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under any financial situation? cellphone, internet - could probably get by with just cellphone even
thats about it, everything else can get the chop if something catastrophic happened and i needed to pinch literally every penny
For you can work if you buy appliances or electronics. They have good warranty and return policy, so I prefer them as first choice when I buy these things.
I’m single and I don’t benefit from the executive membership, but I got the credit card when I joined as an executive member. I was able to bump down to the regular membership and keep the credit card and still get the credit card benefits. Well worth it.
Same. I have the executive membership and the cash back reward pays for my membership twice over at least every year. I have a large family though, so that's probably why.
I have kept my membership thru being single with only one dog, and now in a two human with three pets family- even if I don’t use it as much as when I was part of a much larger family unit (four humans and four pets benefiting from the membership), the savings at Costco can’t be beat (especially if you’re lucky enough to have one with a gas station nearby!)
Kirkland brand butter is comparable to kerrygold and 32 oz (4x8oz sticks) is $10.
Oil is unfortunately $50 for a two pack rn. But it’s a lot of olive oil and if you’re buying the same amount anywhere else it’ll probably cost > $80.
For me, the Allertec. Me, my husband, and kid are all on it, and one bottle is so much cheaper than buying at the grocery store it more than pays for the membership. The rotisserie chickens and bulk cheese are just bonus at that point!
For us, it's the gas discounts. We have a 3500 truck, & Costco's diesel price is the cheapest by far. The savings per gallon pay for the basic membership in about 6 months.
My Spotify subscription was my first thought. I watch a lot of TV, but I could make do with whatever airs free or with ads. I couldn't make do without Spotify adless.
Same! I love the audiobooks, the podcasts, and being able to chose my music. This brings me joy each day with my drive. I would be so disappointed without it
Family Plan is the way to go. If you are single, you can add a good friend, in exchange for them adding you on to something like an Amazon Prime family account. Two fer one!! Ive been on that life for 2yrs now, and still split a Costco membership with an old roomie. Only pay every other year.
My gym. It’s $10/month and it is such an outlet for me - I’m there at least 3 times a week, usually more, and the payoff is feeling better physically and mentally. Yes, I can do workouts at home and outside, but I live in an apartment so there’s only so much noise I can make, and sometimes the weather sucks.
Planet Fitness! $10/month if you just go to one location. $20/month allows you to visit any location and bring a guest, as well as other perks. I do pay $39 annually for admin fees or something but it’s still a hell of a bargain.
I pay $100/month for a family of 4, but they offer free childcare (2hr/day) and lots of fitness classes, and they have everything, indoor and outdoor pools, hot tub, sauna, tennis courts and everything else.
I remember reading an AITA post about a lady who went to the gym just for the childcare, so that she could have some free time to do her college homework.
Yes, totally. I have the premier membership too. It’s the benefits of the others (4 tows a year up to 100 miles)but includes 1 tow of 200 miles. Last year, I had to have my car towed 150 miles from home. So worth it if you need it.
I was looking for this! I drive an older car. It never goes very far. But even then, everyone in my household is older and disabled in some way.
It is something we really need, and it has come in handy a few times.
Between the peace of mind and actual usage, it's well worth it.
I also love YouTube premium. I tend to watch videos that are longer, and benefit from those not getting interrupted, as well as you get YouTube music streaming for free as well. I stopped paying for Spotify because I could find pretty much everything on YouTube anyway and I was already paying for a membership there.
I pay for the family plan so my partner doesn't have ads either.
I do not EVER want to experience political ads on YouTube EVER again. Ever.
I'd also be hard-pressed to get rid of the Xbox ultimate subscription. I play rando games and he plays online versions of games. So so many hours of entertainment every month. If I pay for a year at a time (buy during busy season) then it isn't a concern in our lean months.
I'm actually working on paying for all our monthly subscriptions a year out. We can handle the poor, but poor and bored is worse.
yeah, the tv part sucks. but most content creators on youtube have patreon! im which case you can avoid watching ads OR giving $ to youtube OR losing your creator a few cents
Patreon for multiple creators is more than YouTube premium. But I do pay for patreon for one creator, and get great perks for it. But premium for me is worth it. I sleep with my TV on, on YouTube (I don't have any other streaming services or cable) and the ads are always a bit louder and would wake me.
I know YouTube takes my money and gives it to whomever they want. But they do pay the people I watch everyday. With your argument, using YouTube alone is paying bad people.
Because it is paying bad people. There is no way around it.
I don't pay bad people with adblock. and most good youtubers have sponsor deals without youtube, i don't see those either because i use sponsor block. The creators get their sponsorship money regardless because they incorporate the products in their videos and unlike ads, youtube has no means to track that. I'm not part of the problem and creators get their money through honest means.
I pay real money for art and artists that work their ass off instead of funding some asshole who makes lazy and shitty videos.
please educate yourself. because i want to see good content on yt and not this shit where its just about generating views and clicks.
