we get Netflix, Pandora and the NYTimes. We love them all, but for different purposes. We spend about $1,500/yr on all our subscriptions.
bluebolt
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by bluebolt »

Watch Roku channel and PlutoTV (both free) until you are bored. Then decide on which of the under $10 services to subscribe to. Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, Disney+. Subscribe one at a time until you are bored. Then repeat.
Nicolas
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Nicolas »

anoop wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:24 am $9.99 for Apple Music. Don't have anything else.
You can save a few bucks by subscribing by the year for $99.99, which is effectively $8.33/month.
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JoMoney
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by JoMoney »

I don't currently pay for any media subscriptions. Lots of stuff out there at no charge,
Pluto.TV , Tubitv.com , Crackle.com , Youtube... and more
broadcast TV with antennae, borrow from public Library, friends with enormous personal libraries who enjoy lending so we can talk about it ...
... and more
"To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks." - Benjamin Graham
Topic Author
Caduceus
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Caduceus »

prd1982 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:30 am Think you are going about this the wrong way. What type of subscription(s) do you want? For example, we get Netflix, Pandora and the NYTimes. We love them all, but for different purposes. We spend about $1,500/yr on all our subscriptions.
Wow ... that's quite a bit more than I'd imagined would be possible. Wouldn't there be diminishing marginal returns on how much entertainment you can watch though? Even if you could spend 10 hours a week on TV/entertainment, you wouldn't be able to watch that much.

The only things I really want are The Economist (which I currently read at my dentist's for free) and maybe something that streams classical music. My husband just wants to be able to watch sports.
Normchad
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Normchad »

I guess it depends on how you count. I’ll list what I got, and you count what you like.

1) Comcast TV/Broadband. $200
2) AT&T cell phones $142
3) Amazon Prime $8
4) Netflix. 12.99?
5) Tesla 9.99
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Bogle7
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A lot

Post by Bogle7 »

Do the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal count as media entertainment?
If yes, then $330/mo
Old fart who does three index stock funds, baby.
bluebolt
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by bluebolt »

Caduceus wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:51 am
prd1982 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:30 am Think you are going about this the wrong way. What type of subscription(s) do you want? For example, we get Netflix, Pandora and the NYTimes. We love them all, but for different purposes. We spend about $1,500/yr on all our subscriptions.
Wow ... that's quite a bit more than I'd imagined would be possible. Wouldn't there be diminishing marginal returns on how much entertainment you can watch though? Even if you could spend 10 hours a week on TV/entertainment, you wouldn't be able to watch that much.

The only things I really want are The Economist (which I currently read at my dentist's for free) and maybe something that streams classical music. My husband just wants to be able to watch sports.
"just wants to be able to watch sports" can be the difference between $0 and $65-$150/mo in subscriptions.
Are you in a market where Locast is available? You may be able to get broadcast network sports for $5.50/mo. Or, as was stated above, get OTA antenna channels for free.

What specific sports does he want to watch? If it's "anything that's on," you're almost certainly going to have to get one of the live streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, etc. If it's more focused than that, you could save by just watching on broadcast.
Out_the_Door
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Out_the_Door »

I currently spend $0.00 My TV broke twelve years ago and I never replaced it. When theaters were opened I went frequently.
DetroitRick
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by DetroitRick »

Amazon Prime $119/year (Prime Video is just a part of our reason)
Netflix Standard $13.99/month
free streaming from more services than I can count - Imdb, YouTube, Tubi, Pluto, local news apps, etc. (via Amazon Fire Stick)
no cable for many years

Digital magazines: WSJ ($4/mo), NY Times ($4mo), Consumers Reports ($30/year)

Right now we are using Amazon's free music streaming, but I need to review paid alternatives for the sake of their expanded catalogs. We use streaming on home stereo (via an Echo unit), our Alexa devices, and in one of our cars. So I'm starting to notice our current limitations.

We had Sirius satellite radio for a while, but dropped it after the 1-year free trial. It was nice though.

So $413/year right now, although I would keep Prime even without video and music streaming anyway. Probably around $500 yearly when I choose a music streaming service.
anoop
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by anoop »

Nicolas wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:40 am
anoop wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:24 am $9.99 for Apple Music. Don't have anything else.
You can save a few bucks by subscribing by the year for $99.99, which is effectively $8.33/month.
Thanks for the tip.
Vinster
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Vinster »

If it's available in your area, AT&T Fiber 1000 is currently $60/month for 12 months and it includes HBO Max for free.
https://www.att.com/internet/fiber/internet-1000/

You can watch Youtube without ads using these apps:
Youtube Vanced for Android:
https://vancedapp.com/

SmartTubeNext for Android TV and Fire TV:
https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTubeNext
LiterallyIronic
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by LiterallyIronic »

I hate subscriptions. I cancelled Netflix because I was sick of them dinging me for $8.54/month after tax. I wouldn't hesitate to pay $500 upfront for a lifetime membership. I'd stop to think about it if it was $1,000.

