People Are Exposing Which Monthly Subscriptions "Basically Pay For Themselves," And I’m Taking Notes
Even if you're budgeting, there are probably subscription services that are 100% worth it and you wouldn't even think of cutting. Like, I am sure that if you have kids, Disney+ is a monthly subscription that is totally worth paying for.
I recently came across this Reddit post from a few months ago, in which user AndreLinoge55 was curious about just that when they asked: "What is a monthly subscription that is worth every penny?"
The thread got thousands of responses. Below are the top, best, and most-often repeated subscriptions that people feel are worth paying for:
1."I use Spotify while working 8–10 hours daily, five days a week. It's the best money I’ve ever spent avoiding commercials while listening to whatever I want."
"I bought the family plan so that I and all my friends can listen to music ad-free and send each other songs to listen to. I've got my two best friends, my little sister, my dad, and myself on there. Best thing I've ever subscribed to 🥰. Makes me feel really good, too, when I see them enjoying their music ad-free."
2."My local movie theater chain offers three movies per week for $20 per month. They also offer refillable popcorn buckets that live for, like, five months for $30. Fantastic deal."
"My wife and I have Regal Unlimited. It's $19/mo for unlimited movies at the nicest theater in town. We love it!"
3."My local gas station chain called Sheetz has unlimited fries for $9.99 a month. They're solid fries too."
"LMAO, I did not expect to see Sheetz at the top of this thread. I used to work at one! My coworker got this subscription, and she would get an order of fries right before her shift started, during her break, and right after she got off work since it renews like every four hours. She was going through some hardcore financial stuff, and this subscription saved her from going hungry all day for months."
4."In the 1990s, Rolling Stone magazine offered lifetime subscriptions for $50. I got it, and I still get them for free every month. When I move, I fill out a change of address form, and they keep sending them to the new residence. Over 25 years so far."
5."Respectfully speaking, if you’re going to use it, a gym membership."
"I used to spend $25 bucks a month on a gym membership. It was a chore to go, and I didn't make any real progress. Now, I spend $200 a month on a gym membership and I live at the gym — great classes, never too busy, sauna/steam room/etc. I know not everyone can spend more, but for me, it's been life-changing."
6."Kindle Unlimited is awesome for the wife and I. We read about 175 books per year."
7."Mealime app on my phone. It's $2.99 a month, and it has tons of meal recipes. It creates a shopping list for you and has a reminder each week to help you create your weekly menu before you go grocery shopping. It then has very effective recipes that are super easy to follow, with in-app timers to keep you on track."
8."I have a weekly delivery of fresh vegetables from local suppliers. It’s a bit more expensive than going to a shop, but they're fresh and taste amazing. Even friends recognized that the carrots are way more intensive in taste."
"There's a farmer’s market near me, and several of the farms offer 'subscriptions' (called a CSA) [Community Supported Agriculture]. I pick up my box every week, and since there are just two of us, we have loads of veggies to eat all week. Honestly, I think it saves us money because I have so much produce (AND GREAT produce grown by fairly paid farm workers). I buy less and eat less processed foods, junk foods, and snacks because the answer is always 'check the produce drawer' instead of 'hit up the bodega' when I’m hungry and wondering what to eat."
9."The Great Courses. College-level lectures on a variety of topics. It's intellectually rewarding."
10."Not a monthly subscription, but I love my annual Costco subscription because I love the quality of customer service and the better wages for their employees."
"Costco is totally worth it. They have some of the greatest deals, and it has saved me SO MUCH money over the years."
11."AAA can get you discounts on so much stuff. My girlfriend and I went to Disneyland and got the tickets at a big discount because of AAA."
12."Google Photos for me. Guaranteed storage of photos one click away is just worth not having to care and do it manually."
13."Game Pass"
"I would cancel every television streaming service I have before I would cancel my Game Pass."
14."A library card! Yes, you get your library card free. However, libraries are partly funded by us paying our property taxes/city council rates. Even if you're renting, part of the landlord's mortgage goes to escrow, which pays the property taxes for your rental."
"A wise man once told me that having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card."
15."I bought my mom a gift subscription to the New York Times and she no longer forwards me wild stuff from websites."
16."I know I'm going to catch shit for this, but AARP really has saved me a lot on travel, insurance, and a couple of other things."
"The cost of a one-year subscription can easily be made up in a single hotel stay. Totally worth it."
17.And lastly, "Not a monthly subscription, but $100-plus every five years for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry is the best money I’ve ever spent in terms of time saved."
"I am about three trips into getting my TSA PreCheck, and it's been delightful. Of course, we already had all these features before they took them away from us and then sold them back for the price of our personal information, but here we are."
You can read the original thread on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