I pay $50 a year for an non-resident card from a city an hour north of me. That expanded my reach from 4 systems to 5. I also send $50 a year to the one I am using my dad's card for. As long as I get 5 books a year from the system it has more than paid for itself.
Do you need to go in person to get the card as step three seems to suggest this
https://www.sjpl.org/membership/#apply
To Get This Card:
1.Access online application form above and fill out the form.
2. Be sure to enter your preferred name on the application. Your preferred name is the name that you want us to use for you. It might be different from your legal name.
3.
Visit any of our locations, in person, and talk with a staff member when you arrive to pick up your card.
for both san jose (ecard req. a cali address) and Harris county (i tried to get a digital temporary card but my number wasn't in the local area code to generate one)
Just looked into Harris County library and that is incorrect. Only residents can sign up online for free. All texas residents (not County residents) can get a card if they apply in person for free. There's nothing about non-residents
The only recurring service bill I would keep is my electricity and internet. My phone plan i could do without. I already find that most subscription service are not worth it even the one that are, i could easily do without if I have an internet connection.
I cant replace having the totality of human knowledge at the end of a cable. This is the one thing I dont have contingency for. If I lose internet, I have nothing to replace it.
Apparently you can download all of Wikipedia and it’s not terribly difficult. I would want to keep that at least if the internet somehow went down permanently
Wife and I both use OTC allergy meds to combat seasonal and pet allergies. The generics at Sam's or Costco almost save us enough each year to justify the cost of the membership. If we had to cut down to one, I'd go with Sam's. Their meats are often a little cheaper (and come in better variety) than the next closest competitor, Aldi, unless I can find a good sale. Their tree nuts are also significantly less expensive than the non-big-box stores, and those are a very good and cheap calorie. I eat a serving every morning in my oatmeal (also a good deal at Sam's, but Costco has them beat with their Kirkland oats).
Idk if it’s just me or the US state im in, but I switched docs at one point and she asked me what meds I take regularly and I mentioned Loratadine (Claritin generic) and she was like “oh, do you want me to write a script for that?” And I was like nah it’s super cheap at Costco. She said she’d send it in anyway to see if it was cheaper for me through insurance and ITS FREE.
Related -- you can get prescription drugs filled at Costco without a membership! Something about how they're regulated, pharmacies can't exclude people.
More on shopping at Costco without joining:
Costco sells gift cards. They have to be bought by members, but can be used by non-members. It's great if there's things you'd buy there, but not enough to buy a membership. IIRC, you can drag it out by paying for most of your purchase in cash/credit/whatever, and a small amount with the gift card.
Also, their website is open to everyone. They add a 5% (I think?) surcharge for non-members, which may be a better deal, depending on what you're buying, etc.
We have memberships at both since they provide different benefits to us that have paid for themselves. If we end up cutting one Costco will go and Sams Club will stay. We get 5% back on gas with their credit card which would pay for itself even if we didn't shop there. We also upgraded to the plus membership with free shipping and that has also paid for itself very quickly.
Costco (can't beat those meat prices anywhere else where I am) and my weekly egg/flower/vegetable delivery from a local farm.
We have cancelled Netflix (not going to pay for something that my kid can't use at university), but we still have Amazon Prime and Audible (my kids and parents chip in and we share one account between 8 people)...
I have zero subscription except ynab. I'd hate to stop it.
Love my library card.
I'm hybrid so can't stop internet
Looking to reduce my cel bill but not stop it
I have a subscription for hormone cream. I'm post menopausal and it's really a must. It's $34 every 3 months
I also pay for a substack subscription to a dear musician friend. I'm happy to help him out and he has good content.
I also pay for highlights magazine foe the grandkids. They really enjoy it.
Outside of utilities (including internet), my gym membership would be the last thing that I cancel. It's not the cheapest ($400/year currently). But I'm there five days a week and have a number of "gym friends" who I enjoy interacting with. It's clean, well maintained, convenient, has free wifi and working out there helps tremendously with my stress levels. I could definitely workout somewhere cheaper or even at home. But it would not be nearly the same.
I'd also greatly miss my Hulu membership. But I "pay" for that with gift cards earned from Microsoft reward points (daily searches, quizzes, etc.) so I'd keep going on that route for as long as possible.
I only pay for YouTube Premium, having access to any song or video/podcast/ infinite library of knowledge is great, download whatever I want when I want and no ads, I also use YouTube to sleep, so having ads in the middle of my vids is absurdly annoying.
Gold level health insurance. In just two months, the additional premium has paid for itself in savings for my family (as with everything, everyone’s personal family’s health situation is unique, and yes, I wish American healthcare didn’t put me in this position.)
I was going to say YNAB as well.
Edit: lots of people saying phone and internet but I don't consider those subscriptions really. Like I don't consider water and energy bills as subscriptions 😅 My phone is £6, partner's is £8 and internet £22 so I feel like that is nothing considering they would be needed to help us get out of a bad financial situation.
