Subscriptions: how to find the extra ones and stop paying for the forgotten
Music, films, cloud storage, apps — small monthly payments quietly add up to a serious sum. How to sort them out in one evening. · 4 min read
Why subscriptions get “lost” so easily
A subscription is charged automatically and usually for a small amount, so you hardly notice it. The free trial ended, you use the service once a month, yet the money keeps going. Five or six such subscriptions at 60–150 lei each already make 500–800 lei a month — around 8,000 lei a year.
An audit in one evening
One evening is enough to make a full list and decide what to keep.
- Look through your card statements for the last three months and write down every recurring payment.
- For each subscription ask: did I use it in the last month? Would I sign up for it today?
- Cancel everything that fails the test. You can always come back to what you really need.
- Check family plans: one shared subscription is often cheaper than two personal ones.
How to keep it from piling up again
Record every subscription as a recurring payment with its billing date. Then before each renewal you will see a reminder and have time to cancel what you don't need. When you start a free trial, set a reminder for the day before it ends.
Repeat a short audit every quarter. It takes ten minutes, and the savings over a year can beat any other budget “optimisation”.