Canceling Paid Memberships and Subscriptions

Feature

The Subscription Audit: Managing My Annual Memberships

Tracking the cost of living and finding the balance between convenience and expense.

$1,189

Total Annual Cost

9

Active Items

+$461

2025 Increase

Table of Contents

• ①Paid Memberships and Subscription Overview
• ②Categorized Breakdown
• ③The Subscription Timeline

 

Section I

Paid Memberships and Subscription Overview

It's easy to overlook ongoing memberships and subscriptions. By performing a regular audit, it becomes easier to see exactly where money is going and where value is actually being delivered. Currently, my annual recurring costs sit at $1,189 across various categories.

Category	Service	Annual Cost	Status
Groceries	Costco	$65	Active
Groceries	Sam's Club	$50	Active
Streaming	Netflix	$144	Active
Streaming	Amazon Prime	$139	Cancelled (2023)
Streaming	Disney+	$120	Cancelled (2024)
Utility	Car Wash	$480	Active
Utility	Anti-Virus	$70	Active
Utility	Blink Camera	$60	Active
Utility	Apple Cloud	$12	Active
Education	Duolingo	$120	Cancelled (2025)
Events	Gym	$320	Active
Events	Museum	$165	Cancelled (2023)
Events	Garden	$110	Cancelled (2024)

Section II

Categorized Breakdown

Groceries

• →Costco — $65/yr. Recently increased by $5. Despite shopping here infrequently, the membership is maintained for access to cheaper gas.
• →Sam's Club — $50/yr. Similar to Costco, this is kept primarily for gas savings.

Streaming

• →Netflix — $144/yr. Currently the primary streaming service.
• →Amazon Prime — $139/yr (Cancelled 2023). Formerly used for free shipping, which can now be achieved through order bundling.
• →Disney+ — $120/yr (Cancelled 2024). Cancelled after finishing specific series like The Mandalorian and Bad Batch.

Utility & Maintenance

• →Car Wash — $480/yr. This membership provides unlimited washes. At $240 previously, it was a major time-saver that kept the vehicle clean; it remains justifiable even after cost increases.
• →Anti-Virus — $70/yr. Standard digital maintenance.
• →Blink Camera — $60/yr. Security camera subscription.
• →Apple 50GB Cloud — $12/yr. Added in 2024 as iPhone backups could no longer be maintained under the free 5GB limit.

Education & Events

• →Gym — $320/yr. Resumed in 2025, though currently planned for cancellation in 2026.
• →Duolingo — $120/yr (Cancelled 2025). Super subscription cancelled due to decreased usage.
• →Museum — $165/yr (Cancelled 2023).
• →Garden — $110/yr (Cancelled 2024).

Section III

The Subscription Timeline

2023 Updates

During 2023, the focus was on identifying unused services. I decided to quit Amazon Prime as I can achieve free shipping by bundling orders. I also evaluated cutting the Gym and Museum memberships to potentially save an additional $525, which would have brought the annual recurring total down to $450. However, I chose to keep Costco and Sam's Club for the gas benefits and the Car Wash membership for the convenience.

Tip: You don't need Amazon Prime for free shipping—simply bundle your items into a single larger order to hit the free delivery threshold.

2024 Updates

This year saw the cancellation of Disney+ after exhausting the content I was interested in. I also added the $1/month Apple Cloud Storage (50GB) because maintaining a phone backup below the 5GB free tier became impossible, despite syncing very little data.

2025 Updates

This year was marked by significant cost increases. My total annual spend jumped from $728 to $1,189—a +$461 increase. This was driven by resuming the Gym membership ($320) and price hikes for Costco, the Car Wash, Netflix, and security camera services. Consequently, I cancelled Duolingo Super due to lack of use and have marked the Gym for cancellation in 2026.

Audit your subscriptions annually to ensure you are only paying for the value you actually use.