Save Money by Canceling One Thing (2)

By Wendy Mihm | Thursday December 2, 2010

Today’s money saving tip is very simple:  cancel one thing. 

Certainly there is one thing you subscribe to that you are not using.  For my husband and I, it was Netflix. 

We really, really wanted to be those people who curled up on the couch and watched a movie together twice a month.  In my mind, not only were we watching these imaginary movies, but we were also sipping imaginary wine and eating imaginary popcorn made with imaginary olive oil (I hear it’s supposed to be healthier that way).  But with two very young kids and our schedules the way they are, it just was not happening.

After about 21 months of this imagining, and then finally finding a dusty copy of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” jammed under the DVD player, I realized it was time to face reality and cancel Netflix.  Do you know how much this hopeful imagining cost us?  21 months x $11.95 per month = $250.95.  Yes, I know.  Dumb, da dumb dumb dumb!

So take advantage of this money saving tip and look at what you subscribe to with a brutal, honest eye for how you really live.  Are you reading that newspaper?  How about that stack of magazines?  Are you watching all those cable channels?  Using your gym membership?  What about any online subscriptions that you no longer use – did you sign up for Angie’s list to find a contractor and then forget about it when your remodeling project was over?  Even small monthly memberships can add up to big money when they keep renewing year after year after year.

So save yourself some easy money.  Cancel one thing today – it’s simple!  And kind of fun in a weird, OCD sort of way.

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