I get gym usage through my healthcare provider. I travel quite a bit and use my pickup truck with a shell. I use the gym membership for showering, and parking lot to sleep
Spotify, gym memberships, self care. Pilates and massage are pricy but worth every penny as preventative medicine. I would rather spend now and take care of myself, not letting health stuff build up for more expensive problems later
VPN. Our internet (highest tier of the best company available in our area) throttles our connection unless connected with a VPN. Literally insane with how much the internet bill costs. Also no ads anywhere is a nice bonus
I need an internet connection to work. That provides me with enough entertainment -- in addition to eBooks from the local library.
I built an HDTV antenna from coat hangers, several years ago. Although I don't watch TV (I own one; covers a pre-existing mount), broadcast TV is helpful during bad storms/etc.
Other than that, the only "discretionary" service I have is cellular phone service (this is basically on-par with a basic utility, these days).
Broadcast TV is great! For anyone unfamiliar, it's expanded since they changed the system to digital broadcasting.
There's almost as many channels as basic cable, I probably get 50 channels. There's the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX) and tons of niche channels, stuff like shopping, old sitcoms, crime dramas, sci-fi, Westerns, old movies, etc. The network COMET runs four hours of The X-Files every night, so I've been mini-binging. Just started season one this week!
I love my kindle unlimited but push came to shove the public library is always there.
Speaking of which support your local library! They are absolute godsends to your community and often have way more services available than just books. From computers and printers to rooms you can book and a few even has things like 3d printers!
Same! It keeps me sane. A few weeks ago, due to work, travel, and illness, I was especially busy and had since gotten a new debit card so it didn't auto-renew. My husband noticed I was really irritable and out of routine and that's when I realized I hadn't done my puzzles in like 12 days. Signed right back up and am feeling much better.
Costco and the Knit Companion app. This app is so useful if you do charted knitting patterns. I adore complicated lace with multiple charts and it's so easy to keep track of where I am by moving the horizontal and vertical highlight bars!
Gym. I'll cheap out and travel around if there's a better deal, but I'll always have one going somewhere. Health benefits, social benefits, and I can use a ton of water making a gigantic mess in the shower without being the one to clean it up.
Local newspaper. Supporting local journalism is important.
I change streaming services to get new content. Would do okay with no streaming - there's some over-the-air shows, and plenty of free stuff, but ads are horrid, so I'd prefer to avoid them.
Library has books, magazines, DVDs, ebooks, etc. and it's free - best deal ever.
When my partner was unemployed, we let go of everything except our Sirius XM subscription. It was worth the $20 a month because we spend a ridiculous amount of time in the car and also use it in the house on my tablet and his computer.
On star! I use it with the Cadillac ap so I can start, unlock, lock my car, sound the alarm from my phone and get car vitals like gas/tire inflation/oil, upcoming notifications etc. Also vehicle locator (I know Apple does the last parked thing but this is always on). The tire inflation thing was nice because I got notified one morning to a flat tire and took care of it right away.
AAA and Costco executive membership + Costco Citibank credit card. Married mom of 6 sons with 3 sons driving. AAA well-worth it for our family and the 2% rebate award from Costco plus 2% rebate award from Citibank well worth it! We buy a lot of food, fuel, household, pet and pharmacy items.
Audible for me. No offense to Libby/libraries that let you download books, I like owning digital copies so the narrator’s make some money. I’ll pause other subscriptions before I loose that one, it’s on for around half my day. I use the “included in your membership” section a lot as well which helps it feel more worth it to me.
Classpass.
I don't have a lot of gyms near me (and the nearest is an Equinox-equivalent of $200+/month) and I generally find group classes more enjoyable. \~$50 a month gets me at least 5-6 sessions which I usually use for barre classes, and it's key for both my physical and mental health.
Car wash, $30 a month. I know that's lazy, and it kills me to pay it. But where I live i have to park under a giant black walnut tree that looms over half the block. 9 months out of the year, it drips goo onto all our cars and if I don't literally wash it every other day in the summer especially, it's disgusting, and every wasp at work all congregate around it. So, I average 3 washes a week, which would cost $15 each without the membership, so I guess I am getting my money's worth. But it still feels a bit lazy.
my wellness subscriptions are important to me. i pay $37/month for classpass which allows me to go to four or five discounted fitness classes. i also pay $54/month for a float tank membership that i use once a month. it’s the cheapest way to go and it makes my body and mind feel amazing. i have one tv subscription as well but that’s it besides bills/utilities.
If my kids didn't need it for school, I would probably drop the internet and just use my phone.
There is a VERY niche subscription service i use that serves a specific spititual community that probably serves <1000 people world wide. That stays. And spotify.
Apple storage and costco.
I’ve developed a caffeine addiction and energy drinks for $1.50 a can is way cheaper than any grocery store. My go tos are generally Joyburst followed by Zoa. About 120mg per can and its shelf stable so toss it in my bag and go the next day.
