You might also want to give them a go

I regularly go through my list of subscriptions to make sure I’m not still paying for any I no longer use. I read a survey a couple of years ago that suggested that thousands of Americans waste $348 a year on subscriptions they no longer use. I don’t want to do that. And neither should you.

Did you know that if you invested $348 a year over 20 years at a 10% annual return you’d have almost $19,931? That’s a huge amount to waste on subscriptions you don’t use.

But some subscriptions are worth the money. Here are 5 that I can’t live without.

1. YouTube Premium

I love watching music videos on YouTube, but there’s nothing more annoying than the music being interrupted partway through with some lame advert. The same goes for when I’m watching travel or educational videos.

I want to see the content not watch adverts. But the creators need to be paid. The only way that can happen is if there are ads shown or if we pay to watch the content. I’m more than happy to pay. I don’t expect content creators to work for free.

YouTube Premium costs me $5 a month, which is $60 a year.

2. Chess.com

In my spare time, I love to play Chess online. I usually have 15–20 daily games on the go at any time. As my opponents are spread around the world, it ensures that there’s always someone available to play. I’ve also made a few friends and have arranged to meet up with a couple of them when I go traveling later this year. How awesome is that?

Chess.com also includes chess lessons from beginner level to advanced, daily puzzles, practice games, and lots more.

This costs me $29 a year. I pay annually, as it’s cheaper than paying monthly. I know I will keep using it.

3. Dropbox

I’m an avid traveler, so I have a ton of travel photos that need to be backed out. Dropbox is very easy to use and ensures that all my photos and documents are safe. A few years ago the hard disk on my laptop crashed and I lost everything. Luckily, it was all backed up to Dropbox. I bought a new laptop and got all my data back quickly.

It’s worth paying for the peace of mind it brings me.

The cost is $11.99 if paying monthly or $9.99 per month if paying annually. As with the above, I pay annually. I know I will always need Dropbox.

4. Medium

I’m sure you’ve all got this one as well. This is pretty essential if you’re a writer here. I easily make back the monthly payment, so it’s essentially free. Last month I earned over $400.

I pay $5 a month for this. I’m thinking of upgrading to an annual payment though. I just need to be sure that I’ll actually use it for a whole year.

If you’d like to sign up to Medium and write for money, click here.

5. CoinStats

This is an app that I use to track my crypto investments. It uses APIs to collect all the data from the various accounts. The latest prices are shown in real-time. Instead of checking each individual account, I can now see an overview very easily.

I have the Pro plan that costs $4.99 a month or $3.49 a month if paid annually. This is another one that I pay annually for.

What monthly subscriptions can’t you live without?

And here are… 5 Monthly Subscriptions I Will Never Pay For