We do have Disney Plus, but we signed up for the three year agreement. We paid $150 upfront for three years. Works out to under $4/month, but the thing that made it an absolute win was that I got to pay upfront.

Sure, I can't avoid the monthly payments on everything, like utilities and the mortgage, but I avoid them when I can.
Cycle
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Cycle »

Netflix 1 screen $8.99
YouTube premium $11.99
Mandatory cable/internet thru association $65

These costs are essentially zero compared to daycare / housing / transportation. Yet for some reason I still walk to the library to get Paw Patrol dvds.
Never look back unless you are planning to go that way
TigerNest
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by TigerNest »

$107 a month:
  • Amazon Prime (paid yearly): $9.92
  • Netflix: $13.99
  • Hulu: $11.99
  • Disney+: $7.99
  • New York Times (+ Cooking): $20.33
  • Peloton: $42.47
dukeblue219
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by dukeblue219 »

Prime, Amazon Music Family plan, Netflix, Hulu, PBS Kids, plus Fios TV.

We use all of them enough to be worth the cost and each has something unavailable anywhere else. There are other places I'd cut back on before dropping any of those.
sailaway
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by sailaway »

Currently zero. We choose subscriptions when we want to watch something and we are currently on hiatus and relying solely on youtube. DH likes science casts like Eons and found that he prefers the youtube interface to the PBS one. I am waiting for the next seasons of Shetland and Midsomer Murders to be available to get Britbox again. It helps that Filmrise was able to get the rights to the first 20 seasons of Midsomer and put them on youtube.

Over the last 18 months, we have each gotten a free trial of Prime and found little of interest to watch.
bogledogle
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by bogledogle »

Caduceus wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:19 am I am curious how much you are paying for monthly subscriptions a month in total for media entertainment. Between Youtube, Netflix, Disney, Spotify, etc. and all that ... would it be quite a fair bit of money?

We don't have any subscriptions currently and am trying to figure out just one service to subscribe to for weekends when we are bored.
It really depends on what a "fair bit of money" is to you doesn't it? Streaming services offer the best value per dollar than any other entertainment source I know. In my case, my internet bill costs me more than all my streaming services combined because my household exceeds the 1.25 Terabyte limit by mid-month now (already over it in March).

If you had to pick a single service without leaning towards any niche content, it has to be Netflix because they have the best content in my opinion.
Monsterflockster
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Monsterflockster »

I once paid $5 for one month on the gold pass for Mario kart. Wild I know but it was my birthday so I went a little crazy on myself.

Other than that we have Disney+ but paid the $140 for three years so not really a monthly thing.
Jags4186
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Jags4186 »

We do a lot of “sharing” with my family.

I pay for
Amazon Prime ($119/yr)
Disney+ ($69/yr)
SpotifyDuo ($13/mo)
NYTimes ($4/mo)

We also have access to HBO Max, Netflix, and Hulu.

I think the best streaming service is HBO Max.
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FrugalInvestor
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by FrugalInvestor »

$5/mo for basic Pandora. Until recently we paid $69/mo for YouTube TV but just paused that for six months since they no longer carry the regional sports channels for baseball. We will now add about $25/month for MLB.TV for the baseball.

We have an antenna paired with an older TiVo with OTA (over-the-air) DVR with lifetime guide. This provides us live TV and DVR capability with no monthly fee.

Edit: Reading the above reminds me that we have Amazon Prime but only occasionally watch video or listen to music there.
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Nicolas
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Re: A lot

Post by Nicolas »

Bogle7 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:03 pm Do the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal count as media entertainment?
If yes, then $330/mo
$330 a month? Surely that’s per year.
TheHiker
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by TheHiker »

I try to avoid any kind of subscriptions so I spend zero.
RJC
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by RJC »

Let's see we have:
1. Amazon Prime ($119/yr)
2. Netflix ($14/mo)
3. Disney+ ($69/yr)
4. NYTimes ($4/mo)
5. Prime Music ($79/yr)
6. Peloton ($39/mo)
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Bogle7
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Re: A lot

Post by Bogle7 »

Nicolas wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:37 pm$330 a month? Surely that’s per year.
No.
NY Times Sunday is $754/yr for print.
WSJ is $580/yr for print.
We get a total of 16 print magazines.