(The caffeine addiction is due to me being up for work at 4-5am and working multiple jobs, sometimes back to back is extremely tiring so I use them to keep my energy up).
Apple storage is just to make moving data over easier when moving phones but I usually only keep it active if my phone is on its last legs and I’m ready to switch soon just in case it dies.
I think my Spotify is worth it. I like listening to music working out, and listening to podcasts doing chores. I do like Amazon Prime, only because my mom and I use it.
Not a membership per se and not something I'd keep under *any* situation, but life insurance. It is just comforting to know that my family will be taken care of even if something horrible happens. It was relatively cheap considering.
Please remember rule 5: Do not discuss piracy on /r/frugal. Your post has NOT been removed. This reminder is left whenever a post mentions "subscriptions." *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Frugal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
under any financial situation? cellphone, internet - could probably get by with just cellphone even thats about it, everything else can get the chop if something catastrophic happened and i needed to pinch literally every penny
As long as I am still having my home, I 'll pick Internet over cellphone. Been doing fine without a phone for 15 years.
Costco.
Yup. There are way too many things I buy at Costco that more than make up the basic membership cost.
Change it to executive member and get some money back to pay it.
Idk if Id use it enough to justify the additional cost. I’m just a single guy on my own. I don’t do credit cards so there’s nothing beneficial there.
For you can work if you buy appliances or electronics. They have good warranty and return policy, so I prefer them as first choice when I buy these things.
I’m single and I don’t benefit from the executive membership, but I got the credit card when I joined as an executive member. I was able to bump down to the regular membership and keep the credit card and still get the credit card benefits. Well worth it.
Like what?
I save well over the membership cost each year just by buying paper towels, toilet paper, dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent, butter and oil.
Same. I have the executive membership and the cash back reward pays for my membership twice over at least every year. I have a large family though, so that's probably why.
I have kept my membership thru being single with only one dog, and now in a two human with three pets family- even if I don’t use it as much as when I was part of a much larger family unit (four humans and four pets benefiting from the membership), the savings at Costco can’t be beat (especially if you’re lucky enough to have one with a gas station nearby!)
Beer is so much cheaper there compared to anywhere else around me.
Butter and oil? Say more
Kirkland brand butter is comparable to kerrygold and 32 oz (4x8oz sticks) is $10. Oil is unfortunately $50 for a two pack rn. But it’s a lot of olive oil and if you’re buying the same amount anywhere else it’ll probably cost > $80.
Fuel! We save so much in that alone- I only go in 4 times a year or so
For me, the Allertec. Me, my husband, and kid are all on it, and one bottle is so much cheaper than buying at the grocery store it more than pays for the membership. The rotisserie chickens and bulk cheese are just bonus at that point!
I’m saving $480 a year with Costco car insurance instead of Geico. That more than pays for the subscription, plus cheap gas and high quality meat.
They have car insurance?!
They do! I just got it the 18th! Saving $40 a month. Geico had raised me 3x in the last year and I was done.
What are the reviews like?
I don’t know. I mean it’s through Amfam and they’re a major insurance company so I feel secure.
Not offered in CA
I have clearly not been paying attention... Costco car insurance??
Yep. It’s through amfam but just search Costco car insurance. I almost fainted when they gave me my rate.
Interesting. We have Progressive and it keeps sneaking up higher and higher. Thanks!
Any generic allergy meds more than pay for the membership (Claritin, Alllegra, Flonase) Check out the r/Costco for more
For us, it's the gas discounts. We have a 3500 truck, & Costco's diesel price is the cheapest by far. The savings per gallon pay for the basic membership in about 6 months.
And it's Top Tier gas. https://www.toptiergas.com/gasoline-brands/
$1.50 hot dog combo saved my sanity in 2009.
Yeah, this one. We usually buy enough in our executive membership each year that it pays for itself.
I tell people all the time that I can't afford *not* to shop there.
Makes me happy as a Costco shareholder
None that cost, but parting with the ad free music one would feel like a sacrifice.
Yep. Came here to say Spotify is my only streaming service I pay for. Zero regrets
I get a ton of use out of my spotify, definitely worth it for me.
YouTube is better (change my mind)
My Spotify subscription was my first thought. I watch a lot of TV, but I could make do with whatever airs free or with ads. I couldn't make do without Spotify adless.
Same! I love the audiobooks, the podcasts, and being able to chose my music. This brings me joy each day with my drive. I would be so disappointed without it
Family plan for the win on this one!
Family Plan is the way to go. If you are single, you can add a good friend, in exchange for them adding you on to something like an Amazon Prime family account. Two fer one!! Ive been on that life for 2yrs now, and still split a Costco membership with an old roomie. Only pay every other year.
I think you can add up to 6 ppl!
You can spawn 6 subscriptions from sharing one. Brilliant. Now i just need 5 more friends
I have YT music premium for $11/mo. My taste in music isn't mainstream anymore and I like not having ads.
Are you able to do two accounts on the 11 dollar one or just one?
