(Image credit: Shutterstock; Tom's Guide)
It’s easy to rack up an eye-watering monthly streaming bill without really noticing; in fact, streaming services bank on it. A $15-20 a month bill sounds like no big deal in isolation, but when you subscribe to half a dozen services, those costs add up. Before you know it, and without really even being aware of it, you can find yourself spending serious money per month.I’m the perfect example. Naturally, as part of my job as an entertainment editor, having access to multiple streaming services is extremely useful (arguably, it's a professional necessity). Mix this with a dash of financial carelessness, and boom, it’s a recipe for far too many monthly fees coming out of my bank account.With the recent launch of the Tom’s Guide Saving Squad (check it out if you need help making your life cheaper), the whole TG team has had money on the mind lately. That made now the perfect time to get a full picture of exactly how much I was spending per month on streaming, and more importantly, to whittle down my spend to something more plattable.I was overdue for a rethink of my subscription spending
(Image credit: Shutterstock)Until now, I hadn’t realized quite how much I was spending per month on streaming. If you’d asked me to estimate a total, I’d probably have said in the region of $50 max. But after combing through my bank balance (note to self: I also spend far too much money on groceries each week), I was quite stunned to discover that I’ve been paying about $90 per month.That cost doesn’t even factor in other monthly expenses like my gym membership, unlimited cinema card and annual PlayStation Plus subscription, which are all non-negotiables for me, so they were off the table when it came time to figure out a way to reduce my expenditure.Still, $90 per month is far too much to spend on streaming services, and I don’t even have the spare time to make proper use of all these platforms at once. It was time to get serious about unsubscribing to at least some of them. That money could be better used elsewhere.My methodology for determining which streamers to cancel was simple, but effective. Because I’m paying monthly for each, I decided to audit how often I actually used each service. If I’m paying $15+ each month for a service, I should be using it pretty regularly, right?Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.With this method, I was able to reduce my streaming spend to $36 per month, a 60% drop. Below are the results of my audit and my rationale for which service I'm keeping and the ones I'm waving goodbye to (for now).Streaming services: Keep or cancelNetflix ($19.99)
