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How to Manage Your Monthly Subscriptions

Date: September 25, 2020
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It seems like there's a subscription service for everything these days — from meal kits to streaming TV, beauty products and even sock of the month clubs! On their own, most subscriptions range from $7 to $25 per month. But if you sign up for multiple services, your monthly expenses could add up quickly.

Try some of these tips to help you manage your subscriptions and stay on top of your budget:

Simplify your subscriptions

It can be difficult to keep track of multiple subscriptions, especially when they're billed on different days. To simplify things, consider syncing your payment schedules so all your subscriptions are billed at the same time.

Another idea is to put all your monthly subscriptions on a dedicated credit card. This will make it easy to see the charges in one place.

Set reminders for free trials

Many services offer free trials that turn into a paid subscription if you don't cancel by a certain date. Be sure to set a reminder in your calendar to cancel the subscription if you don't want your card to be charged.

Revaluate often

Cutting back on unnecessary subscriptions is an easy way to save more money. Make time each month to review all the subscriptions you have and decide if you still need them.

​To determine if you should keep or cancel a subscription, ask yourself these questions:

  • How often do I use this subscription?
  • Do I like it?
  • Do I need it?
  • Is there a more affordable alternative?

Unsubscribing may not feel like it will make a big difference in your budget. But think about it this way: canceling just one $12 monthly subscription will save you $144 over the course of a year! That's money you could use to pay other bills, put toward your student loans or save up for a vacation.

Money management made easy
To get a complete picture of your monthly spending, try Wright-Patt Credit Union's free online Money Management service. This helpful tool lets you view all of your financial accounts, including those with other institutions, with one login. When you can see all your subscriptions at once, it's much easier to keep track of how much you're spending! Learn how to use Money Management with this interactive demo.