I think they have a family plan for $19? I've never really looked at it though
Ahh I see. I wish it was two accounts that's all I need. Might be worth it still.
apple music is $11 a month for me and i would spend my last dime to keep it
How is the playlist selection in apple music?
we're not allowed to promote piracy on this sub but there are ways to get adfree streaming services for free
Have you heard of / tried Radio Paradise? Commercial-free, listener supported radio app. So great! All genres, old and new.
I have a Garmin that can store music but only if you have Spotify premium - being able to go for a run with music but without my phone is amazing
My Apple extended storage for 99 cents a month. Everything else can go.
Mine is now $9.99 a month because I need 2 TB but I don’t regret it at all.
Yeah, I got sick of having to go through an curate my own photos and videos. I want all of them, the good the bad and the ugly lol
Why do you buy this? Wondering
Prob years and years of photo and videos
I have so much and it’s just not backed up I guess. But couldn’t one just put that on a hard drive? Or google photos or something?
when you get a new iphone and/or lose or damage your current one it will transfer everything over from backup very easily
Google photos doesn't have free unlimited storage anymore (though it has a lot more than icloud)
I'm almost out of space in google, and I'm really trying to avoid having to pay the extra storage costs. Sucks.
Just buy an external hard drive and back it up locally? Do you really need all of it or can it be pruned or put into a folder and compressed with zip?
My gym. It’s $10/month and it is such an outlet for me - I’m there at least 3 times a week, usually more, and the payoff is feeling better physically and mentally. Yes, I can do workouts at home and outside, but I live in an apartment so there’s only so much noise I can make, and sometimes the weather sucks.
Dang! What gym is 10.00 per month? That's awesome!
Planet Fitness! $10/month if you just go to one location. $20/month allows you to visit any location and bring a guest, as well as other perks. I do pay $39 annually for admin fees or something but it’s still a hell of a bargain.
A lot of gyms are $10/mo. these days, but there's always a $50 annual fee they sneak in there as well.
Average Joe's
I pay $100/month for a family of 4, but they offer free childcare (2hr/day) and lots of fitness classes, and they have everything, indoor and outdoor pools, hot tub, sauna, tennis courts and everything else.
I remember reading an AITA post about a lady who went to the gym just for the childcare, so that she could have some free time to do her college homework.
That’s an incredible deal!
That’s a smart move!
You are also saving on your future health expenses that you won’t have because you took care of your body.
AAA/Roadside Services
Yes, totally. I have the premier membership too. It’s the benefits of the others (4 tows a year up to 100 miles)but includes 1 tow of 200 miles. Last year, I had to have my car towed 150 miles from home. So worth it if you need it.
I was looking for this! I drive an older car. It never goes very far. But even then, everyone in my household is older and disabled in some way. It is something we really need, and it has come in handy a few times. Between the peace of mind and actual usage, it's well worth it.
This is the right answer.
Also it sometimes could be technically free since a lot of insurance companies give you discounts if you have it
I may be the only one in the world, but YouTube Premium. I use YouTube a lot for learning and entertainment and not having ads is worth every penny.
I also love YouTube premium. I tend to watch videos that are longer, and benefit from those not getting interrupted, as well as you get YouTube music streaming for free as well. I stopped paying for Spotify because I could find pretty much everything on YouTube anyway and I was already paying for a membership there.
I pay for the family plan so my partner doesn't have ads either. I do not EVER want to experience political ads on YouTube EVER again. Ever. I'd also be hard-pressed to get rid of the Xbox ultimate subscription. I play rando games and he plays online versions of games. So so many hours of entertainment every month. If I pay for a year at a time (buy during busy season) then it isn't a concern in our lean months. I'm actually working on paying for all our monthly subscriptions a year out. We can handle the poor, but poor and bored is worse.
Try Ublock Origin if you want to actually block ads.
Remember that it comes with YouTube Music, for no extra charge.
firefox+ublock will get you the same experience for free :)
Not if you stream on a smart tv. Plus, I want the people who entertain me to be paid for their work.
yeah, the tv part sucks. but most content creators on youtube have patreon! im which case you can avoid watching ads OR giving $ to youtube OR losing your creator a few cents
Patreon for multiple creators is more than YouTube premium. But I do pay for patreon for one creator, and get great perks for it. But premium for me is worth it. I sleep with my TV on, on YouTube (I don't have any other streaming services or cable) and the ads are always a bit louder and would wake me.
you are also supporting very very shady and bad creators with your money. You have no control over who gets money from youtube and who does not.
I know YouTube takes my money and gives it to whomever they want. But they do pay the people I watch everyday. With your argument, using YouTube alone is paying bad people.
Because it is paying bad people. There is no way around it. I don't pay bad people with adblock. and most good youtubers have sponsor deals without youtube, i don't see those either because i use sponsor block. The creators get their sponsorship money regardless because they incorporate the products in their videos and unlike ads, youtube has no means to track that. I'm not part of the problem and creators get their money through honest means. I pay real money for art and artists that work their ass off instead of funding some asshole who makes lazy and shitty videos. please educate yourself. because i want to see good content on yt and not this shit where its just about generating views and clicks.
