Streaming Subscriptions, Three Years of Saving Money, And A Reader Poll
Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!
Three Years of Saving Money
Three years ago, I started Saving Money With Andrew. My goal? To make the lives of my family and friends a bit better with useful weekly money-saving tips. Today, this newsletter goes out to about 750 weekly subscribers, about 50 of whom I know personally.
In three years, I’ve written over 150 posts and covered many of my favorite subjects, ranging from tips that can save hundreds of dollars each year with minimal sacrifice, to deeper posts on issues like minimizing your climate footprint or saving for college. The most rewarding part of this experience, by far, is hearing from readers, both because they often have great suggestions (and occasionally corrections) and because I love hearing about how these tips have made small positive changes in their lives.
I promise I will never charge for this newsletter or accept advertisements. All I ask from you is that you complete this brief and anonymous reader poll.
Streaming Subscription Best Practices
Like one-third of Americans, we cut the pay TV cord years ago, opting instead for a mix of streaming services. Although replacing one bundle with several services has only been a modest $ savings, we’re much happier being able to watch almost any show we’d like at any time. But streaming services are still a big recurring expense (about $50/month), so figuring out even small ways to save can make a big difference. Some best practices:
Always start with a free trial - almost every service offers a brief free trial. Take advantage of these, especially if you just want to binge watch one series and then cancel. Apple TV+ is notably generous, offering a three month free trial with a new Apple device (MacBook or iPhone). And Target Circle members (almost anyone with a Target account) can get a four month free trial until September 28th.
Amazon can be your friend - Amazon offers many third-party streaming services, such as Showtime, Starz, and Paramount+. For many of these, Amazon offers a free trial, which you can then immediately cancel so it doesn’t auto-renew. After the free trial expires, you can then often get another free trial directly from the service’s website.
Annual discounts are great, but only if you use the service consistently - Disney+ and HBO Max offer large discounts for annual commitments, but these only make sense if you consistently use the service. If not, you are probably better off just staying monthly and cancelling when you haven’t used the service for a while.
Bundles are often a great deal - Our two favorites are the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle for $13.99/month (a small savings if you use two services, a large one if you use all three) and Spotify Duo ($12.99 for two Spotify accounts, a 35% discount).
Be ruthless about canceling idle subscriptions - If you haven’t used a service in a month, cancel it. You can always resubscribe.
And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:
Signify LightFinder is a really neat little app (for iOS or Android) when trying to replace an old light bulb. Just take a picture of the existing bulb and it will tell you the exact type of replacement bulb you need. This app saved me 30 minutes last week when I was engaged in one of my favorite pastimes—replacing old bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs.
I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories. And please consider completing the brief and anonymous reader poll!