We all love a little convenience, and subscription services make life feel easier — from Netflix binges to Spotify playlists, to beauty boxes arriving on the doorstep. But with the cost of living rising, those “just a few pounds a month” payments can quietly drain your budget.
We all know it’s easy to sign up for subscriptions, but harder to notice how much they add up to each month – especially when they’re not necessarily in the same place with some being paid from your bank account, some are done through your phone and some might even be through sites like Paypal.
By taking some time to review them all once or twice a year, you’ll make sure you’re only paying for what you actually use — and the savings can go straight into your family budget, an emergency fund, or even a little treat you’ll genuinely enjoy.
I can tell you from my own experience that reviewing and cancelling unused or low-value subscriptions could save you £30–£80 a month without you really missing them.
I like to think I’m pretty good at keeping track of things but I recently cancelled a couple that I’d set up for apps on my phone and saved £10 a month on apps that I don’t use anymore. One of which was an app that I used to track carbs, calories and exercise but I rarely actually used it. I had been meaning to get rid for ages but every time I did, I decided I was going to be ‘good’ and start using it again.
Here are the subscriptions you might want to check and (possibly!) cancel to save money:
📺 Entertainment & Media
Streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, NOW TV, and Apple TV+. If you have more than one, you could keep your favourite and pause the rest. especially if you binge-watch one show at a time.
Music apps (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music). If you don’t mind ads, switch to a free version.
Gaming passes (Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus). These are brilliant if you game often, but expensive if you only play occasionally.
💡 Tip: Consider “rotating” subscriptions — one month of Netflix, the next month Disney+ — instead of paying for several at once. They’re so easy to stop and start that it’s worth ten minutes every month to switch out your subscriptions.
🛍 Lifestyle & Shopping
Subscription boxes (beauty, books, wine, clothes, food kits). Lovely treats, but do you use them all?
Magazines or newspapers that you no longer read. Many have free online versions.
💪 Health & Fitness
Gym memberships — cancel or freeze if you’re not going regularly.
Fitness apps — swap for free YouTube workouts or running apps. The one I just cancelled was £6.99 a month and I’d genuinely only kept it because it made me feel like I was doing something to help myself. In reality, I never used it and I could just use a good old pen and paper.
💻 Other Services
Cloud storage/software (Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, Office 365). Pick just one, not three!
Delivery memberships (Amazon Prime, Uber One, Deliveroo Plus). Worth it if you order often, but not if you don’t. If Amazon Prime is £9 a month, do you order more than twice a month?
Random apps you signed up for and forgot about (photo filters, meditation apps, budgeting tools).
✅ How to Review Your Subscriptions
Check your bank statements — highlight any monthly payments.
Look in your phone app store — both Apple and Google list active subscriptions.
Sort into categories:
Keep → You use it regularly and it adds value.
Cancel → Rarely used or unnecessary.
Review → Consider downgrading to a cheaper/free plan.
📝 Free Printable: Subscription Tracker
To make this even easier, I’ve put together a free Subscription Tracker printable in The Diary of a Frugal Family style.
Just download, print, and fill it in as you go through your bank statements and app store subscriptions.
👉 Click here to download your Subscription Tracker
Trust me, if you’re anything like me, you could save yourself some money. Even if you decide to keep all your subscriptions because they’re important to you, at least you know what you’re paying for to include in your budget.
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