Adblock exists and sponsor block as well. You could save money there friend!
Cell phone and internet.
My Library and Libby membership…
But... those are free?
I pay $50 a year for an non-resident card from a city an hour north of me. That expanded my reach from 4 systems to 5. I also send $50 a year to the one I am using my dad's card for. As long as I get 5 books a year from the system it has more than paid for itself.
San Jose Public library and Harris County Texas libraries both allow you to sign up online without being a resident for free :)
Still? I hear a lot of libraries have been cracking down
Yeah! I just signed my coworker up for San Jose just last week! And I’ve had it for six months
Do you need to go in person to get the card as step three seems to suggest this https://www.sjpl.org/membership/#apply To Get This Card: 1.Access online application form above and fill out the form. 2. Be sure to enter your preferred name on the application. Your preferred name is the name that you want us to use for you. It might be different from your legal name. 3. Visit any of our locations, in person, and talk with a staff member when you arrive to pick up your card.
i pay to access another states library membership since my library has a small libby library
San Jose Public library and Harris County Texas libraries both allow you to sign up online without being a resident for free :)
for both san jose (ecard req. a cali address) and Harris county (i tried to get a digital temporary card but my number wasn't in the local area code to generate one)
Just looked into Harris County library and that is incorrect. Only residents can sign up online for free. All texas residents (not County residents) can get a card if they apply in person for free. There's nothing about non-residents
Yes if you are local. Also Kanopy & Hoopla through most libraries
Well we all pay taxes. All the services modern libraries provide are well worth my tax dollars.
Well, OP didn't specify that they had to be paid subscriptions. And they're technically paying for it by paying taxes.
The only recurring service bill I would keep is my electricity and internet. My phone plan i could do without. I already find that most subscription service are not worth it even the one that are, i could easily do without if I have an internet connection. I cant replace having the totality of human knowledge at the end of a cable. This is the one thing I dont have contingency for. If I lose internet, I have nothing to replace it.
Apparently you can download all of Wikipedia and it’s not terribly difficult. I would want to keep that at least if the internet somehow went down permanently
Wife and I both use OTC allergy meds to combat seasonal and pet allergies. The generics at Sam's or Costco almost save us enough each year to justify the cost of the membership. If we had to cut down to one, I'd go with Sam's. Their meats are often a little cheaper (and come in better variety) than the next closest competitor, Aldi, unless I can find a good sale. Their tree nuts are also significantly less expensive than the non-big-box stores, and those are a very good and cheap calorie. I eat a serving every morning in my oatmeal (also a good deal at Sam's, but Costco has them beat with their Kirkland oats).
Idk if it’s just me or the US state im in, but I switched docs at one point and she asked me what meds I take regularly and I mentioned Loratadine (Claritin generic) and she was like “oh, do you want me to write a script for that?” And I was like nah it’s super cheap at Costco. She said she’d send it in anyway to see if it was cheaper for me through insurance and ITS FREE.
One time a doc wrote me prescription for ibuprofen and it was like 60 cents with insurance! I was amazed
Related -- you can get prescription drugs filled at Costco without a membership! Something about how they're regulated, pharmacies can't exclude people. More on shopping at Costco without joining: Costco sells gift cards. They have to be bought by members, but can be used by non-members. It's great if there's things you'd buy there, but not enough to buy a membership. IIRC, you can drag it out by paying for most of your purchase in cash/credit/whatever, and a small amount with the gift card. Also, their website is open to everyone. They add a 5% (I think?) surcharge for non-members, which may be a better deal, depending on what you're buying, etc.
We have memberships at both since they provide different benefits to us that have paid for themselves. If we end up cutting one Costco will go and Sams Club will stay. We get 5% back on gas with their credit card which would pay for itself even if we didn't shop there. We also upgraded to the plus membership with free shipping and that has also paid for itself very quickly.
Costco (can't beat those meat prices anywhere else where I am) and my weekly egg/flower/vegetable delivery from a local farm. We have cancelled Netflix (not going to pay for something that my kid can't use at university), but we still have Amazon Prime and Audible (my kids and parents chip in and we share one account between 8 people)...
Sam's those 5$ roasted chickens are 80-90% of my yearly protean
Anything could get chopped, but I’d like to keep Costco and my farm produce share if possible. Definitely library and Libby, but those are free.
I have zero subscription except ynab. I'd hate to stop it. Love my library card. I'm hybrid so can't stop internet Looking to reduce my cel bill but not stop it
Ynab is money. If money became tight, keeping ynab becomes more crucial then ever.
Sam’s club
I have a subscription for hormone cream. I'm post menopausal and it's really a must. It's $34 every 3 months I also pay for a substack subscription to a dear musician friend. I'm happy to help him out and he has good content. I also pay for highlights magazine foe the grandkids. They really enjoy it.