Hulu with Live TV is $780/yr
HBO Max is $180
PBS Passport is $120
Netflix is $168
We have a total of 8 TV subscriptions.

Internet access is $600/yr.
Old fart who does three index stock funds, baby.
dukeblue219
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Re: A lot

Post by dukeblue219 »

Nicolas wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:37 pm
Bogle7 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:03 pm Do the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal count as media entertainment?
If yes, then $330/mo
$330 a month? Surely that’s per year.
Newspaper delivery is expensive.
runner3081
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by runner3081 »

$0

Pluto, primarily.

However, I read WSJ, NYT, AZ Republic and a number of magazines all free through the library website.

Internet access is $599.88 per year.
tim1999
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by tim1999 »

About $25 total per month for online-only access to the local newspaper, XM satellite radio in the car, and a boutique print magazine.

I watch free over-the-air TV with one of those antennae that looks like a mousepad. No paid cable, satellite, or streaming TV services.
stoptothink
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by stoptothink »

Jags4186 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:31 pm We do a lot of “sharing” with my family.
So do we. I paid $150 for 3yrs of Disney+ and we have a student Spotify account (~$6/month, includes access to Hulu). So, $10/month, unless you want to also include the $240/month for MMA gym memberships for wife and kids, internet (bundled into HOA), etc.
Broken Man 1999
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

Internet$53.99/month
YouTubeTV$73.33/month
The Economist$4/month
Bloomberg BusinessWeek$.33/month
Amazon Prime$9.92/month
Amazon Unlimited HD Music$18.95/month
Disney+ $7.99/month
Food Network Magazine $1.00/month for four each year-long subscriptions
WSJ print + digital $9.33/month
Road & Track$.42/month
Netflix$0.00/month
-----------------------------------------------------
Total $179.26/month

All this for less than I used to pay for Frontier Internet and TV. :oops:

Some counted cell service, I'll also throw in my VoIP "landline":
ATT cell service$60/month for two cell phones
ooma VoIP service$5.69/month

Total Including Cell service and VoIP "landline"$244.95/month

Broken Man 1999
“If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go." - Mark Twain
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GerryL
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by GerryL »

Back when I was still working (in high tech) and attending market research conferences, I noticed that more and more products that people relied on were being envisioned as subscription models. I was not thrilled at the idea of having to pay an annual fee for software or operating systems, and people would be required to add subscriptions to get the benefits of many new purchases. You would buy a new, high-tech car and, after the first year, would have to start paying a monthly fee for internet access to use some of the features. Everything in the IOT (internet of things) world was being designed to create an income flow for the manufacturer.

I began a list of all the things in my life that had a recurring fee-for-service, including utilities, insurance, print subscriptions, everything. Monthly, quarterly, annual. The list was very long.

I aim to keep my new subscriptions from exploding, but I have weighed the cost/value and have added some digital media -- if the price is right. And I go for the lowest service level that works for me. I just started my 3rd year of a $1/wk NYT subscription. (When I call to cancel, they offer to extend the promo rate for another year.) I bought a Tivo with "life-time" programming package, and that expense amortized several years ago. I always consider whether this is another expense I want to add to the list -- even if I can afford it. Or should I quit one to add another?

Media (currently):
Netflix (1 user)
Amazon Prime (includes some free Kindle books, but I get most from the public library)
Disney+
PBS Passport (thanks to monthly contribution)
NYT
WaPo (pre-paid promo rate ending soon, so....)
Roku (only use the freebies)
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Sandi_k
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Re: A lot

Post by Sandi_k »

Bogle7 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:03 pm Do the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal count as media entertainment?
If yes, then $330/mo
I hope you meant $330 per year for just those two....
UpperNwGuy
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by UpperNwGuy »

I have no subscriptions, and I plan to keep it that way.
Invest4lt
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Re: How much are your monthly total subscriptions?

Post by Invest4lt »

One of the benefits (at least to me) of subscriptions is that for a couple extra bucks a month the entertainment is ad free. That is a huge selling point for me--I really dislike ads wasting my time. Plus, most subscriptions can be paused or turned off monthly online. So, it's easy to drop a service periodically and try new ones.

Hulu - ad free
YouTube music - ad free
Netflix
HBO
Disney+
Scribd, Mubi, Pandora bundled (currently free with Amex promos)
NYT
"People sometimes fail to live because they are always preparing to live." - Alan Watts
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Bogle7
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Re: A lot

Post by Bogle7 »

Sandi_k wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:20 pm Do the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal
I hope you meant $330 per year for just those two....
They are $1334 per year.
Paper on our sidewalk almost 365 days per year. (The Commies at the Journal don't publish on bank holidays.)
Old fart who does three index stock funds, baby.
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