Quick: how much do you spend on subscriptions a month? Write a number down. Maya guessed $86. Then she went through her statement.
Guess vs. reality
A 2022 C+R Research survey asked about a thousand people the same question.
| Per month | |
|---|---|
| Average guess | $86 |
| Actual, added up | $219 |
| Missed | $133 |
Streaming. Music. Cloud storage. The app trial that never got canceled.
What it costs by 65
$219 a month from 25 to 65 is $105,120 spent. Invested instead at 8%: $764,531.
But nobody’s saying cancel everything. Just the part you forgot about:
| $133 a month at 8% | |
|---|---|
| 25 to 65 (40 years) | $464,304 |
| Maya, 31 to 65 (34 years) | $280,176 |
The 20-minute audit
For each subscription:
- Did I use it in the last 30 days?
- Would I pay the whole year up front, today?
No to either one: cancel. Then set up an automatic $133 a month into your investments, so the money doesn’t just drift back into spending.
The Honest Check: 6%
| $133 a month at 6% | |
|---|---|
| 25 to 65 | $264,868 |
| Maya, 31 to 65 | $176,933 |
Still a lot for things you didn’t know you were paying for. And the catch: it only counts if you actually invest what you cancel.
Keep the subscriptions you love. Cancel the ones you forgot. Invest the difference.
Next up: one account that saves you taxes three different ways. The HSA.
How the math works
All figures come from the QWOS Subscription Bleed Calculator ($219 or $133 a month; 40 or 34 years; 8% or 6%, compounded monthly). Survey: C+R Research (2022), via NBC Washington.
Education, not financial advice. Hypothetical returns; real results vary and losses happen.