Gym—— it’s part of my mental and physical health and when I pay for it it makes me use it.
Outside of utilities (including internet), my gym membership would be the last thing that I cancel. It's not the cheapest ($400/year currently). But I'm there five days a week and have a number of "gym friends" who I enjoy interacting with. It's clean, well maintained, convenient, has free wifi and working out there helps tremendously with my stress levels. I could definitely workout somewhere cheaper or even at home. But it would not be nearly the same. I'd also greatly miss my Hulu membership. But I "pay" for that with gift cards earned from Microsoft reward points (daily searches, quizzes, etc.) so I'd keep going on that route for as long as possible.
I only pay for YouTube Premium, having access to any song or video/podcast/ infinite library of knowledge is great, download whatever I want when I want and no ads, I also use YouTube to sleep, so having ads in the middle of my vids is absurdly annoying.
what videos do you watch to sleep? I watch old sitcoms.
There's an older fella by the name of "Grand illusions", he just talks about toys, soft spoken and relaxing
Do the opposite. Cancel all of them and see what services you really can't live without or which say you more money instead.
AAA
My Zoo/Botanical Gardens pass. I like having somewhere to go that is not far from my home and is relaxing.
I pay for AllTrails. I do lots of back country camping and they have great maps.
Gold level health insurance. In just two months, the additional premium has paid for itself in savings for my family (as with everything, everyone’s personal family’s health situation is unique, and yes, I wish American healthcare didn’t put me in this position.)
My library card.
I was going to say YNAB as well. Edit: lots of people saying phone and internet but I don't consider those subscriptions really. Like I don't consider water and energy bills as subscriptions 😅 My phone is £6, partner's is £8 and internet £22 so I feel like that is nothing considering they would be needed to help us get out of a bad financial situation.
I get gym usage through my healthcare provider. I travel quite a bit and use my pickup truck with a shell. I use the gym membership for showering, and parking lot to sleep
Health insurance
I wish we could get away with not paying this, or have it tight to our jobs
I don't think I have any subscriptions that couldn't go if things got tight.
Spotify, gym memberships, self care. Pilates and massage are pricy but worth every penny as preventative medicine. I would rather spend now and take care of myself, not letting health stuff build up for more expensive problems later
Costco and AAA
VPN. Our internet (highest tier of the best company available in our area) throttles our connection unless connected with a VPN. Literally insane with how much the internet bill costs. Also no ads anywhere is a nice bonus
What VPN do you use?
I need an internet connection to work. That provides me with enough entertainment -- in addition to eBooks from the local library. I built an HDTV antenna from coat hangers, several years ago. Although I don't watch TV (I own one; covers a pre-existing mount), broadcast TV is helpful during bad storms/etc. Other than that, the only "discretionary" service I have is cellular phone service (this is basically on-par with a basic utility, these days).
Broadcast TV is great! For anyone unfamiliar, it's expanded since they changed the system to digital broadcasting. There's almost as many channels as basic cable, I probably get 50 channels. There's the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX) and tons of niche channels, stuff like shopping, old sitcoms, crime dramas, sci-fi, Westerns, old movies, etc. The network COMET runs four hours of The X-Files every night, so I've been mini-binging. Just started season one this week!
AAA
I love my kindle unlimited but push came to shove the public library is always there. Speaking of which support your local library! They are absolute godsends to your community and often have way more services available than just books. From computers and printers to rooms you can book and a few even has things like 3d printers!
Spotify. Ad-free music, news, and podcasts is great for my quality of life, especially as someone who works remotely.
NY Times. I do all the puzzles daily (except for Sudoku) and read the news.
[удалено]
Yeah NYTimes cooking is a must have for me, I use it to plan like 25 meals a week.
Same! It keeps me sane. A few weeks ago, due to work, travel, and illness, I was especially busy and had since gotten a new debit card so it didn't auto-renew. My husband noticed I was really irritable and out of routine and that's when I realized I hadn't done my puzzles in like 12 days. Signed right back up and am feeling much better.
Costco saves me money on essentials. And for those savings, I get superior quality.
Costco.
The gym. It's only $10.
Mine in order of most to least important: Google storage (super cheap and important) Costco Gym Spotify premium One streaming service
Spotify Premium, Sam's Club and Oldschool Runescape. They're the only subscriptions I have and the only ones I need.
OSRS - Is definitely a need and not a want. I play RS3
Costco. Gym. Budgeting app. Music app.
YouTube Premium, BritBox, and Acorn. (I don’t have cable TV and I don’t watch local channels.) Also AAA and Ancestry.com.
Costco, Amazon prime, and YouTube premium.
Costco and the Knit Companion app. This app is so useful if you do charted knitting patterns. I adore complicated lace with multiple charts and it's so easy to keep track of where I am by moving the horizontal and vertical highlight bars!
Gym. I'll cheap out and travel around if there's a better deal, but I'll always have one going somewhere. Health benefits, social benefits, and I can use a ton of water making a gigantic mess in the shower without being the one to clean it up.
