Each month, NerdWallet suggests one wallet win to help you feel more confident about your money. For April, it’s a subscription audit.
Survey statistics:
More than 3 in 5 parents of children under 18 (63%) say they plan to significantly cut back on subscriptions they have in 2026 in order to save money, compared to 51% of those who aren’t parents of minor children.
Most Americans likely couldn’t list all their subscriptions and prices off the top of their heads — not due to carelessness, but because they have so many, and they’re easy to forget about on autopay. The few you use frequently may be top of mind, but there may be some you’ve forgotten, or pricing changes you haven’t accounted for.
Go through your credit card and bank statements — including charges billed quarterly or annually — to see what subscriptions you’re paying for. List the subscription, the cost and the frequency with which you use it.
2. Start with the low-hanging fruit
A few of your subscriptions may have stood out as obvious cuts when you were making the list. Cancel anything you don’t use or value, or just forgot about.
My low-hanging fruit included a news app that I used just for games, a paid podcast I didn’t vibe with anymore and a few subscriptions of my husband’s (after checking that they wouldn’t be missed).
My savings so far: $45.50 a month, or $546 a year.
One drastic but effective approach to cut back on subscriptions is to get rid of all of them.
With a few exceptions, you can always resubscribe if you want to. Consider any drawbacks of unsubscribing in the short term, though, before deciding if it makes sense to ditch your account entirely. If perhaps you’re grandfathered into a cheaper price than what’s currently available, you may not want to lose that.
My savings so far: $93.00 a month, or $1,116 a year.
Find free or cheaper replacements
Many subscriptions are selling unique entertainment or products you can’t get elsewhere. But others are charging you for things you can get for free, or cheaper.
My household usually isn’t following along with new shows. So when I decided to cut all those streaming services, I headed to the DVD section of the library. And what I found there was … basically everything I wanted to watch.
The library has been saving me money for years — as an avid reader raising another avid reader, I’m there on a weekly basis. But the library isn’t just for books. My library system has DVDs and CDs, paywalled news access, documentary streaming, and e-book and audiobook access using the Libby app, completely free of charge.
There’s a tradeoff here: Subscriptions often reduce friction, and opting for the free or cheaper replacement may mean a waitlist or ads.
My savings so far: $109.99 a month, or $1,320 a year.
A subscription could be costing you additional money or time, aside from the monthly expense. In my case, there was a subscription costing me more than just the membership fee.
I was part of a paid community for crocheters, and it was a lovely group of people nerding out over a common interest. But the project recommendations regularly led me to buy yarn and other project supplies I didn’t need. Ultimately, I gave up the subscription to keep my hobby spending in check.
Similarly, your subscriptions could be costing you precious time. If you want to watch less TV, for instance, streaming services may be working against your goals.
My overall savings: $122.48 a month, or $1,470 a year.
Additional ways to cut back on your subscriptions
Look for discounts: Students can often get reduced cost subscriptions with a .edu email address, but you might also find discounts through your employer, cell phone or internet provider, or credit card company.
Bundle up or unbundle: Consider the costs of bundling services versus individual subscriptions.
Share accounts with friends and family: Some subscription services won’t let you share accounts outside of your household, but for those that do, sharing can lower costs for you and your co-subscriber. Just make sure it’s allowable under the service terms.
Pay annually instead of monthly: If you’re confident you want to keep a subscription year-round, see if the annual subscription is cheaper overall than the monthly payment option.
One at a time: Subscribe to a single streaming service at a time and move onto the next when you’ve watched what you want.
Subscriptions aren’t going away, and there’s a good chance you’ll end up resubscribing to some of the ones you cut, or subscribing to new ones over time. That’s OK. The goal doesn’t have to be to eliminate subscriptions altogether, but rather make sure the ones you have align with your budget and priorities. Set a calendar reminder to check your subscription list again a year from now to ensure that’s still the case.
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