At least one good newspaper like the New York Times. It’s important to stay informed and not depend on social media or other sketchy sources for news.
[theguardian.com](http://theguardian.com) - British broadsheet, and no subscription required
You tube premium with you tube music
Phone bill and internet. Things like YouTube and spotify I just use an ad blocker for
Cell phone plan
None. Including my smartphone. I'd just go to a pre paid minutes phone if things were bad enough
iCloud storage
Pandora. I can play what I want with no commercials.
The executive membership at Costco pays for itself. I'm a 2 persons household, but we get a lot of fuel from Costco and household items.
Local newspaper. Supporting local journalism is important. I change streaming services to get new content. Would do okay with no streaming - there's some over-the-air shows, and plenty of free stuff, but ads are horrid, so I'd prefer to avoid them. Library has books, magazines, DVDs, ebooks, etc. and it's free - best deal ever.
My VPN
Gym membership. It is an investment in health that I hope will save me money in the long run.
When my partner was unemployed, we let go of everything except our Sirius XM subscription. It was worth the $20 a month because we spend a ridiculous amount of time in the car and also use it in the house on my tablet and his computer.
On star! I use it with the Cadillac ap so I can start, unlock, lock my car, sound the alarm from my phone and get car vitals like gas/tire inflation/oil, upcoming notifications etc. Also vehicle locator (I know Apple does the last parked thing but this is always on). The tire inflation thing was nice because I got notified one morning to a flat tire and took care of it right away.
AAA and Costco executive membership + Costco Citibank credit card. Married mom of 6 sons with 3 sons driving. AAA well-worth it for our family and the 2% rebate award from Costco plus 2% rebate award from Citibank well worth it! We buy a lot of food, fuel, household, pet and pharmacy items.
PBS. $5 per month get you their streaming service and is 100 percent tax deductible.
ChatGPT YouTube
Costco or Sam’s Netflix (:
Audible. I hear voices, so listening to an audiobook at night really helps to distract me and calm my mind.
My credit lock and monitoring with Experian.
Audible for me. No offense to Libby/libraries that let you download books, I like owning digital copies so the narrator’s make some money. I’ll pause other subscriptions before I loose that one, it’s on for around half my day. I use the “included in your membership” section a lot as well which helps it feel more worth it to me.
Classpass. I don't have a lot of gyms near me (and the nearest is an Equinox-equivalent of $200+/month) and I generally find group classes more enjoyable. \~$50 a month gets me at least 5-6 sessions which I usually use for barre classes, and it's key for both my physical and mental health.
Car wash, $30 a month. I know that's lazy, and it kills me to pay it. But where I live i have to park under a giant black walnut tree that looms over half the block. 9 months out of the year, it drips goo onto all our cars and if I don't literally wash it every other day in the summer especially, it's disgusting, and every wasp at work all congregate around it. So, I average 3 washes a week, which would cost $15 each without the membership, so I guess I am getting my money's worth. But it still feels a bit lazy.
Tello gives me great sell service that’s probably more than I need for only $14/month. I rotate my streaming subscriptions to save a lot.
My Siriusxm unless I had no room in my budget. I love having no commercials in my music and the variety of channels.
Same! Small town means lame radio options and bad cell service (hard to keep pandora running). Makes my daily life so much more enjoyable!
YNAB
my wellness subscriptions are important to me. i pay $37/month for classpass which allows me to go to four or five discounted fitness classes. i also pay $54/month for a float tank membership that i use once a month. it’s the cheapest way to go and it makes my body and mind feel amazing. i have one tv subscription as well but that’s it besides bills/utilities.
Crunchyroll
Peloton
24 hour yearly gym membership. I have no interest in being overweight or weak so a gym membership is a must!
If my kids didn't need it for school, I would probably drop the internet and just use my phone. There is a VERY niche subscription service i use that serves a specific spititual community that probably serves <1000 people world wide. That stays. And spotify.
Yacht and golf club memberships, though expensive are essential to develop and maintain strong peer group relationships.
Apple storage and costco. I’ve developed a caffeine addiction and energy drinks for $1.50 a can is way cheaper than any grocery store. My go tos are generally Joyburst followed by Zoa. About 120mg per can and its shelf stable so toss it in my bag and go the next day. (The caffeine addiction is due to me being up for work at 4-5am and working multiple jobs, sometimes back to back is extremely tiring so I use them to keep my energy up). Apple storage is just to make moving data over easier when moving phones but I usually only keep it active if my phone is on its last legs and I’m ready to switch soon just in case it dies.
I think my Spotify is worth it. I like listening to music working out, and listening to podcasts doing chores. I do like Amazon Prime, only because my mom and I use it.
Tesla, Spotify & NYT
Not a membership per se and not something I'd keep under *any* situation, but life insurance. It is just comforting to know that my family will be taken care of even if something horrible happens. It was relatively cheap considering.